THE contrast between Epsom’s Derby meeting and Royal Ascot is a stark one, and always has been, although there are some common threads beyond top-class racing. Epsom’s morning suits are confined to the Queen’s Stand and feel a little bit like a dress rehearsal for Ascot a few weeks later, and the main grandstand doesn’t have a dress code, merely a request that outfits are not vulgar or derogatory (and that Son Heung Min shirt can go back in the hamper, Jeff).

At Ascot, you better believe there is a dress code, even for those not in the Royal Enclosure, and there was some hilarity surrounding the news that those fashionistas who eschew socks with their outfits were forced to buy some on arrival. This bit of news had me conflicted, I must admit; I’ve been forced into a choice between buying a hideous tie or being escorted out of a racecourse enclosure in the past, and the compulsory wearing of clothing items is an invidious practice which raises my hackles automatically.

That’s one of the reasons why meetings like Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood are not my cup of tea, but the “no-sock-brigade” are hard to feel sympathy for. At least they were offered plain black socks at a fiver a time. And new, unlike the monstrous array of second-hand kipper ties that still haunt my dreams.

Edward Gillespie had it right when he said he considered the unofficial dress code at Cheltenham to be “a pair of jeans and an open-necked shirt”, and if I go racing I’d like to think the comfort of racegoers is of more concern to the course executive than whether they are wearing the ‘appropriate’ outfits, particularly bearing in mind the tracks where a tie, however hideous and unfashionable, is deemed indispensable. I think we should all agree that the very concept of the tie is pretty weird, but each to their own, I guess.

Unique pomp and ceremony

And each to their own is becoming a watchword for Ascot’s success. Epsom have forgotten who the Derby is meant to appeal to and have lost a chunk of their audience as a result, but for all I can’t get my head around morning dress (in truth, I can’t get my head INTO a top hat, which is the real problem), the fact that it’s such a tradition at Royal Ascot means it works, and the clientele love it. They love every aspect of the pomp and ceremony that is unique to Ascot and, while it’s not for me, I have to admit that it certainly is for a lot of people, as a 5% increase in attendance year on year shows. At a time when crowds are universally down, Ascot can be very pleased with those figures, and that comes from understanding what their customers want and expect.

Of course, the customers are a varied group and there are diverse interests to accommodate, meaning Ascot must put on a show that has no weakness to please the fashionistas, the Royalists, the owners and trainers and the hardline racegoers who will be moving on to Worcester or Lingfield next. Keeping the race programme interesting and competitive is not always simple, as Cheltenham has learned recently.

The additions made to the meeting for the Platinum Jubilee have worked seamlessly and, while some traditionalists would prefer a six-race day, more races equals more value to the racegoer up to a point, and few can complain about the mix of group races and competitive handicaps that make up the meeting currently.

The litmus test of that is observing the reaction to the Queen Alexandra Stakes on Saturday. If there was a hint that the meeting was being stretched a little thin, there would be a mass exodus before the final race, with a two-mile, five-furlong conditions contest not the type of race that keeps punters champing at the bit and yet reports suggested that Ryan Moore’s reception for steering home odds-on shot Sober was as raucous as any through the week. If I were in charge, that fact alone would give me tremendous cheer, no pun intended.

Royal rituals

The Goffs London Sale is another innovation which has quickly become an accepted part of the Royal Ascot ritual, and this is, after all, where we expect and applaud conspicuous consumption. The investment of the likes of Amo Racing and Wathnan Racing has achieved different levels of success, but it seems very much to belong with the quest for glory and riches at Ascot, where it could just be vulgar in different circumstances.

The patronage of the King and Queen is a subject that is of huge importance to some and an irrelevance to many, but it is an unbroken theme of the Royal Meeting and ensures that Ascot hits the headlines all over the world for a week in June, which is a great boon for a sport struggling to remain relevant 51 weeks of the year, so even the most fervent republican can bite his lip for a few days. Until the glorious revolution, at least.

Of course, detractors can claim that Ascot represents much that divides society, but the meeting isn’t priced out of the range of the working man or woman if they are happy to slum it a little (and slumming it is quite an exaggeration given the comfort of Ascot), and you don’t have to be a duke or duchess to own a winner, albeit it helps. Royal Ascot is about aspiration, of course, but accusations of exclusivity are wide of the mark, and you don’t get 285,000 people coming through those iron gates without making them feel that they are getting an experience they will cherish. Perhaps I need to dust off that morning suit after all. Does anyone know a good diet?