Andy Newton
The biggest Flat racing meeting of the season will once again be Britain’s richest race fixture in 2026, with a record Royal Ascot prize fund of £10.65 million on offer across the 35 races staged during the famous five-day festival from June 16-20.
Royal Ascot Prize Money Up From 2025
That figure represents a notable increase on the £10.05 million distributed in 2025 and further highlights Ascot’s commitment to keeping Royal Ascot among the world’s premier racing events.
The meeting will feature two £1 million races – Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
While several other Group 1 contests, including the Queen Anne Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes, Commonwealth Cup, Coronation Stakes and Gold Cup, will be run for prize funds ranging from £650,000 to £750,000.
Overall Ascot Prize Money Reaches £19.4 Million In 2026
Ascot Racecourse has confirmed that the increase in Royal Ascot prize money forms part of a wider investment programme that will see total prize money at the Berkshire venue rise to a record £19.4 million in 2026.
The Royal Meeting alone accounts for more than half of that figure and continues to attract the world’s leading owners, trainers and jockeys, all competing for some of the most valuable purses in European racing.
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: “Prize money is the most important investment tool that we have in attracting horses to run from home and abroad, at all levels of racing that we stage.
“We saw some world-class racing at Ascot in 2025, with runners travelling here from four continents. It is vital in an increasingly competitive international market that we keep Ascot at the forefront and the Royal Meeting is key to this.”
Royal Ascot Prize Money For EVERY Race in 2026
Royal Ascot Tuesday 16th June 2026
| Time | Race | Class | Distance | TV | Total Prize Money |
| 2:30pm | Queen Anne Stakes | Group 1 | 1m (straight) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £800,000 (1st: 453,680) |
| 3:05pm | Coventry Stakes | Group 2 | 6f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £200,000 (1st: 113,420) |
| 3:40pm | King Charles III Stakes | Group 1 | 5f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £700,000 (1st: 396,970) |
| 4:20pm | St James’s Palace Stakes | Group 1 | 1m (round) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £700,000 (1st: 396,970) |
| 5:00pm | Ascot Stakes | Handicap | 2m 4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 5:35pm | Wolferton Stakes | Listed | 1m2f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £125,000 (1st: 70,888) |
| 6:10pm | Copper Horse Stakes | Handicap | 1m6f | ITV4 / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
WATCH: Docklands Winning The 2025 Queen Anne Stakes
Royal Ascot Wednesday 17th June 2026
| Time | Race | Class | Distance | TV | Total Prize Money |
| 2:30pm | Queen Mary Stakes | Group 2 | 5f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 99,243) |
| 3:05pm | Queen’s Vase | Group 2 | 1m6f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £265,000 (1st: 150,282) |
| 3:40pm | Duke of Cambridge Stakes | Group 2 | 1m (round) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £250,000 (1st: 141,775) |
| 4:20pm | Prince of Wales’s Stakes | Group 1 | 1m 2f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £1,000,000 (1st: 567,100) |
| 5:00pm | Royal Hunt Cup | Handicap | 1m (straight) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 90,195) |
| 5:35pm | Kensington Palace Stakes | Handicap | 1m (straight) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 6:10pm | Windsor Castle Stakes | Listed | 6f | ITV4 / Sky / NBC | £125,000 (1st: 70,888) |
WATCH: My Cloud Winning The 2025 Royal Hunt Cup
Royal Ascot Thursday 18th June 2026
| Time | Race | Class | Distance | TV | Total Prize Money |
| 2:30pm | Chesham Stakes | Listed | 7f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £125,000 (1st: 70,888) |
| 3:05pm | King George V Stakes | Handicap | 1m4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 3:40pm | Ribblesdale Stakes | Group 2 | 1m4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £250,000 (1st: 141,775) |
| 4:20pm | Gold Cup | Group 1 | 2m4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £700,000 (1st: 396,970) |
| 5:00pm | Britannia Stakes | Handicap | 1m (straight) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £130,000 (1st: 67,002) |
| 5:35pm | Hampton Court Stakes | Group 3 | 1m2f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 99,243) |
| 6:10pm | Buckingham Palace Stakes | Handicap | 7f | ITV4 / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
WATCH: Trawlerman Winning The 2025 Ascot Gold Cup
Royal Ascot Friday 19th June 2026
| Time | Race | Class | Distance | TV | Total Prize Money |
| 2:30pm | Albany Stakes | Group 3 | 6f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £125,000 (1st: 70,888)) |
| 3:05pm | Commonwealth Cup | Group 1 | 6f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £700,000 (1st: 396,970) |
| 3:40pm | Duke of Edinburgh Stakes | Handicap | 1m4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 4:20pm | Coronation Stakes | Group 1 | 1m (round) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £700,000 (1st: 396,970) |
| 5:00pm | Sandringham Stakes | Handicap | 1m (straight) | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 5:35pm | King Edward VII Stakes | Group 2 | 1m 4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £250,000 (1st: 141,775) |
| 6:10pm | Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes | Handicap | 5f | ITV4 / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
WATCH: Time For Sandals Winning The 2025 Commonwealth Cup
Royal Ascot Saturday 20th June 2026
| Time | Race | Class | Distance | TV | Total Prize Money |
| 2:30pm | Norfolk Stakes | Group 2 | 5f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 99,243) |
| 3:05pm | Hardwicke Stakes | Group 2 | 1m4f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £250,000 (1st: 141,775) |
| 3:40pm | Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | Group 1 | 6f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £1,000,000 (1st: 567,100 |
| 4:20pm | Jersey Stakes | Group 3 | 7f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 99,243) |
| 5:00pm | Wokingham Stakes | Handicap | 6f | ITV / Sky / / NBC | £175,000 (1st: 99,243) |
| 5:35pm | Golden Gates Stakes | Handicap | 1m2f | ITV / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
| 6:10pm | Queen Alexandra Stakes | Conditions | 2m6f | ITV4 / Sky / NBC | £120,000 (1st: 61,848) |
WATCH: Unequal Love Winning The 2025 Wokingham Stakes
The History Of Royal Ascot Prize Money (2014 – 2026)
See how the overall Royal Ascot prize money has increased since 2014.
- 2026 – £10,645,000
- 2025 – £10,050,000
- 2024 – £10,050,000
- 2023 – £9,520,000
- 2022 – £8,652,500
- 2021 – £6,000,000
- 2020 – £3,610,000
- 2019 – £7,330,000
- 2018 – £7,305,000
- 2017 – £6.600,000
- 2016 – £6,580,000
- 2015 – £6,580,000
- 2014 – £5,310,000
What Are The Most Valuable Royal Ascot Races 2026?
The richest races at Royal Ascot in 2026 are the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, with both contests carrying prize funds in excess of £1 million.
The winner of each of these ITV Racing showpieces will take home a handsome £567,100, and this year’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the entire meeting.
Last year’s winner Ombudsman returns to defend his crown, but he’ll face a serious challenge from French raider Daryz, who arrives at Ascot as the reigning Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner.
WATCH: Ombudsman Winning the 2025 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
