THE SPORT OF QUEENS

THE SPORT OF QUEENS

WRITTEN BY MARION E. ALTIERI PHOTOS COURTESY OF @ROYAL ASCOT, ASCOT.COM

HRM Queen Elizabeth II petting her horse, Estimate, after winning the 2013 Royal Ascot Gold Cup.

It is good to be Queen, but even better to be a successful Thoroughbred owner. HRM Queen Elizabeth II enjoys the best of both worlds.

In 2022, Her Majesty celebrates 70 years on the Throne, 60 of those years a Thoroughbred owner, breeder and lover. Princess Elizabeth began riding at age three. (Her love affair with the equine species is one of her most endearing characteristics; an anecdotal tale still circulates, that when she was a small child, she was asked what she’d like to be. The precocious youngster quipped, “I’d like to become a horse!”)

In 1948 Elizabeth got her first racehorse—the filly Astrakhan, a wedding present from the Aga Khan. The following year the Princess registered her colors. Under Steeplechase rules, she also registered a partnership with her Mother, and each owned a half-share in the Irish jumper, Monaveen.

Monaveen, won the Queen Elizabeth (I) Steeplechase at Hurst Park in '49, giving the young Princess her first taste of

racing victory. At just 23, the monarch-in-training had the heady winner’s circle experience, and never looked back.

Her Father, King George VI, died on February 6th, 1952. His daughter and fellow horselover, acceded to the throne – just weeks before her 26th birthday. (Her formal coronation took place one year later, as it was deemed inappropriate to conduct such festive events soon after the death of a royal.)

Inheriting the Throne meant also that the young monarch took the reins of her Father’s sizeable breeding and racing stock – a role she was born to fill. She moved gracefully into the role, calling upon her love of all horses and natural desire to learn ever-more about her new charges. Her natural curiosity and native intelligence contributed to her body of knowledge, and she grew as a horsewoman and clear-witted Thoroughbred owner.

On June 6, 1953, her magnificent Aureole finished second to Pinza in the Derby; he raced 14 times, won 11. (He would go on to become Champion Sire in 1960 and 61, retiring.) The Queen’s Trainer, Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, noted that he was delighted that the rambunctious son of Hyperion had a temperamental, excitable personality: he believed that Hyperion’s offspring often “…tended to be difficult and spirited characters” – that is, big, Alpha personalities who liked to win.

That same year, Choir Boy (Royal Hunt Cup) gave Her Majesty her first winner at the prestigious Royal Ascot annual racing festival.

HRM Queen Elizabeth II with world-renowned Jockey, Frankie Dettori.

In November of 1954, she brought her 3YO colt, Landau, to Laurel Park in Maryland, to run in the Washington International. Delighted Americans were treated to a firsthand look at the young Queen. Landau did not win on American soil, but his owner won the hearts of American horse race fans.

The Queen has won various races at Ascot at least 23 times, according to the British Horseracing Authority: she’s the patron of Royal Ascot, rarely missing the meet in her 70 years on the throne.

Victories aside, the one race that evaded her for decades was the Ascot Gold Cup. Then, in 2013 she struck gold when Estimate, with Ryan Moore up, charged home in front of a roaring crowd to claim the first Ascot Gold Cup win for a reigning monarch in the race’s 207-year history.

“It’s a special thrill for the Queen. She said it gave her great pleasure and she thanked everyone involved,” enthused Estimate’s trainer, Sir Michael Stoute.

In the BBC documentary, The Queen’s Racehorses: A Personal View (1974), she revealed a bit of her inner workings when 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 [sic] a really good horse to me.” — A Royal Passion Platinum Jubilee Celebration, British Horseracing

Her horses raced 166 times in 2021; she’s 96 in 2022, and shows no sign of retiring from her beloved sport.

Her stats can be found on the British Horseracing Authority’s Website. Stats are impressive – numbers of horses owned, bred and raced – but more significant is that HRM Queen Elizabeth II has spent the majority of her life as the Ruler of the British Empire – while never losing one iota of her love for horses. A devoted horselover and savvy businesswoman, she generously shares her joy and her equines with her subjects, and with the world. As any horse-loving person knows, the Horse is an archetype, one that speaks of universal themes. Queen or baker, clerical or teacher – even the noblest of hearts falls under the spell.

Her Majesty willingly surrenders her heart to the Horse, and we follow her lead.