A horse owned by the King has galloped to victory in its first race of the season and could now line up in one of the biggest races of the year on coronation day.
Slipofthepen ran out a comfortable winner as the 4-9 favourite in the one-mile Join Racing TV Now Conditions Stakes at Kempton Park on Easter Monday, and may now be set to race in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket – on May 6.
If that happens then both the King and Queen Consort would watch the three-year-old colt compete, on TV, after the coronation, according to their racing manager John Warren.
He said: “As far as the owners are concerned they won’t be able to think of anything else but the coronation, but they would never prevent the horse participating if we recommended it, if that is where he ought to go.
“It would be an added bonus and they would watch after the event.”
He added: “He has always said when he had the responsibility of taking the bloodstock portfolio on, he would take it seriously, and he has, wonderfully supported by the Queen Consort at the same time.
“It is a wonderful thing for racing they have both taken such an interest.”
No decision has yet been made as to whether the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt will be part of the Guineas line-up.
Mr Gosden, who described him as “a horse that is learning a lot as that is only the second race of his life”, added: “He has got a lot of class about him.
“We will see where we want to go as we have plenty of time before we make any decisions.
“This horse I think is a miler. He feels and trains like a miler. He has a high cruising speed and a good turn of foot.
“Whether he goes to a Guineas, it is a little bit premature to be talking about that.
“For a Guineas you need a bundle of experience and he has gained some today. We will just see how he is in the next 10 days and make some decisions.”
