Marvellous Jubilee tribute from sport of Queens
THE Queen will be welcomed to her beloved Derby by a guard of honour of royal jockeys – and the Epsom racecourse grandstand will be named after her to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
Forty riders who have donned the monarch’s purple and gold silks will line up to greet Her Majesty at the world’s most famous flat race on Saturday, June 4.
Organisers hope the Queen, who has struggled with mobility problems and other health issues, will be well enough to attend one of her favourite events and put her mark on what is described as “the sport of Kings”.
The racing devotee, who turns 96 today, has made it the sport of Queens. And aides predict it will be a top priority for her during the double bank holiday weekend celebrating 70 years on the throne.
A victory would not only top off the jubilee, it would break the monarch’s Derby duck.
Four-time winner Willie Carson, 79, one of her former riders who will be in the honour guard, believes wearing the Queen’s silks inspires any jockey. He said: “When you put the colours on, especially at Epsom, a jockey grows six inches. It makes you feel important. You’re privileged. You’re honoured. You want to be doing your best for her.”
And ITV Racing legend Brough Scott, who has presented the event more than 20 times, added: “The thought of the Queen winning the Derby this year, of all the fairytale stories, that would be beyond it. It’s a wonderful thought.”
The monarch will rename The Queen’s Stand, which she opened in 1992,The Queen Elizabeth II Stand.
More than 100,000 racing fans are expected to attend, with a bigger betting bonanza than usual if one of the Queen’s three potential contenders is confirmed as a runner and in with a decent chance.
Her guard of honour will also include John Reid, who won the race in 1992, while Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore, both double Derby winners, and Hayley Turner will represent the Queen’s current riders.
Her Majesty presently has three horses entered – Educator, General Idea and Reach For The Moon.
The Derby remains the only one of the five British horseracing Classics she is yet to win as an owner.
The closest she came was in 1953 when Aureole finished second just four days after her Coronation.
A victory would be only the second time a reigning monarch has won after EdwardVII with Minoru in 1909.
The Jockey Club, which manages Epsom, expects a 35,000 capacity crowd in the ticketed enclosures with thousands more watching free on what is known as The Hill.
Phil White, London regional director at The Jockey Club, said: “The Queen has a special relationship with the Derby. She has missed only four since her Coronation and two were in the last two years in the pandemic.
“We are absolutely delighted this year’s
Derby will be part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations and excited and proud to be able to thank Her Majesty for her enormous contribution over many, many years.”
As the Daily Express reported earlier this week, Palace aides and racecourse officials have devised a plan for the Queen to be driven straight to a door for a lift into the grandstand.
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