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