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Royal Ascot 2020: When does it start, what TV channel is it on and will spectators be allowed?

It will be a very different looking Royal Ascot this year - GETTY IMAGES
It will be a very different looking Royal Ascot this year - GETTY IMAGES

When is Royal Ascot 2020?

Tuesday June 16 until Saturday June 20, subject to government approval of sporting events being held behind closed doors from June 1.

Will spectators be allowed?

In short, no. As mentioned above, large sporting events, if given the green light by the government, will only take place on the proviso that they are strictly behind closed doors  - in others words, closed to the public - due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus. That means no Royal procession, no morning suits or millinery and, for the first time in her 68-year reign, no Her Majesty The Queen. A Royal meeting like no other.

All smiles last year between the monarch and Gold Cup winning jockey Frankie Dettori but there will be none of that in a coronavirus-gripped 2020 - Action Images via Reuters
All smiles last year between the monarch and Gold Cup winning jockey Frankie Dettori but there will be none of that in a coronavirus-gripped 2020 - Action Images via Reuters

What channel is it on?

All races will be shown live on Sky Sports Racing with race two onwards (race three onwards on Saturday) shown on ITV.

What prize money is at stake?

Prize money will be confirmed in due course.

How many races in the altered programme?

There may not be a bumper crowd at Royal Ascot this year but there will be a bumper programme.

The plan is for this year's Royal Ascot to feature 36 races over five days, seven on the first four days and then eight on the final day. In this unprecedented year, an extra six races have been added in total.

In one of several alterations,  the Buckingham Palace Handicap, which was lost from the card when the Commonwealth Cup was introduced in 2015, will open the meeting. The Silver Royal Hunt Cup (1m) and the Silver Wokingham Handicap (6f) are included for those who miss the cut for the main events.

Among the changes to the regular programme are the movement of the St James’s Palace Stakes and Coronation Stakes to the final day, to maximise the time between them and the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas races at Newmarket.

Sean Levey rides King Of Change to victory in The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last year - GETTY IMAGES
Sean Levey rides King Of Change to victory in The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last year - GETTY IMAGES

Royal Ascot 2020 Order of Running

Tuesday 

Buckingham Palace Handicap (7f, 3yo+) 
Queen Anne Stakes (1m, Group One, 4yo+) 
Ribblesdale Stakes (1 1/2m, Group Two, 3yo fillies) 
King Edward VII Stakes (1 1/2m, Group Two, 3yo colts & geldings) 
King’s Stand Stakes (5f, Group One, 3yo+) 
Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1m, Group Two, 4yo+ fillies and mares) 
Ascot Stakes Handicap (2 1/2m, 4yo+)

Wednesday 

Silver Royal Hunt Cup Handicap (1m, 3yo+) 
Hampton Court Stakes (10f, Group Three, 3yo) 
King George V Handicap (1 1/2m, 3yo) 
Prince of Wales’s Stakes (10f, Group One, 4yo+) 
Royal Hunt Cup Handicap (1m, 3yo+) 
Windsor Castle Stakes (5f, Listed, 2yo) 
Copper Horse Handicap (1 3/4m, 4yo+)

Thursday

Golden Gates Handicap (10f, 3yo) 
Wolferton Stakes (10f, Listed, 4yo+) 
Jersey Stakes (7f, Group Three, 3yo) 
Chesham Stakes (7f, Listed, 2yo) 
Gold Cup (2 1/2m, Group One, 4yo+) 
Britannia Handicap (1m, 3yo colts & geldings) 
Sandringham Handicap (1m, 3yo, fillies)

Friday

Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap (5f, 3yo) 
Albany Stakes (6f, Group Three, 2yo fillies) 
Norfolk Stakes (5f, Group Two, 2yo) 
Hardwicke Stakes (1 1/2m, Group Two, 4yo+) 
Commonwealth Cup (6f, Group One, 3yo colts & fillies) 
Queen’s Vase (1 3/4m, Group Two, 3yo) 
Duke of Edinburgh Handicap (1 1/2m, 3yo+)

Saturday 

Silver Wokingham Handicap (6f, 3yo+) 
Queen Mary Stakes (5f, Group Two, 2yo fillies) 
Coronation Stakes (1m, Group One, 3yo fillies) 
Coventry Stakes (6f, Group Two, 2yo) 
St James’s Palace Stakes (1m, Group One, 3yo colts) 
Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6f, Group One, 4yo+) 
Wokingham Handicap (6f, 3yo+) 
Queen Alexandra Stakes (2 3/4m, Conditions, 4yo+)

Who were the big winners last year?

The Charlie Appleby-trained Blue Point won the King's Stand Stakes for a second successive year on the opening day and then, sensationally, added his name to the history books as he became the first horse since Choisir in 2003 to complete the King’s Stand-Diamond Jubilee Stakes double when he won again on the final day.

On the Wednesday, trainer Sir Michael Stoute brought up his 80th Royal Ascot success as Crystal Ocean, priced at 3-1, won the Prince of Wales' Stakes ahead of 13-8 favourite Magical. Frankie Dettori also rode the Mark Johnston-trained Raffle Prize to victory in the Queen Mary Stakes.

Very much continuing the winning theme on Thursday, Dettori ensured champion Stradivarius successfully defended his Gold Cup title although the jockey came up just short of remarkably going through the card unbeaten on the Thursday with his mount Turgenev getting pipped. He had to settle for just the four wins on a stunning day for Britain's best-loved jockey.

Elsewhere Hayley Turner ended a 32-year wait for a victorious Ascot female rider as she steered Thanks Be to a last-gasp victory in the Sandringham Stakes.

What are the top tips this year?

Our tipsters' selections for races will be updated nearer the time as declarations start to come in.

Royal Ascot by numbers

Approximately 300,000 guests attend Royal Ascot each year. But in a huge blow for the local hospitality industry, the event will take place without fans.

Instead let's take a look at what should be happening if it were not for the coronavirus pandemic.

350 chefs serving food

5,000 kilos of salmon eaten

8,000 Cornish crabs eaten

3,500 lobsters eaten

10,000 steaks eaten

7,000 rumps of English lamb eaten

250,000 finger sandwiches eaten

120,000 buttermilk scones eaten

110,000 cups of tea drunk

1,200 kilos of clotted cream eaten

400 helicopters and 1,000 limousines descend on site

*Figures from Royal Ascot 2019