“I enjoy raising a horse that is faster than other people,” the Queen once said.
London:
Queen Elizabeth II, who had a lifelong passion for horses, was a keen breeder as well as a successful owner and breeder who enjoyed many notable victories.
Despite not having the budget of some of the sport’s stalwarts like Irish breeding powerhouse Coolmore Stud or Dubai’s Maktoum family, the British monarch celebrated more than 1,800 winners.
In October 2021, she was recognized for her decades-long contribution to the sport by being inducted into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame, becoming the first person to earn membership as a “special contributor”.
The Queen’s first win on the field came in 1949 with Monavin jumping at Fontwell Park and she was a two-time champion flat owner in 1954 and 1957.
She has spawned and owned the winner of every British classic other than the world famous Epsom Derby, winning 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, Oaks and St. Lager.
In a 1974 BBC documentary, the Queen, who had ridden horses for pleasure throughout her life as well as at ceremonial events, summarized her “simple” racing philosophy.
“I enjoy raising a horse that is faster than other people,” she said.
“For me, it’s been a gamble for a long time. I enjoy racing but I think, basically, I love horses, and well that’s a really good horse for me.”
The late British monarch, whose mother was also an avid racing fan, came close to winning the Derby in 1953, the year of her coronation, when her horse, Auriol, was beaten by Pinja for second.
Auriol, a notoriously highly upset, compensated the following year by winning races named after the Queen’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Form wise, the horse racers sweated it out and threw their jockeys on the field before the start but won.
“Extremely exciting. Wasn’t it a great performance?” The queen was heard saying this as the winners came out of the enclosure.
Such was his unbridled joy that he had a basket of champagne to be sent to thirsty journalists in the press room.
One of his horses, Carlton House, was beaten less than a length to third in the 2011 Derby.
But while race victory remained technically out of reach, he won at Epsom Oaks—a three-year-old Phillies race—in 1957 with Caroza and again 20 years later with Dunfermline in the year of his silver jubilee.
‘passion in life’
Royal Ascot was a major event in the Queen’s busy social calendar, although she was unable to attend this year.
Racegoers and TV viewers witnessed his delight at the event in 2013, when his complexion – a purple and red jacket with a gold top and a black cap – was carried to victory in the Gold Cup by his horse, Estimate.
“It was so cute — she said the grandchildren were in the royal box behind her and they were all screaming and screaming and she said, ‘I couldn’t hear what was happening’,” says Kerry Jones, Estimate’s trainer Michael Stout’s assistant, told the Toronto Sun newspaper.
“That’s when we realized how passionate she is about her horses,” she said. “It was fascinating.”
Camilla, now the wife of his eldest son, King Charles, told ITV Racing in June 2021 that the sport was the Queen’s “passion in life”.
“She can tell you just about every horse she has bred and owned since the very beginning – she doesn’t forget anything. I can hardly remember what I bred a year ago but that is to the best of her knowledge. About the encyclopedia.”
Queen’s racing manager, John Warren, said winning trophies was not their main concern.
“It’s not for the thrill of being the boss or winning,” he told the Evening Standard.
“Competitive is a word I never associate with Queen. She never said to me, ‘I want to win the Derby.'”
“His Majesty once told me: ‘My gamble is fertility’.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)