'We're already excited for next year' - Royal Ascot officials thrilled as attendance rises by almost five per cent

New Ascot chief executive Felicity Barnard said she was delighted with the 4.8 per cent increase in total attendance across the five-day royal meeting.

The first Royal Ascot of her reign welcomed 286,541 racegoers, an increase from the 273,528 who attended the last festival overseen by Alastair Warwick.

Barnard said: "It was a fantastic week with some brilliant sport to enjoy. I think we've been a window for our sport and I'm absolutely thrilled.

"We welcomed more than 285,000 people across the site, nearly a five per cent increase on last year. I think we've worked really hard across the year to understand what people want when they come to a world-class event like this – the right pricing, the right product – and we've worked really hard at the experience.

"We want to make sure everyone has a great time, whether they're here for the horses, the food or the fashion. It's a wonderful eco-system and we're already excited for next year."

Daily crowd figures

Tuesday 45,551 (43,791 last year) 
Wednesday 41,571 (40,163)
Thursday 65,718 (62,549)
Friday 62,628 (57,743) 
Saturday 71,073 (69,291)

Attendances were up every day of the meeting, with Ascot's director of racing and public affairs Nick Smith suggesting targeted marketing had paid dividends.

"It was a fabulous week and we were up throughout the week," he said. "We work very hard on our pricing strategies and booking discounts.

"This year we really focused on entry-level admissions and making it as affordable as possible to come to the Windsor enclosure, for as little as £25, and I think we boosted the atmosphere throughout the whole site by doing that. We were very lucky with the weather and hopefully we can build on this for next year."

Trawlerman: won the feature Gold Cup on ThursdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

On the track, Smith added: "It performed fantastically throughout the week. Every time a question of a draw bias seemingly emerged, it disappeared, and by the end of the week they were winning from everywhere on the straight course. On the round, you could win from the front or the back, and jockeys and trainers were happy with the ground all week.

"We also got really good feedback on the Group 2s from which we removed the early closing stage. Connections told us it helped to not have to make decisions too early.

"We were especially pleased to see the Jubilee Stakes run as a truly international race, with a brilliant French horse beating a brilliant Japanese horse. For them to put such a big distance back to the third, it was a really high-quality sprint and in Britain we've not seen an awful lot of those in recent years, so it was great to see such a high-quality race."

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