Ladies Day at Ascot

Walking several blocks to the Tube at 9:30 am all decked out in formal day wear with hat was an experience I will not soon forget. In my life I have rarely felt like a celebrity (my wedding day being one notable exception), but that morning, I did! Loads of people on the sidewalks did double-takes, the construction workers paused to smile while I passed by, one woman excitedly interrupted her friends' conversation to point me out as I approached their group, someone actually took a picture of me while I was standing on the Tube platform! Ha! It was hysterical. By the time I got to Waterloo Station, I was relieved to find others dressed as I was... It felt like arriving at a Halloween party by yourself, and momentarily wondering if anyone else was going to get into it to the same level you did!

I quickly found my friend, Becky, and we got tickets, coffee and headed to the train. EVERYONE on our platform was decked out in all sorts of finery. The men in the top hats and morning coats were the best! The train was packed. The champagne corks started popping just as soon as we began to move. There were a few men sitting across the aisle who weren't on their way to Ascot and they were making fun of all of us... until some very young and extremely pretty women saddled up to them and conned them into relinquishing their seats. Funny to see them change their tune so fast.

We arrived in Ascot and followed the signs and the crowd up the hill to the Racecourse entrance. The weather that day was just perfect, sunny and breezy and cool-ish. The track and grounds are really beautiful and, covered with happy people dressed for the event, the air seemed to shimmer with excitement, even well before the Queen's arrival.


We got our barrings, realized we had no idea how (or on whom) to bet and decided that lunch was more important. After partaking in a casual picnic and a Pimm's Cup (sort of a British sangria with less alcohol), we made our way back to the Parade Ring to find a spot to watch the Royal Procession's arrival.



We had a great opportunity to people watch and fashion patrol while we enjoyed the sunshine and breeze and awaited the Queen's arrival. The band entertained us with everything from the classics to the Star Wars Theme Song. The jumbo-tron featured interviews with fashion critics and celeb-watchers describing the best and the brightest in attendance.


Finally, the Queen and her entourage approached and everyone clapped and cheered quite politely. (Note this is not a cropped picture. We were actually that close to her barouche!)


Here, some of the junior royals arrive... HRH Princess Eugenie is the young woman in the white feathers. Mrs. Autumn Phillips, the Queen's first grand-daughter in law, is wearing the pink hat.


After the Royal Procession, it was time for the races to begin. 70,000+ spectators all hurried to find a spot to watch the first race...


The electronic signs in the crowd below were betting stations, strategically placed so you never had to miss a moment of the action to get your final bets in!


The winning and top placing horses came into the Winners Circle directly after their race to be watered down and given blankets and led through a few cool down turns...


The winning horse doesn't get a flower blanket, nothing that flashy... Just a light elegant blanket with the Royal Ascot logo.


This horse had just won the Gold Cup, the premier race of the Royal Ascot week, and therefore of all the British season. As such an important distinction required, no one but the Queen herself (in blue) could award the Cup! The two owners, in pink and all those black feathers, curtsied and grinned, congratulating themselves on their third Gold Cup win in a row!


At the end of the day after all the races, the Grand Finale of the day was the "traditional sing-along" on the Lawn. I was fascinated by this (obviously! Singing involved!) and was SO glad we stayed. Wall to wall Brits, all mostly tipsy, many quite happy about their winnings, others quite happy about the beautiful day, cheering and singing their hearts out to a big brass band.


I found myself singing next to a quartet of older friendly-looking race-goers, each with a Royal Enclosure badge (their ticket to the Queen's exclusive club!) By the time we had made it through a half-dozen or so tunes together, we were chatting away like good friends. They shared their connections to Chicago (where are you from is always the first question I'm asked when I open my mouth!) and wanted to know what I thought of my first trip to Ascot. I was completely charmed by their welcoming manner and polite, what's the word... almost... hospitality? It was just delightful! We sang for the better part of an hour, and the songs included Rule Brittania, Tipperary, My Old Man, We'll Meet Again, Camptown Races, and I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (can you picture it yet?!). My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean had EVERYONE joining in, as well as Side By Side. We ended with Land of Hope and Glory (to the tune we know as Pomp and Circumstance) and people were waving their little Union Jack flags like crazy. It was really charming, sort of like everyone tearfully singing the Alma Mater at the end of an Auburn win at the Iron Bowl! :) The final song was Auld Lang Syne which we think of as a New Years' Eve song, but never mind. Everyone circled up in little groups of six or eight, crossed arms and sang at the top of their lungs.


I was thrilled that we stayed til the bitter end and got to participate in the "Communal Singing." I would not have missed a moment of that for the world! I almost broke my face grinning. When the four English men and women near me said their goodbyes, I wished them all well, and one of the men hung back a moment. In the most proper, perfect manners, he said simply "God BLESS America" and dipped below the rim of my hat to give me a peck on the cheek. Very smooth, yet adorably unassuming. I felt like I was in a movie or something. It was a never-forget moment!

One final note and I'll end for now... I knew we had a bit of a hike back to the train station, back down that lovely shady lane, and I was a bit concerned that my feet were going to cooperate and take me the whole way. When we got to the top of the hill, we discovered that one of the betting companies was handling out free pairs of pink flipflops. BRILLIANT!


All of these elegantly dressed women were almost kissing the workers, and gratefully snatching up their pairs. We slipped them on and praised the marketing gurus at Toteswinger all the way down that hill for their fantastic idea. Given that we still had to wait in line at the station for a train back to London, we were grateful beyond words for this little relief for our feet! :)


What a perfectly lovely day. I can't imagine it any more fun. Come visit in June 2009 and I'll take you back with me to Ladies Day at Royal Ascot!