Royal colours: how Queen’s lifelong passion kept horse racing relevant

The death of Queen Elizabeth II means horse racing has lost one of the most devoted and enthusiastic royal supporters of the sport in four centuries of association between the monarchy and the turf.

Charles II turned Newmarket into the home of British flat racing in the 17th century, Queen Anne founded Ascot in 1711 and Edward VII owned Minoru, the Derby winner in 1909. No king or queen, though, has ever had a passion for racing and breeding thoroughbreds to stand any comparison to the lifelong dedication of Elizabeth II.

Horses and riding were an important part of her life from an early age, after the gift of Peggy, a Shetland pony, on her fourth birthday from her grandfather George V. She was riding Peggy soon afterwards and was regularly seen on horseback around the grounds of Windsor Castle. By the time she inherited the racing and breeding stock of her late father, George VI, in 1952, she was a highly competent rider.

The Queen also inherited the late king’s racing colours – the same scarlet and purple with gold braid and black cap that had been carried by Minoru – and which would be carried by many hundreds of thoroughbreds throughout the course of her long reign.

In 1953, the flashy chestnut Aureole, who was bred by George VI, finished fifth in the 2,000 Guineas and then, four days after her coronation, a four-length second in the Derby. Choirboy, in the Royal Hunt Cup, was her first winner at the royal meeting at Ascot a fortnight later.

The Derby remained the only classic to elude her, though in 2011 Carlton House was less than a length behind the winner. The four remaining British classics, though – the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger – were all won by the royal colours, while Estimate’s