Young Elizabeth ‘instantly bewitched by horses’
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 twoyear-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 longestablished 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.”