PHANTOM HIRE'S BLOG

For five days in June, the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire is transformed into a haven for British high society. Celebrities, top athletes, the ultra-wealthy, and even the royal family all descend upon this glorious venue for a week filled with betting, drinking, and top-class horse races. 

However, while the guests sip from their champagne and place their bets on which race horse will come first, an army of top-rate Ascot chauffeurs work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. 

Whether they’re ferrying their clients between private estates, the grandstand, or a hotel near Ascot Racecourse, they are the problem solvers behind the operation. From ensuring VIP guests arrive on time to answering questions like how to get to Ascot Racecourse, these professionals make the experience seamless.

In this article, we’ll be looking back at the horse race day experience of Travis, one of our chauffeurs in Ascot who managed a variety of bookings in and around the racecourse during the 2024 edition of the annual Ascot races.

Monday – First Arrivals

The first job on Travis’ itinerary was to pick up a number of guests from Gatwick Airport in a signature Rolls-Royce Phantom 8 and take them to Coworth Park, a luxury hotel near Ascot Racecourse in which many high-profile attendees were staying. Families had come from all over the world to attend the event with relatives & friends – one family even traveled all the way from Paris just to be at the races. Talk about dedication.

Tuesday – The Madness Begins

Now that all the attendees had descended upon the Berkshire countryside, it was time to start transporting everyone to the main racecourse. Beginning from 10 AM, Travis started the process of driving back and forth between the racecourse and the various hotels and B&Bs in the surrounding towns & countryside. Many guests were eager to catch their first glimpse of the day’s results, hoping their bets would pay off.

It seems like a relatively thankless job, but thanks to his hard work ethic and charming personality, Travis made good on his promise to get all his clients to the venue in a smooth, enjoyable, and opulent manner in his chauffeur-driven luxury car.

Wednesday – A Quiet Affair

Wednesday was a relatively calm day for Travis, as he was only tasked with transporting one client as opposed to the seven he had to take care of the day prior; this allowed him a bit of a breather in what was sure to be an extremely hectic week. On top of that, his client was a charming couple from Lincolnshire who had been coming to the races every year since their marriage in the late 80s, which made for a lengthy and interesting conversation as he drove them back to their Lincolnshire home.

Thursday – Mid-Week Mania

If Wednesday was a breather for Travis, Thursday was a neon warning sign of what was to come later in the week. This was his busiest day yet, where he was once again darting back and forth between the racecourse and a number of luxury hotels in the surrounding area – namely The Royal Foresters, Village Hotel Bracknell, and Coppid Beech.

Today’s clientele included a group of gentlemen celebrating their friend’s recent promotion, a wealthy couple who had booked seats in the Queen Anne Enclosure, and a group of siblings celebrating their eldest brother’s engagement – a varied assortment of characters if ever there was one.

Friday – The Peak of the Week

As it turns out, Thursday’s mania was child’s play compared to what was to come for Travis on Friday. Not only was he ferrying a number of clients back and forth from the racecourse, but he was now doing so from Heathrow Airport rather than simply a nearby hotel. From 9 AM all the way until 6 PM, Travis was zooming back and forth like a pendulum between the prestigious racecourse and one of London’s busiest airports, picking up clients who were travelling straight to the races the moment they stepped off the plane.

Saturday – The Calm After The Storm

Fortunately for Travis, Saturday proved to be a much smoother day than its predecessor, despite being arguably the most important & busy day of the week due to the famous Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. Travis’ schedule today consisted of transporting only one client, who had also booked VIP parking for Travis to wait in whilst the horse races were going on, allowing our rather exhausted chauffeur a quiet moment to himself after all the manic driving he’d been doing for the entire week. And to top it all off, he got a glimpse of none other than the King himself on his way there.