- Up to 270,000 fans are set to descend on the Royal Ascot racecourse this week
- Punters will be forced to pay up to £560 for a bottle of champange at the course
Racegoers at Royal Ascot face having to shell out up to £560 for a bottle of champagne and almost £8 for a pint of beer as they head to the Berkshire track this week.
The five-day racing festival began on Tuesday and will continue until Saturday with thousands of punters dressed in summer dresses, stunning hats and smart suits cheering on riders at the racecourse.
While around 270,000 punters are set to enjoy the summer sunshine, with temperatures reaching up to 30 degrees, they will be forced to cough up a pretty penny to get their hands on a drink.
The most expensive price for a bottle of bubbly is £560 for a 1.5 litre Cuvee Dom Perignon Blanc.
Other sky-high prices include a £250 Moet and Chandon Rose Imperial.
And a 750ml bottle of Whispering Angel Cotes de Provence rose is on sale for £75, although it priced at just £22.50 at Tesco‘s online store.
Racegoers at Ascot will be forced to pay up to £560 for a bottle of champagne this week
Pints of beer are priced at nearly £8 while cocktails cost £14, with non-alcoholic ones at £11
King Charles’ horse Reaching High was well-beaten on the opening day at the Berkshire track
A normal bottle of red or white wine costs £30, with premium options priced at £45.
Meanwhile, beer drinkers will need to cough up almost £8 for a pint.
A pint of Peroni or Guinness will set punters back £7.80, while Grolsch is on sale for a comparatively cut-priced £7.
This represents an increase on last year, where Guinness was on sale for £7.50 and Grolsch at £6.50
This year, even a 330ml bottle of Asahi costs £7.20, with a non-alcoholic Peroni, also 330ml, priced at £5.50.
A bottle of Cornish Orchards comes in at £7.80, with a Meantime pale ale only 30p cheaper.
The cheapest bottle of champagne, Moet and Chandon Brut Imperial. is priced at £210, for a 1.5 litre bottle.
Cocktails are on offer for £14, while non-alcoholic versions are £11 or £9.
Before the race, King Charles exchanged words with royal jockey Ryan Moore in the paddock
Field of Gold’s stunning victory came eleven years after his father’s win on the same track
Those peckish can enjoy a reasonably priced food offering. Bacon cheeseburgers are on sale for £12.50, with cheeseburgers £11.50.
Vegetarian mushroom burgers are priced at £11.50 as well, with a hot dogs £9.50.
On Tuesday, the 8-11 favourite Field Of Gold, under Colin Keane for trainers John and Thady Gosden, routed rivals to claim a spectacular St James’s Palace Stakes win.
Field of Gold’s stunning victory came eleven years after his father’s win on the same track.
Meanwhile King Charles III’s horse Reaching High was well-beaten on the opening day, as Ascending won the Ascot Stakes by a head.
The horse, ridden by Ryan Moore, was the hot favourite before the runners set off at the historic Flat race meeting, at 11/4 to claim the £57,000 first-place prize ahead of going to post.
Trained by National Hunt superstar trainer Willie Mullins, Reaching High was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II out of Estimate, who won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.
Reaching High is the first horse owned by a reigning British monarch to be schooled in Ireland.
