Horse Racing Passion: The Queen Mother's Love for Racehorses

By Ruth Williams

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The Queen Mother is famous for her passion for horse racing. In her long history of backing horses she has had 449 winners, who all raced in her personal gold and blue colours. Her first victory was back in 1949, when Monaveen won a race at Fontwell. This earned her the distinction of being the first English Queen to win a British horse race since Queen Anne's triumph in 1714.

This love for racing horses was ignited at the 1949 when Lord Mildmay of Flete and trainer Major Peter Cazalet visited Windsor Castle. The two friends convinced the Queen Mother to buy a horse so that Cazalet could train it. This horse went on to win a series of races, including the Queen Elizabeth Chase later that year.
She presented the trophy herself and was allowed to take it home with her as a token of Monaveen's esteem.

The Queen Mother was extremely successful in the years that followed. In 1950 Monicou won the King George VI Chase under her banner at Kempton Park. After Cazalet's death in the late 1970s, Fluke Walwyn went on to take over training of the horses in the Queen's stable.

The Queen Mother is revered among horse racing enthusiasts for her expertise at picking winning horses. Among her most successful acquisitions was Double Star, which scored several notable victories. Perhaps her most success horse of all was Game Spirit. During its long career, this noble horse scored an impressive total of 21 wins.


The Queen Mother prominently attended numerous races during her lifetime. While her quiet dignity always remained in tack, her enthusiasm could clearly be seen by all that attended these races alongside her. Among the Queen Mother's other successful horses are Chaou II, Makaldar, The Rip ad Laffy.

One of the most exciting races at this time took place at the Cheltenham 1984 Whitbread Gold Cup. Throughout the race, the Queen Mother's horse, Special Cargo, had been struggling to maintain its position. However, at the very last hill it defeated the competition magnificently, surprising and delighted everyone in attendance.

This passion for horse racing lasted more than 50 years. In fact, saw her last victory in the final year of her life, when One Love took the trophy. At this time in her life, the Queen Mother had established a collection of 12 fine racehorses as well as a number that were ready to race.

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