Given its position in the racing world as one of the most famous venues for flat racing, any race that gets an entire weekend placed around it is one worth talking about. That is exactly what we have with the Summer Mile Stakes, which takes place on the Saturday of a two-day meeting named in its honour. Typically taking place in the middle of July, the Summer Mile Meeting sees Ascot Racecourse at its absolute best, with the flowers in bloom and and the atmosphere amongst the best in the business. If you’ve got a family then the Saturday is the day for you, given the face that it is known as Summer Mile Family Raceday.
That doesn’t mean that the racing taking place on the track is not worthy of your attention, though. The Summer Mile Stakes is a Group 2 offering, so even the jugglers and face painters trying to gain your attention of the course will struggle to gain it when that level of event is happening. Those family activities only happen on the Saturday, with the Friday being given over to more serious racing people. The fact that this is the first meeting at the course since Royal Ascot also helps to ensure that there is a good atmosphere, with everyone able to relax and unwind a little bit after the seriousness that accompanies the Royals.
About the Weekend
There is something amusingly contradictory about the Summer Mile meeting. On the one hand, Ascot is keen to point out that Summer Mile Family Raceday is a chance for the entire family to get down to Ascot and really enjoy themselves. Kids are catered to thanks to the likes of music, entertainment and even fairground rides in the Family Enclosure. You will find balloon modellers, people juggling all sorts of things and entertainers with bubble machines, to say nothing of the fact that kids and adults alike can get their faces painted to join in the revelry. It is exactly what you’d want and expect a family day to be like.
On the other hand, though, the race organisers are quick to draw attention to the fact that the family entertainment and activities is strictly limited to the Saturday. Racegoers on the Friday hoping to see a clown or get onto a fairground ride are going to be sorely disappointed, with the day instead being given over to the more serious race lovers out there. It is much more about the thrilling action that is taking place on the course, so you’re likely to see fewer families enjoying a picnic or kids having fun. It means it is a weekend of contradictions, but one that looks to cater to both types of racegoer if you pick the right day.
Summer Mile Meeting Schedule
The Summer Mile Meeting promises a wealth of excellent races for you to get your teeth into, which is why we’ve looked at the two days in more detail on their individual race pages. We can still offer you a sense of what to expect, though, which we’ll do here:
Summer Mile Meeting Friday
For the majority of people, the Saturday will be the day of the weekend that they’re most looking forward to. Who would want to get their face painted like a lion before having a pint in the sunshine and watching some top-class horse racing? That doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore the Friday, though. Whilst it isn’t as relaxed and family-orientated as the Saturday, the Friday does still offer a chance for people to have some fun. After all, this is the first time that people have been able to attend racing at Ascot Racecourse without a member of the Royal Family in attendance and all of the more buttoned up nature that comes with that.
As a result, there will be friends and lovers who attend the Friday glad to be able to let their hair down a little bit whilst still enjoying everything that Ascot has to offer. The fact that the meeting takes place in mid-July means that people can turn up with picnics and enjoy the opportunity to soak up a relaxing atmosphere. The racing is still top-notch, with any number of brilliant events to take your focus. The family activities might not be there, but the desire of the jockeys, trainers and horses to entertain you very much will be. It is a great chance to soak up the sun and watch thoroughbreds take on one of the toughest flat racing courses around.
- 14:00 Apprentice Handicap
- 14:35 Conditions Stakes (GBB Race)
- 15:10 JLL Handicap
- 15:45 Long Harbour Residential Handicap
- 16:23 British EBF Fillies' Handicap (GBB Plus)
- 16:55 Savills Handicap
Summer Mile Family Raceday
Whilst the Friday is still fun in its own way, albeit it on the more serious side of proceedings, the Saturday is when Ascot really begins to enjoy itself. The day is designed around the idea of getting younger people into horse racing, so this isn’t the day to go if you tend to book adults only hotels or are pleased that you have dogs rather than kids. If, on the other hand, you’ve got children then this is exactly the day for you to head to Ascot Racecourse with your little ones and introduce them to the world of thoroughbred racing. They will undoubtedly be more interested in what’s taking place off the course initially, mind.
But just as a bumper is a good way to introduce a horse to the idea of a jump racing meeting, so too is a family race day an opportunity to get your kids to the racecourse and let them experience the sights and sounds of a meeting at a venue as prestigious as Ascot Racecourse. That doesn’t mean that the racing might not be able to capture their attention, of course. The Summer Mile, the race that the entire meeting is named after, takes place on the Saturday and is a Group 2 race of real standing. The other races that are run either side of it are also decent enough to both capture and keep your young ones’ attention.
Summary
Royal Ascot is the meeting that dominates life at Ascot Racecourse. When that has been and gone, though, a meeting is needed to bring people back to the course. That is exactly what the Summer Mile Meeting does, with its more family-orientated vibe being one that people of all ages can get into. The best way of thinking about it is that the Friday is for friends and lovers, with no family activities available but the course still offering plenty of fun and a great atmosphere. Picnics will be eaten and drinks drunk, whilst the fact that it tends to be held in July means that there is a good chance that the sun will shine down on everyone.
The Saturday, meanwhile, is all about the family activities, with chances for kids to get their faces painted, see an entertainer do some juggling or even go on a fairground ride. Add in the fact that the racing itself is top-notch, including the presence of the race that the entire weekend is named in honour of, the Summer Mile Stakes, and you can easily imagine a world in which young people are converted to being racing lovers. That is, in many ways, the entire point of the weekend, which is why the racing is exceptional, the off-course activities are fun and the vibe is one of enjoyment and entertainment for all involved.