Royal Ascot 2020: Organisers announce revamped schedule for proposed meeting
- Published
This year's Royal Ascot will see empty grandstands
Royal Ascot is to feature 36 races over five days should it take place as planned in June, organisers have announced in revealing its schedule.
The meeting is set for 16-20 June, subject to government approval of sporting events being held behind closed doors.
There will be seven races on the first four days, with eight on the final day.
The programme features several alterations, including six extra races being added across the five days.
The Buckingham Palace Handicap, which was lost from the card when the Commonwealth Cup was introduced in 2015, will open the meeting on Tuesday, 16 June at 1315 BST.
The total attendance over five days at last year's Royal Ascot meeting was more than 290,000.
"We are most grateful to the BHA's [British Horseracing Authority] race-planning team for their assistance in framing the additional races for this exceptional renewal of Royal Ascot," said Nick Smith, Ascot's director of racing and public affairs.
"We hope these extra opportunities will be welcomed by horsemen, broadcasters and the public at home.
"We are of course taking nothing for granted in terms of [the] government's final approval to permit behind-closed-doors sporting events from 1 June."