Ascot's King George to pay record £2.5m in 2026, rivalling Arc de Triomphe

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The midsummer Flat showpiece has fallen behind the Arc de Triomphe but Ascot is ready to splash the cash

Amid fears in the wider racing industry that affordability checks, tax raids and falling attendance will be the end of us, Ascot sails serenely on towards an exceptional renewal of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday.

The crowds for last month’s Royal meeting were up on all five days to set a new post-Covid record. The track is debt-free, having paid off the final £3m of the loan taken out to build its statement grandstand back in 2006. On Monday, meanwhile, the King’s racecourse announced annual pre-tax profits of £10.5m in 2025 – and almost casually dropped in the news that next year’s King George will be worth a British-record £2.5m. In tough times for racing, and the country as a whole, how does the track keep on keeping on?

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