Timeform's guide to Royal Ascot 2023, featuring all the key facts and figures for the meeting.
The round course is a right-handed, galloping, triangular circuit of a mile and three quarters, with a run-in of two and a half furlongs.
Ascot also has a straight mile course, which tends to drain better than the round course.
Generally speaking, prominent racers fare significantly better than those held up over five furlongs, but the opposite is true over seven furlongs and a mile, while on the round course those that race in the first half of the field over a mile and a quarter have a better record than those caught further back.
Sorted by strike rate since the beginning of 2017 (minimum 25 rides)
Sorted by strike rate since the beginning of 2017 (minimum 25 runners)
No horse since Timeform was founded in 1948 has put up a better performance than the one produced by Frankel in the Queen Anne Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot in 2012. Frankel handed out an astonishing 11-length drubbing to Excelebration - a top-class racehorse in his own right.
Dubai Millennium was capable of showing outstanding form on dirt and turf. Dubai Millennium earned his peak rating of 140 when smashing the clock in the Dubai World Cup but he wasn't far below that level when turning what was supposed to be a great clash in the 2000 Prince of Wales's Stakes into a procession.
Manduro won three times at the highest level as a five-year-old, with the most memorable display coming in the Prince of Wales's Stakes when he readily brushed aside a top-class rival in Dylan Thomas. Manduro showed a fine turn of foot to quicken into the lead, and he was always holding on under a largely hands-and-heels ride.
Fantastic Light is best remembered for his stirring battles with Galileo - he came off second best in the King George and then reversed the form in the Irish Champion Stakes - but before those titanic tussles he had put in a dominant display in the Prince of Wales's Stakes. He was always going strongly at Royal Ascot and, despite being short of room on the rail a couple of furlongs from home, he picked up instantly when angled for a run, readily passing Kalanisi and bounding two and a half lengths clear.
Canford Cliffs got the better of the legendary Goldikova in the 2011 Queen Anne Stakes. Goldikova, who by this stage was a three-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner, was sent off a narrow favourite, but Canford Cliffs was always going well in behind and produced his trademark turn of foot to sweep into the lead a furlong out.
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.