20 Jun 2026 21:36:10
Now back in a hotel after spending a wonderful day at Royal Ascot.
I wa fortunate enough to meet and cahatro people from all corners of the globe including Manchester and Morecombe.
The venue is fantastic and the amount of money being spent was "probably" outrageous but to my sad eyes it was worth the spend.
It's an occasion that people dress up for but the singalong after racing was well attended by all age groups and loud. The younger generation seem to know the lyrics to some World War Two favourites. The national anthem was sung with gusto with the vast majority of people taking off their top hats to show respect to our King.
I have been fortunate enough to travel around a significant percentage of the world but when do this sort of event so well.
My god it was good to be involved with people having fun.
21 Jun 2026 13:27:26
Tom, that's because you weren't at Stamford Bridge.
21 Jun 2026 14:16:33
Stamford Bridge was about average on the fun stakes during my time of supporting the club. I have never worked it out, but I would think I have been disappointed more often than satisfied supporting Chelsea.
Anyway, the point was, virtually every person at Ascot yesterday looked to be enjoying themselves and the singalong at the end of racing was absolutely brilliant.
Anyone who hasn't been for a day at Royal Ascot should, in my opinion, put it in their bucket list. Not for the racing, but just to soak up the joy of the occasion.
21 Jun 2026 15:17:22
Tom, Ascot is too posh for me. I prefer the Cheltenham Festival more suited to my station in life.
{Ed001's Note - I used to live near Ascot for a bit, was hellish when the racing was on as you couldn't go anywhere. The roads were just nose to tail for hours.}
21 Jun 2026 19:08:07
Blimey, I didn't find Ascot yesterday as "posh," as I say, it seemed to be a cross-section from around the world.
We seem to do these sort of events so well. Obviously Cheltenham, Goodwood, York, Aintree and Chester spring to mind in racing, but we have Wimbledon, The Open and The Ashes (at Lords).
I love these events. It's strange, but if I can get to them, they all always give me a buzz and a sense of pride.