King Charles will continue the Queen's "lifelong passion" by taking ownership of her cherished racehorses.
The sport enters a new era when the monarch has his first runner in the royal silks later this week. It had been thought Queen Consort Camilla would lead the royal thoroughbred operation, however the horses have transferred to the name of The King.
Educator will carry the Queen's purple, scarlet and gold braided colours in a race at Salisbury on Thursday. The colt is trained by William Haggas, who attended the Queen's funeral at Windsor. Educator will be the first horse to race in her famous silks since September 8, the day the Queen died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
The three-year-old was originally one of Her Majesty's entries for the 2022 Derby at Epsom, which was a key event on the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
British Horseracing Authority chairman Joe Saumarez Smith said in a statement: “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.
“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.”
Tom Marquand, who is married to fellow jockey Hollie Doyle, will be aboard Educator in the Radcliffe & Co Handicap over 1m 2f.
He told Sky Sports Racing: “Having ridden for the Queen they will remain some of the proudest moments of my career for the entirety of it. Riding the first runner (for the King) is a moment to cherish as well.
“Educator is a lovely horse, he’s shown a bit of character at home and he thankfully got his head in front at Newmarket at the start of the season. He’s obviously an important runner, it will be a sad day and a happy day at the same time.”
King Charles III and Camilla have raced horses themselves including Carntop, who contested the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2016.
But their interest was on a much smaller scale than the Queen's huge operation, which included the breeding side at her studs. A visit to a leading stable as a teenager sparked her interest in the sport, which gave her more than 1,000 triumphs on the Flat and 70 over jumps.
Champion owner in 1954 and 1957, the Queen achieved 24 successes at Royal Ascot with her runners over the years. In 2021, the Queen's 36 winners on the level was her best ever tally and in the past five seasons the royal horses scooped £2.2 million in prize money.
Earlier this month, Educator was one of two horses who galloped up Warren Hill in the royal silks as a tribute to the former monarch at Newmarket’s Open Weekend. It is understood he is one of around 24 racehorses and 80 broodmares which will now belong to the King.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Queen Elizabeth’s great personal interest in horseracing was one of Her Majesty’s lifelong passions and the King is delighted to honour Her legacy.”
