Racegoers have the chance to join the sport of Kings and Queens and buy a share in a thoroughbred named to commemorate the late monarch. The Queen’s love of racing was legendary with the head of state a regular fixture at Royal Ascot, where her presence meant the famous racing meet was underway.
Named Thank You Ma’am, the three-year-old gelding will be sent to the famous racing yard of champion trainer Paul Nicholls in Somerset where he prepared jumping icons Kauto Star, Denman and Master Minded.
Mr Nicholls said: “I’m really excited about Thank You Ma’am joining the Paul Nicholls academy of young horses and I can’t wait to see how he develops.”
The trainer, who has won four Cheltenham Gold Cups, the 2012 Grand National, and is the current Champion jump trainer – having won the title more than 10 times, added: “He’s got a cracking pedigree, so looks the part on paper and I hope we can have plenty of fun with him.”
Thank You Ma’am will take part in jump racing which attracts tens of thousands of racegoers to the Cheltenham Festival, the highlight of the jump season which in recent years has been attended by the Queens Consort. Would-be horse owners can buy a share in the thoroughbred, for £50 plus VAT (£60), through the website theposhpundit.co.uk, which is a racing club managed by Rupert Adams, a well-known figure in the horseracing and betting industries who spent a number of years handling media relations for bookmaker William Hill.
Mr Adams said: “After working in racing for 19 years I’d been lucky enough to see the Queen many times at Royal Ascot and it just felt like a poignant moment to celebrate the Queen’s time in racing with Thank You Ma’am, which we think is going to be a really good horse. The kind of syndicate we’re putting together will hopefully bring racing to the masses, it’s giving people the opportunity to be a racehorse owner for £50 whereas there are horses out there that cost millions.”
Thoroughbreds owned by the Queen won four out of the five flat racing classics – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger – with only the Derby eluding her. There has been speculation in the racing world the King will take up his mother’s interest in the sport and also become a leading figure at Royal Ascot.
