The Queen's presence created 'magic and excitement' at British racecourses

Credit: Great British Racing. Glenn Harvey

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The magic and excitement that The Queen created when attending the races is immeasurable, as anyone who has crowded around the paddock to greet her daily arrival at Royal Ascot over the past eight decades will testify.

Before the global coronavirus pandemic, she rarely missed a day at Ascot’s Royal Meeting in mid-June and last summer, at the age of 95, attended the final day to watch her runners attempt to add to her 24 winners. Her Majesty had also only ever missed Derby Day twice until COVID-19. As ever, her presence enriched the day for fans.

Winners in The Queen’s famous purple, gold braid and scarlet colours (used by her father King George VI and great grandfather King Edward VII before her), were a constant at British racecourses in an ever-changing world.

Racing always gave the Queen great pleasure, in public and in private. But, in turn, racing is hugely indebted to her. Not only for her loyal support but for bolstering the sport’s global profile and helping vividly illustrate the unbridled joy and excitement it can create.

Who can forget, for instance, that magical afternoon at Royal Ascot in 2013 when her star stayer, Estimate, was a narrow winner of a pulsating Gold Cup? Images of The Queen gripped by the finish and then celebrating victory were beamed around the world. Ascot Racecourse had been founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and here, three centuries later was the reigning monarch scooping the biggest Flat staying race of them all for the first time. It was a historic moment that left everyone in raptures.

Her Majesty the Queen first rode a horse at the age of three and they were a constant in her life since then. Her love of racing never diminished throughout her life, with her devotion as a passionate fan, owner, breeder, and ambassador unwavering. She was a treasured figurehead for British racing and was part of the sport’s fabric since the mid-1940s.

Apart from The Derby, she bred and owned the winner of every British Classic, plus maintained bloodlines established long ago. She played a leading role in the breeding of her horses, which were foaled at the Royal Stud in Sandringham, and had an outstanding recall of the generations involved.

In the BBC documentary, The Queen’s Racehorses: A Personal View, made in 1974, she said: “My philosophy about racing is simple. I enjoy breeding a horse that is faster than other people's. “And to me, that is a gamble from a long way back. I enjoy going racing but I suppose, basically, I love horses, and the thoroughbred epitomises a really good horse to me.”

In common with all owners and breeders, there were setbacks and success. Fortune and frustration. Barren runs and purple patches.

But, win, lose, or draw, the Queen always appreciated the magnificence of the thoroughbred, whether it was hers or in someone else’s hands. She was renowned for her patient and caring approach, not to mention her immense knowledge.

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The Queen was instantly bewitched by horses and was an accomplished rider long before inheriting the breeding and racing stock of her late father, King George VI, in 1952.

These included an unraced two-year-old chestnut called Aureole, a son of Derby winner Hyperion trained by Cecil Boyd-Rochfort in Newmarket.

Aureole was blessed with talent and temperament in equal measure, beating all bar Pinza in the 1953 Derby, just four days after The Queen’s coronation.

Her early magnetism among racegoers was reflected by Epsom publishing 130,000 programmes. “I think it was very exciting to have a horse, so soon as an owner, to run in The Derby and one couldn’t really be sad not to win because Sir Gordon [Richards, the jockey of Pinza and 26-time champion] had, at last, won a Derby,” she would say later.

Her Majesty did not have to wait much longer for Classic success. Carrozza won the Oaks in 1957 when ridden by Lester Piggott, and the following year Pall Mall landed the 2000 Guineas at 20/1. Then there was the brilliant Highclere, winner of the 1000 Guineas and French Oaks in 1974, plus Dunfermline, winner of the Oaks and St Leger in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year in 1977.

Trainers through the ages have spoken of what a privilege it was to have The Queen as a patron, while jockeys have always spoken of the great pride they took in wearing her silks. There is little that compares.

Three-time Champion Jockey Ryan Moore said previously: “I’ve been very fortunate to ride for The Queen since I was about 19 years of age. I’ve always felt very confident and found it very easy to talk to her about her horses because she enjoys her horses so much; she enjoys seeing them and hearing about them.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, a Group 1 contest run over a mile at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day in October, has been run in her honour since 1955. There are numerous other long- established Queen Elizabeth II Stakes – or Queen Elizabeth Cups – run around the world which recognise her passion for horses and for racing, including in America, Australia, Hong Kong (two), India, Japan, and Singapore. And in Canada, the Princess Elizabeth Stakes has been run at Woodbine since 1946. Epsom also annually stages the Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Derby Day.

Last autumn, the Queen became the fourth person to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame – and the first to gain membership within the Special Contributor category.

The award was testament to her unwavering commitment and longstanding patronage of the sport, and the benefits that this devotion has undoubtedly brought to British horseracing.

John Warren, Bloodstock and Racing Advisor to the Queen, said on the induction at the time: “I suspect that the Queen will have a lot of inner pride in being invited into the Hall of Fame. The Queen’s contribution to racing and breeding derives from a lifelong commitment.

“Her love of horses and their welfare comes with a deep understanding of what is required to breed, rear, train and ride a thoroughbred.”