When was the first Royal procession at Ascot?

Located in the Royal County of Berkshire, approximately six miles from Windsor Castle, Ascot Racecourse has been closely associated with the British Royal Family for centuries. Indeed, it was the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne, who founded Ascot Racecourse, in an area originally known as ‘East Cote’, in 1711. The first recognisable ‘Royal Ascot’ meeting was staged in 1768, during the reign of King George III. ‘Farmer George’ was still on the throne when the Royal Enclosure was created as a premier vantage point for viewing the inaugural running of the Gold Cup in 1807.

However, it was his eldest son, King George IV, who introduced the Royal Procession in 1825. King George IV and his guests apparently made for a ‘very splendid’ spectacle as they made their way up the Straight Mile in beautiful horse-drawn carriages. The traditional has continued ever since; under normal circumstances, Queen Elizabeth II and her cortege arrive at the Royal Gates at 2pm sharp every afternoon and process, accompanied by fanfare, along the Straight Mile to the Parade Ring.

Which current jockey has ridden the most winners at the Cheltenham Festival?

Following the retirement of Richard Johnson on April 3, 2021, the current jockey who has ridden the most winners at the Cheltenham Festival is David ‘Davy’ Russell. Russell has, like Johnson, ridden 22 winners, a total exceeded only by countrymen Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, A.P. McCoy and Pat Taaffe.

Russell, 42, spent nearly a year on the sidelines as the result of serious vertebrae injury sustained in a fall from Doctor Duffy in the Munster National at Limerick in October, 2020, and missed the 2021 Cheltenham Festival on medical advice. At the time of writing, he has yet to resume race riding, but has been riding out for Gordon Elliott and is reportedly ready to return when called upon to do so.

Russell rode his first Cheltenham winner, Native Jack, in what is now the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2006. Thereafter, with the exception of 2019, he rode at least one winner at every Cheltenham Festival up to, and including, 2020. At the 2014 Cheltenham Festival, Russell rode three winners for the first time, including Lord Windermere in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He bettered that total in 2014 and his four winners – Presenting Percy in the RSA Novices’ Chase, Balko Des Flos in the Ryanair Chase, Delta Work in the Pertemps Final and The Storyteller in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate – were sufficient to win him the leading jockey award for the one and only time.

How much is admission to the 2022 Cheltenham Festival?

As with any other major horse racing festival, the cost of admission to the 2022 Cheltenham Festival varies according to when you wish to attend and which enclosure you choose. The 2022 Cheltenham Festival is scheduled to take place between Tuesday, March 15 and Friday, March 18.

On all four days, the Best Mate Enclosure, which is situated opposite the main grandstand and adjacent to the finish line, is the cheapest option. Prices range from £44.00 per person, or £40.00 per person if booked in groups of 15 or more, on days one, two and three to £63.00, or £60.00 if booked in bulk, on Gold Cup Day. The Best Mate Enclosure offers head-on views of the racecourse, but no access to the parade ring or winners’ enclosure.

By contrast, the Tattersalls Enclosure does offer access to the pre-parade ring, parade ring and winners’ enclosure, together with side-on views of the final fence and the run-in from opposite the finish line. Unsurprisingly, the Tattersalls Enclosure is correspondingly more expensive, with prices ranging from £59.00 to £78.00 per person throughout the week, again with appropriate discounts for booking in bulk.

At the top end of the scale, aside from various hospitality and ‘luxury’ options – which start at £295.00 per person, per day – the Club Enclosure offers access to all public areas of the racecourse, including the Best Mate and Tattersalls Enclosures. Of course, you pay extra for ‘access-all-areas’ admission, with prices ranging from £89.00 to £110.00 per person, subject to bulk discounts.

When did Rachael Blackmore ride her first winner at the Cheltenham Festival?

It would be fair to say Tipperary-born Rachael Blackmore enjoyed an ‘annus mirabilis’ in 2021. At the Cheltenham Festival in March, she made history by becoming the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle, on Honeysuckle, and capped a stellar week by becoming the first to win the leading jockey award. The following month, she achieved another notable first when partnering Minella Times to a 6½-length victory in the Grand National at Aintree. A fracture ankle and hip injury, sustained at in a fall at Killarney in July, took the shine off an otherwise remarkable year, but served as a timely reminder of the dangers National Hunt jockeys face every day.

Blackmore did not turn professional until 2015, but became Irish champion conditional jockey in 2016/17. She subsequently joined forces with Waterford trainer Henry de Bromhead and, thus, began a meteoric rise that would take her right to the top of her profession. She rode her first Cheltenham Festival winner, A Plus Tard, in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap in 2019 and her second, Minella Indo, in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle three days later. Ironically, two years later, it was Minella Indo who prevented Blackmore from becoming the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, staying on gamely to beat A Plus Tard by 1¼ lengths.

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