Wesley Ward absence is a blow to Royal Ascot - but it's not all doom and gloom for international challenge

There is no meeting in the British racing calendar that produces a sense of occasion quite like Royal Ascot.

Every June, the Berkshire track becomes a hotbed of top hats, fanfare and royalty against a backdrop of spectacular racing and, while it may fail to compete with today's mammoth prize-money offerings overseas, its prestige and quintessential Englishness has ensured its place as an international highlight.

Foreign raiders have tested their luck against the best home talent year-on-year and it has resulted in some of the meeting's most brilliant moments, such as Choisir's sensational Group 1 double in 2003, Goldikova's Queen Anne strike in 2010 and the nail-biting success of the lightning-fast Black Caviar in 2012. But there is no-one who has embraced the spirit of Royal Ascot quite like Wesley Ward.