The Livery Newsletter and Gazette Issue 27 Summer 2017 | Page 27

The third venture is St Paul’s Music Outreach, which, in collaboration with the LSO, inspiring young musicians with performances and participation opportunities at all access levels to sing in choir. During the Ascot race day, WIT members seized the opportunity to support the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and to network extensively. Of course, they also took the chance to get to know more about thoroughbred horseracing at Britain’s most prestigious racecourse. Initiated by Queen Anne in 1711, Ascot has established itself as a national institution. In acknowledgement of her gift to racing by founding the royal racecourse, the world-famous Royal Ascot week in June is traditionally opened with the Queen Anne Stakes. Today, the Gold Cup, held on the third day of Royal Ascot, is the most important race of the meeting. Ascot continues to be the destination racecourse for the best horses from Europe and the US and for the world’s leading jockeys. While the opening day of the flat season is less formal than Royal Ascot Week, it nevertheless provides ample opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the spacious area. WIT members visited the modern grandstand, which was opened in 2006 and hosts restaurants and enclosures, among them the Royal Enclosure, from where the royal family watches the races during Royal Ascot week. The parade ring, where the horses were presented prior to the start, enabled the audience to assess the shape of the racehorses and pick a potential winner. WIT members had much fun cheering their favorites on the turf and, of course, betting on them. Either due to expertise or sheer luck, some could even reclaim more than their stakes. For all participants, this genuinely British event certainly was a day to remember. The lunch was deliciously catered by Mark Grove and his team at Cook & Butler and we cracked along at a goodly