Dubai: One sure sign that the European racing season is in full swing is the arrival of Royal Ascot each June. This is a racing event that most of us diehard racing fans literally wait for each year.

Royal Ascot is unmatched in its unique mix of top-class flat racing, high fashion and pageantry. It also has a powerful and persuasive influence in determining the schedules of the world’s best owners, trainers and jockeys not just in terms of the prize money on offer, which incidentally has been increased by £1 million this year,

bringing the total purse on offer to a record £6,580,000 over the week. For the first time, every day at Royal Ascot will offer prize money of at least £1 million and none of the 30 races will be run for less than £80,000.

Wow, if that doesn’t do it, then nothing will.

Headline increases include the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (£750,000 from £525,000), Queen Anne Stakes (£600,000 from £375,000) and Diamond Jubilee Stakes (£600,000 from £525,000).

I believe that Guy Henderson, Chief Executive at Ascot, put the injection of more prize money into context when he said Ascot was acting to remain as competitive as it can be and that it was very important to make sure that they would keep increasing the minimum threshold for race values at the Royal Meeting and, equally, to keep developing their international showpiece events to continue to attract runners from all over the world.

Last year Ascot attracted 72 European runners from outside the UK while 20 of them came from outside Europe, travelling a total of around 100,000 miles each way between them.

The results have been instantaneous. For this year’s meeting, Ascot attracted a record number of overseas from Ireland, France, the USA, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, in addition to the over 200 British-trained entries.

Quite simply put, Royal Ascot is unthinkable without the British royalty and yes, the beautiful hats!

A glorious pageantry has been planned this year celebrating The Queen’s 90th birthday and in commemorating The Queen’s 22 Royal Ascot winners by renaming Thursday’s Gold Cup as The Gold Cup in honour of The Queen’s

90th Birthday (Group 1).

Ascot Racecourse earlier this year appointed IMG as its worldwide licensing representative in a multi-year agreement in a bid to enhance the Ascot experience and further build its global reputation.

By the looks of things, we could be heading into the most exhilarating five days of racing anywhere.