How Royal Ascot's expansion has brought more trainers and jockeys to the party

Dilution. That’s the fear many people have when it comes to the expansion of major race meetings, as in the debate over whether the Cheltenham Festival should grow further to become a five-day event.

In the case of Royal Ascot, however, which has expanded from 30 to 35 races since the last pre-pandemic meeting in 2019, it is possible to say there has been an element of democratisation that outweighs any dilution in quality.

There have been some differences in the make-up of the last two meetings (there were 36 races in 2020, for instance, before the number settled back to 35 last year, making an additional race each day) but the essential element is that the extra races are all handicaps and they have brought wider opportunities for trainers and jockeys who might not otherwise get on the scoreboard at the royal meeting.