Royal Ascot is back for another year with the 2025 festival underway this afternoon.
More than 250,000 spectators are expected to flock into the grandstands across the five-day event, with the best racehorses on display in Berkshire.
The highlight of the 35-race festival will be the Gold Cup, where Aidan O’Brien’s Illinois is favourite, after two-time champion Kyprios retired last month due to a ringbone lesion.
There will be eight Group One races throughout the event, including three on day one.
The Queen Anne Stakes, King Charles III and St James’s Palace Stakes all take place on the opening day, with the Gold Cup falling on Thursday, which is ‘Ladies’ Day’, where the women are encouraged to dress with even more colour and elegance than they would for the other four days.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to attend one at least one of the days, but which day is currently unconfirmed.
The royal couple own Reaching High, who is trained by the famous Willie Mullins, and the horse races in Tuesday’s Ascot Stakes, where he is the favourite.
How to watch Royal Ascot 2025 for free
TV channel: The entire event will be broadcast for free in the UK by ITV, with coverage starting at 1.30pm BST.
The first of seven races each day is at 2.30pm BST, with the last coming at 6.10pm.
Live stream: The festival is free to live stream on ITVX’s platform.
