A. Racing at Ascot was established by Queen Anne in 1711 after she saw the Heath while driving out from Windsor in the summer. A few months later the London Gazette announced that ‘Her Majesty’s Plate of 100 Guineas’ would be run for on ‘Ascot Common’ on August 11. The precise origin of the Royal meeting is unclear — it seems to have evolved rather than been introduced at a specific time — but the first four-day meeting was in 1768. The meeting as we now know it probably began to take shape with the introduction of the Gold Cup in 1807. This race is still the feature race of the third day — traditionally the busiest of the week and popularly known as ‘Ladies’ Day’. Queen Anne’s successor, George I, was not as keen on racing and it was not until 1789 that royalty returned to Ascot in the shape of George III. In 1791 a royal party went to see the Oaklands Stakes, the first big handicap run on the English turf, which was won by the Prince of Wales’s horse Baronet. George IV introduced the royal procession in 1828 and Queen Victoria first appeared at Ascot in 1834, while still a princess. The royal meeting, for so long the only fixture on the course, is now one of many during the year, both National Hunt and Flat. It was not until after the second world war that the policy of having only one week of racing each season was altered. In 1946 the Ascot Heath meetings on the flat were added to the programme and were the prelude to spreading racing at Ascot, as distinct from the Royal meeting, throughout the year, the highlight being the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, first run in 1951, which is held each July. This year, due to major course improvement work, the Royal Ascot meeting (June 14-18) will be held at York. — James Healy, Galway

Q. Is it true Olympic skater John Curry trained as a ballet dancer? — Lesley Parsons, Swindon

A. John Curry, below, who died in 1994, aged just 44, was heavily influenced by ballet but never had lessons until he was in his late teens. As a child in Birmingham he had wanted to take ballet classes but his father refused and John took up skating instead. It was not until his father died and Curry, then 16, moved to London that at last he could take ballet lessons. The combination of his natural grace coupled with the balletic influence marked out his ice dancing. In 1975 Curry moved to the US, where he met influential skating coaches Carlo and Christa Fassi. In 1976 he won the European figure skating championship and, encouraged by the Fassis, began to incorporate passages of classical ballet into his routine. He followed this triumph by taking gold at the winter Olympics and the world figure skating championships. Curry then turned professional and formed his own company, with an emphasis on dance. His Ice Dancing show was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic and his ballet-influenced choreography brought him continued success before he died tragically young of an Aids-related heart attack. — Ian Ogden, Rochdale

Q. Which country has played most often in the finals of the World Cup? — S Craig, Dunfermline

A. The 2002 World Cup final was significant as it was contested by the two most successful teams in the competition’s history. Brazil beat Germany 2-0 to lift the trophy for the fifth time and underline their status as the nation which has most often appeared in the finals. Brazil have competed in every competition (17), playing 87 games, winning 60, and can boast seven final appearances. Germany (West Germany 1954-90) have played in only 15 tournaments (missing 1930 and 1950) but are just two games behind Brazil, having played 85 matches and winning 49. They have also played in seven finals, winning three. Of the home nations, England are the most successful, competing in 11 tournaments, winning 22 from 50 matches and lifting the trophy for the only time in 1966, when they were also the host nation. - John Laverty, Londonderry

Q. What is the record score in English football’s top flight? — John Torpey, via e-mail

A. There are two examples of teams winning 12-0 in the old First Division. In 1892 West Bromwich Albion beat Darwen by that score thanks to four goals from Tom Pearson and three from Billy Bassett. When Nottingham Forest defeated Leicester Fosse (now Leicester City) 12-0 in 1909 a Football League inquiry revealed that the Fosse players had been at a leaving party for ‘Leggy Turner’, a former colleague, the previous evening. The record for a team playing away from home belongs to Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sunderland won 9-1 at Newcastle in 1908, although the Magpies went on to win the championship. Wolves won 9-1 at Cardiff City in 1955. The record score in the Premiership is Manchester United’s 9-0 victory at home to Ipswich in March 1995, when Andrew Cole, inset, scored five times. — Brian Mann, Swaffham, Norfolk

Q. Is it true that an MP was banned from his rugby union club because he performed a ceremonial kick-off at a rugby league match? — Jonathan Palethorpe, Leeds

A. In 1959 Michael Jopling, later Lord Jopling, was the Tory candidate in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. He was invited to kick off one half of a Wakefield versus Hunslet match at Belle Vue in front of 15,000 spectators. The following week Jopling, who later became Conservative MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, was informed by his local rugby union club that he had ‘professionalised’ himself and that he was no longer welcome. — A M Mills, Barnsley

Send questions or answers to Peter Boyle, Q & A, The Sunday Times Sport, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST, or e-mail peter.boyle@sunday-times.co.uk

Q. Is Bob Dylan’s song Who Killed Davey Moore? the story of a real boxer? — Keith Strong, via e-mail

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Q. What is the longest gap between a player’s first Wimbledon singles final and his or her last? — J Pruitt, Birmingham

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Q. When was the first English League match played on artificial turf? — H Howe, Hereford