Every little helps as Queen wins Tesco voucher
Queen’s reward for victory at the Royal Windsor Horse Show is a helping hand with the weekly shop
The Queen received a £50 Tesco voucher when one of her thoroughbreds won its category at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Her Majesty burst out laughing when she opened the winner’s envelope and saw the gift token inside, which she could choose to spend at the Tesco Windsor store.
FOR a woman with a personal fortune of £277 million, a £50 Tesco gift voucher may not be the stuff of life-changing dreams. Still, as the company’s slogan says, Every Little Helps.
The Queen certainly seemed delighted – and more than a little amused – to receive the token as part of her prize after one of her thoroughbreds won its category at the Royal Windsor Horse Show yesterday.
Her Majesty burst out laughing when she opened the winner’s envelope and saw the gift token inside, which she could choose to spend at the Tesco Windsor Superstore, about a mile from Windsor Castle.
Her prize also included £70 cash and a voucher for a Kensington Ri-Dry jacket from the charity Retraining of Racehorses.
The Crown Equerry, Col Toby Browne, rocked with laughter, while the show’s organiser Simon BrooksWard and stable owner Jill Jerram giggled at the Queen’s reaction.
Tesco later offered its congratulations to the Queen, saying: “We hope this win provides a little help with the weekly royal shop.” A spokesman said: “We did not sponsor the event – the gift token appears to have been bought by a business account holder to be used as a prize, and it can be used at any Tesco store in the country.”
Barber’s Shop, the last horse to be bred by the Queen’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, won first prize in the Tattersalls and RoR Thoroughbred Ridden Show Series Qualifier, in the National Hunt category.
The 14-year-old bay gelding is a retrained racehorse that is now one of the Queen’s showing horses and is ridden by trainer Katie Jerram.
In its prime, Barber’s Shop, trained by Nicky Henderson, was a first-class National Hunt racehorse, winning eight races between 2006 and 2012 and more than £143,000 in prize money. Its second career as a show horse may not be as lucrative, but having been re- trained by Her Majesty’s stud groom Terry Pendry, it has already won several trophies.
Three years ago Barber’s Shop won the same event at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, when the Queen was also presented with a Tesco voucher. In the same year it won the national title for its category at Hickstead.
As a racehorse trainer the Queen has won The Oaks, the St Leger and the Ascot Gold Cup.
She usually distributes her winnings to her trainers, jockeys and others with a hand in her success, suggesting the Tesco voucher might find its way into the purse of Ms Jerram.
The Queen was in high spirits despite the controversy over her comments about “very rude” Chinese officials, which had dominated the headlines the previous day.
She drove herself to the event in her Range Rover and had dressed down in a headscarf, quilted gilet and cardigan to attend the annual horse show, a highlight of her year. She has attended every one since 1943, the year the event was launched.
The show had been due to start on Wednesday, but heavy rain forced organisers to cancel it because of flooding in the car parks and public areas.
The Duke of Edinburgh was also present, driving a four-horse carriage around the grounds.
The horse show takes place on the site during the day, and from last night until Sunday the venue will also host the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration, a spectacular horse pageant that will be attended by Her Majesty on its final night.
It will involve more than 900 horses and 1,500 riders, and tell the story of the Queen’s life through performances involving actors, musicians and dancers.
Sunday’s performance, hosted by Ant and Dec, will be broadcast live on ITV from 8.35pm.
‘She usually distributes her winnings to her trainers, jockeys and others with a hand in her success’