Ascot turn on the Christmas style

Ascot Saturday review: What's not to like?

By Vicki Gibbins

Horse Racing

Sat December 20, 2025 · 7h ago

Our woman at the track Vicki Gibbins leaves Ascot on Saturday full of the festive spirit - and hope for the future.

We’re really good at complaining in racing.

The possible Kempton closure, dwindling field sizes and the occasional poor jockey ride – all get an airing on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and people are becoming irate.

Brough Scott described it perfectly. I caught him for a question about racing wishes for the upcoming year (I draw your attention to the upcoming column on Monday) but was struck by his answer and the resulting sentiment.

“It’s so important for racing to be positive but realistic – and for people not to get cross with each other,” he said with feeling. “The problem with the Kempton issue, is that people are getting terribly angry. Getting angry won’t help.

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“You need to be positive, and horsemen should know this most of all, positivity is what you need when you’re around horses. Don’t get cross about it, because we’re all in this together. Blaming people; blaming doesn’t get you anywhere.

“We are where we are, let’s do something positive about it.”

Ascot understand the assignment.

Walk through the gates for the Long Walk Hurdle meeting and step into Christmas, a magical winter wonderland.

A Yuletide parade featuring Father Christmas and his lady wife arriving by horse-drawn carriage, a toy-making workshop with the elves, fairground rides with festive tunes. People are encouraged to dress in their finery: from elegant dresses to questionable Christmas jumpers.

They’ve thought of everything and it’s a positive move to attracting new people into the sport.

I’m unsure about the elves riding bicycles decorated as festive fighter pilots, but what’s Christmas without a sniff of political incorrectness?

An Elf on wheels - who's a fighter pilot. Well it is Christmas

Racing’s hope lies with the new generation, and that new wave of fans are running around the Christmas tree at Ascot. They’re toasting marshmallows, making balloon animals and cheering home Henry’s Friend, because their friend at school is called Henry.

“Why are they going so slowly?” demands one small child, enthralled by the three-runner Howden Graduation Chase. “My one keeps hitting all the fences.”

There is a temptation to explain the nuances of Iroko’s run and subsequent effect on the Grand National weights to a seven-year-old, but let’s not ruin it.

The numbers are positive, too. Ascot recorded an official attendance figure of 20,659 people, with 2,003 of those under-eighteen – 2,003 chances to inspire the next generation of racegoers.

We can’t let this opportunity slip through our fingers by being too proud to acknowledge a real-life reindeer might be more interesting than Impose Toi beating Strong Leader in the Long Walk Hurdle. The younger racegoers may not be avidly watching the Howden Silver Cup, but they’re taking in the atmosphere, they’re enjoying the day.

A quick glance at the screens, the horses walking past in the parade ring, the reassuring swell of the commentary over the loudspeaker – memories that will be remembered and hopefully, they’ll ask to come back.

They’re eating, drinking and being merry.

And isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

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