King Charles Inherits Queen Elizabeth's Racehorses

When Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952 she inherited racehorses from her father King George VI. And now, King Charles III has taken over the mantle and will have his first runner later this week.

The famous racing silks that were associated with the Queen for more than 70 years—a scarlet and purple jacket with a black cap and gold braiding—will now be worn by jockeys racing in King Charles’s name. His first runner will be Educator, who is set to compete at Salisbury Racecourse in the southwest of England on Thursday. “The loss of Her late Majesty was keenly felt within the racing and breeding industries given her lifelong passion for the sport, and so we are naturally thrilled to see that the horses previously owned by her will race on in the ownership of His Majesty King Charles III,” British Horseracing Authority Chair Joe Saumarez Smith said in a statement posted online today. “Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible mark on our sport and her legacy will continue to be felt, not only through the horses that will continue to run in the name of King Charles III but also those she bred who are yet to be seen on the racecourse in the years to come. We wish Educator and King Charles III the very best of luck on Thursday, and keenly look forward to further successes in those famous Royal silks on British racecourses.”

Because the Queen’s horse racing interests were considered private, it was not publicly known exactly how many horses she had at any one time. However, her annual visits to race meetings the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot to cheer on her horses were well-publicized. Some of the most enduring images of her reign show her cheering, laughing, or even scowling from the royal box. During an interview with ITV last year, Camilla described horse racing as Queen Elizabeth’s “passion in life.” “She can tell you every horse she’s bred and owned, from the very beginning, she doesn’t forget anything. I can hardly remember what I bred a year ago, so she’s encyclopedic about her knowledge,” the then Duchess of Cornwall said.

The royal horses start life at the royal stud on the Sandringham Estate and are raised and trained elsewhere. Over the years the Queen had several winners, including one of her first horses Aureole and, more recently, Estimate, who won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.

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