Chief Stipe Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth the Second. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted September 8, 2022 Author Share Posted September 8, 2022 Horse racing: Queen Elizabeth II's abiding sporting passion Despite not having the budget of some of the giants of the sport such as Irish breeding powerhouse Coolmore Stud or the Maktoum family of Dubai, the British monarch celebrated more than 1,800 winners. In October 2021, she was recognised for her decades-long contribution to the sport by being inducted into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the first person to gain membership as a "special contributor". The queen's first victory on the turf was with Monaveen over jumps at Fontwell Park in 1949 and she was twice champion flat owner, in 1954 and 1957. She bred and owned the winner of every British Classic apart from the world-renowned Epsom Derby, triumphing in the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the Saint Leger. #photo1 In a 1974 BBC documentary, the queen, who also rode horses for pleasure throughout her life as well as in ceremonial events, summed up her "simple" racing philosophy. "I enjoy breeding a horse that is faster than other people's," she said. "To me, that is a gamble from a long way back. I enjoy going racing but I suppose, basically, I love horses, and the thoroughbred epitomises a really good horse to me.” The late British monarch, whose mother was also an avid racing fan, came close to winning the Derby in 1953, the year of her coronation, when her horse, Aureole, was beaten by Pinza into second place. The notoriously highly strung Aureole compensated the following year by winning the race named after the queen's parents, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. True to form, the racehorse sweated up and dumped his jockey on the turf prior to the start but went on to win. "Tremendously exciting. Wasn't it a wonderful performance?" the queen was overheard saying on leaving the winners' enclosure. #photo2 Her unbridled joy was such that she had a crate of champagne sent to the thirsty reporters in the press room. Another of her horses, Carlton House, was beaten by less than a length into third in the 2011 Derby. But while victory in the race remained tantalisingly out of reach, she triumphed at the Epsom Oaks -- a race for three-year-old fillies -- in 1957 with Carrozza and again 20 years later with Dunfermline in the year of her Silver Jubilee. Royal Ascot was a staple event in the queen's busy social calendar, though she was unable to attend this year. Racegoers and TV viewers witnessed her delight at the event in 2013 when her colours -- purple and scarlet jacket with gold braid and a black cap -- were carried to victory by her horse, Estimate, in the Gold Cup. "It was so lovely -- she said the grandchildren were behind her in the royal box and they were all shouting and screaming and she said, 'I couldn't hear what was happening'," Kerry Jones, assistant to Estimate's trainer Michael Stoute, told the Toronto Sun newspaper. #photo3 "That's when we realised how much she's passionate about her own horses," she said. "It was fascinating." Camilla, the wife of her eldest son, now King Charles, told ITV Racing in June 2021 that the sport was the queen's "passion in life". "She could 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 but she's encyclopaedic about her knowledge." The queen's racing manager, John Warren, said winning trophies was not her main concern. "She is not in for the thrill of owning or winning," he told the Evening Standard. #photo4 "Competitive is a word I just never associate with the queen. She has never said to me, 'I want to win the Derby.' "Her majesty once told me: 'My gamble is the breeding'." © 2022 AFP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 And was back on horseback as recently as June this year. 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bloggs Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Wonderful lady died in Scotland, her favourite place, I think she would not have wanted it any different. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bloggs Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I can't bring myself to refer to Charles as,......His Majesty, sorry, its a can't do.........and theres not enough space on here to state why.....rather remember his Mum as the grandest lady of them all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy connolly Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 His Majesty... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KickintheKods Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I'll bet you this is one photo J Mac will treasure for sure and certain 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy connolly Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 Don't doubt Elizabeth deserves a good send-off, but the rest of this silver spoon brigade should be shipped to the Third World or the slums of Calcutta to see how the other half live ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 I think they probably know...or some of them anyway. I agree one in particular could take himself off to somewhere in darkest Africa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomates Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 I would think you could say that about most people in first world countries , we don't know how well off most of us are , but we can't help but moan and whinge about every little thing that doesn't work for us in our entitled lives . People should be grateful for what they have and be more grateful that fate didn't put us in the slums of somewhere in like Calcutta . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 On 13/09/2022 at 5:21 PM, nomates said: People should be grateful for what they have and be more grateful that fate didn't put us in the slums of somewhere in like Calcutta . Or "gift" us with an incredible responsibility at birth e.g. Queen Elizabeth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Here is some commonsense from the Taxpayers Union - The Taxpayers’ Union supports the principle of a day where New Zealanders can come together to pay their respects. However, taxpayers are being told by the Government to foot the huge bill for another day of leave in the public sector.For small businesses—who are still trying to recover after the pandemic—this is yet another cost loaded on. The owners of these businesses, many small family enterprises, are being told to pay not only for their own respect for the Queen, but also for all the respect shown by their staff. This is inequitable. The Queen was the queen of us all and the cost should fall on all of us. Rather than rejecting the idea of an observance to recognise the Queen, the Taxpayers’ Union believes that New Zealanders should, if they wish to do so, take a day of annual leave to mark this historic occasion and an extraordinary life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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