Queen Elizabeth II had a lifelong passion for horse racing, breeding horses specifically to partake in the sport. Following Her Majesty's death, sports journalist Clare Balding, who has known the Queen her whole life, shared the racing-related wish Her Majesty never saw come to fruition.
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Speaking to Waitrose Weekend, Claire said: "Racing is an unpredictable sport, but Her Majesty loved the challenge of trying to breed horses that could rival bigger operations in Ireland backed by Middle Eastern Money.
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"Since [the Queen's horse] Aureole finished second in The Derby days after her 1953 coronation, Her Majesty's aim was to win the greatest race of all," Clare explained.
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"That never came to pass, but she won all the other British Classics with home-bred horses."
So strong was Queen Elizabeth's love of horses, Clare shared that Her Majesty had a camera installed in the foaling boxes at Sandringham so she could watch them being born on her iPad, or get down to the stable in time to be there in person.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHer Majesty always loved horses
Speaking on the BBC during the Queen's final journey from Northolt to Buckingham Palace, Clare gave further insight into the Queen's love of racing, saying: "Racing was the passion she shared with the public. The Queen loved to go to the stables to see horses on gallops in the morning and talk to all the grooms.
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"Racing was such a wonderful thing for her to be able to enjoy, she liked the attention to be on others and that was the case at the races," Clare said.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHer Majesty was a talented horse breeder
Her Majesty's love for horses extended to Highland and fell ponies in Balmoral, as well as her racehorses, according to Clare, who said that Queen loved to talk about animal behaviour.
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