It's no secret that the late Queen Elizabeth II was a big horseracing fan, often choosing to cheer on her own racehorses from the balconies of Ascot, Epsom, and such like. In 1991, she was disappointed for her horse to place fourth at the Epsom Derby, and in an unearthed moment following the race, she was forced to correct her own mother, who thought she was crying.
The monarch explained her eyes were "pouring with tears" because of using binoculars, but the Queen Mother replied: "It's the emotion, perhaps," but Elizabeth quickly snapped back: "No mummy," with a further reason as to why her eyes were streaming. See the video above for the full interaction.
© Getty ImagesThe candid clip, which showed a more relatable side of the royal, aired in the 1992 BBC documentary titled Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen.
The monarch's £16 win
It wasn't all doom and gloom for the royal that day, though, as a horse she backed romped home in first place, and she looked delighted as it crossed the line. She was amused to find out that her winnings were a humble £16 after she pulled the horse named Generous from the hat in a sweepstake.
Her Majesty's love of horseracing
The late Queen's love of horses began when she was just four years old, when her grandfather, King George V, gave her a Shetland pony called Peggy.
The royal owned over 100 thoroughbred racehorses at the time of her death, many of whom had won many major races, with her biggest win being Estimate in the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup. Following her death in 2022, her son King Charles inherited the horses, which are part of a multi-million-pound racing empire. In October 2022, he began selling some of the horses, including 14 of the late Queen's racehorses, for roughly £1 million.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetThe Queen's commitment to horses was one she nurtured daily, according to race manager John Warren, who, in 2021, revealed Elizabeth read the Racing Post every morning.
After the Queen's passing, broadcaster Clare Balding spoke on the BBC about the monarch's love for the sport. Clare said: "The Queen's passions were horses and dogs. Racing was the passion she shared with the public. The Queen loved to go to the stables to see horses on gallops in the morning and talk to all the grooms."
Interestingly, she went on to share that Her Majesty enjoyed horse racing because all eyes were not on her for a change.
