- Queen was a knowledgeable horse owner and breeder
- Regular at Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby
- Coach Henderson recalls on TV how the Queen cheered the winner home
WINDSOR, England, September 16 (Reuters) – Horse racing is the ‘sport of royalty’ and it was also Queen Elizabeth’s passion, whose love of all things equestrian became a hallmark of her 70-year reign.
The late monarch’s horses won more than 1,800 races and her annual attendance at Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby reflected a deep personal interest as much as the discharge of royal duties.
A keen owner and breeder with the Royal Stud at her Sandringham estate, she had a thorough knowledge of the sport and seemed happiest when the discussion turned to horses.
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An official photo released by the Royal Windsor Horse Show to mark the Queen’s 96th birthday showed her with her Fell Ponies in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
“I’m sure if the Queen hadn’t been bred to be a monarch she would have found a calling in horses. It was just in their DNA,” their regular and race director, John Warren, told the `.
A copy of the Racing Post newspaper is said to accompany her breakfast each morning and she has been in regular contact with trainers and stables to find out what’s going on.
“She absolutely knew what the form was,” Jordan’s Princess Haya bint Hussein, who won the 2008 Derby as the owner with New Approach and has close ties to the royal family, told Reuters.
“She paused to speak to everyone… from the grooms, to the young riders, to the kids, to the top equestrian trainers, to the blacksmiths, to the vets.”
The Princess recalled being told a few years ago that the Queen even had an iPad that she could use to watch the birth of her future racehorses in the broodmare stables.
Trainer Richard Hannon senior said the Queen knew her pedigree inside and out and recalled to the Racing Post how she enjoyed visiting the stables because “it’s nice to come to a place that doesn’t call for fresh paint smells”.
Nicky Henderson, another royal trainer, also told the Racing Post how the Queen had watched one of her horses win a race on TV.
“She told me she saw it in the living room. The horse led over the last but it was a close finish so she got up and yelled it home.
“So she said the security forces blew up the door because they thought there was some grisly drama but they were more likely to yell at the TV than an intruder. That always tickled me.”
LIVING LEGACY
Britain’s horse racing authority, which suspended sessions in her honor last week, said the Queen “helped shape the breed and contributed to moments at the track that will go down in sporting folklore”.
The Queen’s horses won all the British Classics except the most prestigious derby.
“When Her Majesty invited me into the Royal Box, she asked me sincerely, ‘How did it feel? How does it feel?’ and I was able to share that with her,” Princess Haya told Reuters.
The British royals’ love of horse racing dates back centuries.
Newmarket, the ‘headquarters’ with more training yards than anywhere else in the country and two racecourses, became popular under James I and then Charles I and II in the 17th century.
In 1665 Charles II laid down the rules for the Newmarket Town Plate, in which he also competed as a driver and won twice.
Ascot, the royal racecourse near Windsor, was founded by Queen Anne in 1711. The Queen Anne Stakes are run over the even mile.
Queen Elizabeth has attended every edition of the Royal Windsor Horse Show since its inception 79 years ago, including in May.
“She was often very relaxed, in a headscarf and quilted jacket, watching her own horses compete,” said Tracy Casstle, fundraising director for the British Horse Society.
Princess Haya said the sport remains in safe hands.
“I think Her Majesty left a living legacy,” said the former President of the World Equestrian Federation (FEI). “There are so many of the young and rising royals who are already competing at the highest level.
“I don’t think it could ever be said that any part of the equestrian industry is truly scared anywhere in the world because the contribution Her Majesty and Prince Philip have made is solid.”
Both Princess Anne and daughter Zara Tindall are ex-Olympians, but with King Charles seemingly less interested, Queen Consort Camilla looks set to become horse racing’s new royal standard-bearer.
“Camilla obviously loves horses and is very passionate about racing. She really loves it, especially Cheltenham, the jumps,” a source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. “I think there’s a pretty clear plan.”
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Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Alison Williams
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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