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charles racing© Photo: Getty Images

King Charles enjoys bittersweet horseracing achievement

Queen Elizabeth II would no doubt be delighted

Melanie Macleod
Wellness Editor
October 4, 2022
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Tuesday saw cause for jubilation for King Charles III, after the first horse wearing the royal silks with his name on won a race.

READ: How King Charles' new role could affect his daily life

It was confirmed last week that horses in the famous royal colours of purple, red and gold would now run under the name of His Majesty, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and on Tuesday a horse named Just Fine won a race in Leicester, under ownership of the king - the first to do so. 

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While a landmark occasion for the king, it's also likely to be tinged with sadness, as horse racing was famously his mother's biggest passion.

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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.

Speaking to Waitrose Weekend, Clare 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.

royal silks jockey© Photo: Getty Images

A jockey in Royal silks

"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."

royal silks© Photo: Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II talking to jockeys in royal silks

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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