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King George Sees Entry Finish Last LastTipstaff Tipstaff Royal Candidate For Classics Disappoints Big Crowd at Ascot Opening OpeningASCOT ASCOT England May 19 Despite four years of war marked by countless bombing attacks Royal Ascot retains its place in the sun as a race meeting without rival on the English or any other turf The reunion on Saturday May 15 graced by the presence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth may not have equaled an Ascot peace ¬ time session but it was a far cry from a black Ascot There have been black Ascots when oddson favorites consecu ¬ tively bit the dust and somber Ascots when royalty was absent due to cdurt mourning but sunshine and brighter war news recently made the latest meeting on the Berkshire course a memorable event eventThousands Thousands on bicycles in horsedrawn carts and even on Shanks mare came from far and near to hail the return of racing in these regions for almost four years Many walked as far as five miles from Windsor and even eight and a half miles from Maidenhead where the regular trains there being no specials disgorged the thousands that traveled from London and other large towns to attend the first of the Saturday racing matinees to be held at Ascot AscotCyclists AscotX X Cyclists Take Over OverAutomobiles Automobiles were outnumbered fifty or sixty to one and those that were there were carefully checked by the police to de ¬ termine whether the owners were entitled to use gasoline consumed to get there The place usually set aside for parking auto ¬ mobiles was turned over to cyclists cyclistsEven Even the huge electric totalizator at the track was turned off to save electricity the medium of wagering being left in the hands of the friendly enemy the book ¬ makers For the first time the royal en ¬ closure in peace time the mecca of privi ¬ leged socialites was open to the public There below the royal box where sat the King in his field marshals uniform and the Queen in a pale lilac dress with matching hat strolled a motley crowd in summer attire attireKing King George and Queen Elizabeth spent a couple of hours enjoying the sport and saw the formers horse Tipstaff whis ¬ pered as a dark candidate for the com ¬ ing classics disappoint the loyal crowd as he inished last in the fourth race the Cranbourne Stakes After this event the royal visitors received an ovation as they drove away without ceremony from the Berkshire course Many of the thousands present had not realized that their Majes ¬ ties were present until the cheering began beganLarge Large numbers of American soldiers were present at the first wartime Ascot meeting which was devoid of all its usual pageantry and glamour But it was still Ascot a name that has no equal as a magnet in English racing
