Royal Ascot has long been a fixture of the English summer calendar

Its traditions include a formal dress code from a previous age

But the course itself has moved into the 21st century with a �200m renovation which is making its official debut in 2006

Work on the �200m renovation began 20 months ago

It meant that the 2005 Royal Ascot had to be relocated to York

But the upheaval proved worth it as the old grandstand was demolished...

And up sprang a state-of-the-art complex designed to make Ascot one of the best racing venues in the world

The new-look course, which had a "dry-run" meeting last month, will provide a truly modern backdrop to Royal Ascot

But some traditions will remain, including the daily royal carriage procession

While picking the winners of the plethora of top-class races remains as big a challenge as ever