Attendance at Royal Ascot Jumps 5 Percent

From the buzz in the grandstands to the strength of the international fields, Royal Ascot 2025 delivered across the board – and for new chief executive Felicity Barnard, the numbers tell the story. The five-day meeting welcomed 286,541 attendees, a 4.8 per cent rise on last year and a strong endorsement of Ascot's evolving race day experience. "It was a fantastic week with some brilliant sport to enjoy," Barnard said. "I think we've been a window for our sport and I'm absolutely thrilled. We've worked hard to understand what people want when they come to a world-class event – the right pricing, the right product – and we've worked really hard at the experience. Whether people are here for the horses, the food or the fashion, we want them to have a great time." The spike in attendance was underpinned by a sharper focus on affordability and early-bird incentives. Ascot's director of racing and public affairs Nick Smith said targeted marketing had made a measurable difference. "We work very hard on our pricing strategies and booking discounts," he said. "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." With strong weather and daily increases in crowd numbers, Smith said the strategy had paid off – and provided a platform for further growth. Track performance also won praise, with fair conditions maintained throughout. "Every time a question of a draw bias seemingly emerged, it disappeared," Smith said. "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." He also noted that removing early closing stages for the Group 2 contests was well received by connections, who appreciated having more time to make decisions around nominations. On the racing front, the Gr1 Jubilee Stakes stood out as a showcase of global excellence. "We were especially pleased to see the Jubilee Stakes run as a truly international race," Smith said. "A brilliant French horse beat a brilliant Japanese horse, and the margin to the third was substantial. It was a really high-quality sprint, and we haven't seen many of those in Britain lately." With a successful formula now in place and strong support from fans and industry alike, Barnard and her team are already focused on raising the bar even higher for 2026.