Ascot play down De Beers speculation

Ascot are confident that De Beers will continue sponsoring the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, despite newspaper reports that their support could come to an end.

Douglas Erskine-Crum, chief executive at Ascot, revealed that they have no plans to change De Beers day, and that their 33-year association can continue to grow.

“All our sponsorship arrangements for when we come back next year are under review. We will have been closed for 20 months and we have been looking at various sponsorship models for our reopening, as it gives us a tremendous opportunity,” Erskine-Crum told BBC Sport.

“As for De Beers Diamond day, we have no plans to change it. We have been talking to De Beers off and on for the last few months.

“In the next month or so we will be sending them a proposal and we are very confident they will accept it and De Beers day won’t change at all – that it will in fact go from strength to strength.”

Meanwhile, Erskine-Crum confirmed that building work was on target and that they still hoped to stage Royal Ascot next year, although a final decision is not likely for about two months.

“We still remain confident that we will reopen for next year’s Royal meeting,” he went on.

“We will be making a final decision in the late summer, early autumn. It’s going very well at the moment.

“We are particularly pleased with the track. The stand is beginning to shoot up and the roof is about a third finished.

“We are getting very excited about it and we are getting increasingly confident.”