Ascots celebrates the Platinum jubilee with new race and tree planting with the Queen’s representatives and enthusiastic international crowd.
By Professor Chris Imafidon – Royal Ascot is one of the world’s most well-known racecourses, Ascot held a special week of races in June called Royal Ascot, attended by The Queen Elizabeth’s representatives.
The Queen has had an interest in horses since childhood and although she couldn’t physically attend this year, she followed every event electronically. Last week, became Britain’s most popular race meeting, welcoming around 300,000 visitors over five days, all dressed up in their finest clothes and hats. The crowd was made of domestic and foreign dignitaries for the first time since 2019.
HORSES AND HIGH SOCIETY
It will be recalled that Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711, and has since received the patronage of a further eleven monarchs. The Ascot summer race meeting officially became a Royal week in 1911. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II is owner and breeder of many thoroughbred horses and shares her interest in horses with many members of her family. In fact, The Queen’s own horses have won races at Royal Ascot a number of times. The names of the week’s races have a Royal theme, such as ‘King George V Stakes’, ‘Diamond Jubilee Stakes’ and ‘Windsor Castle Stakes’.
POST-COVID CROWD
Since 2019 summer, there has never been such a large gathering of people at the Ascot horse racing extravaganza. With the covid19 restriction lifted, and social distancing eliminated it was “business as usual” for the followers and attendees of racing. For five days people travelled down to Windsor and Ascot and the environs to participate in the annual celebration of racing excellence. It was the first of its kind in many ways. It was the first mass royal gathering since the passing of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, it also became the first to feature a special platinum jubilee race, and the first to have the Queen represented during all five days.
NEW LEADERSHIP
Vivien Currie MBE was announced as the new Chief Executive at Ascot Racecourse, succeeding Guy Henderson CVO, who will retire on 30th June 2022 following his eighth Royal Meeting as CEO.
By this appointment, Ms Vivien Currie becomes the first ever female Chief Executive of Ascot Racecourse. Ms Currie left her current role as Chief Executive of Hamilton Park Racecourse in April 2022, becoming Chief Executive designate at Ascot in the lead up to the delivery of Royal Ascot in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year, before taking over as Chief Executive on 30 June 2022.
It is well known that Vivien has demonstrated exceptional leadership, especially during the coronavirus pandemic which brought difficult challenges to the horse racing and hospitality sectors; recognises that Vivien was also non-executive director of the Racecourse Association from 2010-2016 and Director of the British Horseracing Authority from 2016-2019; notes that Vivien received a MBE in 2020 for services to racecourse management, business, and charity. Many leaders applaud Vivien as an inspiring business leader, particularly in sectors traditionally dominated by men, including football, where she was Chief Executive of Livingston Football Club.
Professor Chris Imafidon, is chair, ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk, an alliance of inner-city educational charities and institutions which works directly with royals, through his education and empowerment initiatives and charitable programmes for underprivileged across Africa and the commonwealth. He is a multi-Guinness World record holder; internationally renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Mentor to multi-millionaire tech entrepreneurs & many world record holders. Professor Imafidon has authored op-ed editorial for the Britain’s Sunday Times; He is a 5x international best selling author; a Wall Street Journal best-selling author; Mentor to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author. His research and innovation have been recognised internationally, winning multiple awards in many continents across multiple disciplines and his mentees are global leaders in pioneers. [Twitter @ChrisImafidon; Instagram @CoImafidon; Facebook/Linkedln/ClubHouse –Professor Chris Imafidon]
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