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Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Distraught King Charles watches on as his horse FLOPS at Royal Ascot despite being the favourite
Royals were out in force on the first day of the annual event KING HAS A MARE Distraught King Charles watches on as his horse FLOPS at Royal Ascot despite being the favourite KING Charles's hopes for his horse at Royal Ascot were dashed yesterday as the favourite failed to dazzle in the sun and finished ninth. Reaching High had been hotly tipped by bookies at 11-4 before the Ascot Stakes but he flopped in front of the expectant monarch. Advertisement 4 King Charles's hopes for his horse at Royal Ascot were dashed Credit: Jason Dawso 4 Reaching High, circled, had been hotly tipped by bookies 4 Queen Camilla was cheering from the Royal Box alongside the King Credit: Max Mumby Thousands of revellers who were enjoying a scorching day at the Berkshire racecourse and had backed the favourite were also left stunned. Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, had been cheering from the Royal Box but were seen leaving shortly after the loss — even with two more races to go. Despite being trained by legendary Willie Mullins and ridden by top jockey Ryan Moore, the horse got stuck in the pack and never hit the front. Mullins said: 'Ryan just said he got no run. He's finished full of running, but just got no luck in running, so it's disappointing. Advertisement 'Their Majesties are very easy, lovely people to train for and it's a pleasure. 'There's a bit more pressure when you train one for them at this meeting, but to bring one here with a real chance is what we like to do. 'Hopefully this fellow will show us how good he is at some stage later in the season.' The King, whose only Ascot win was Desert Hero in 2023, is set to attend every day of the five-day festival after The Sun revealed he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the occasion. Advertisement He had taken over his mum Queen Elizabeth II's stable of horses. She had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Earlier, Charles had written in the official racecard: 'Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days.' King Charles sends Willie Mullins 'impressive' horse with amazing pedigree in historic deal - as they target Royal Ascot Royals were out in force on the first day of the annual event. Sarah Ferguson, 65, was joined by daughter Princess Beatrice, 36, and hubby Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 41, Advertisement For the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession, Charles and Camilla arrived in a carriage with Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick, one the Queen's official companions. Peter Phillips, 47, and his NHS nurse girlfriend Harriet Sperling, 45, were also in one of the carriages.
The Irish Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Distraught King Charles watches on as his horse FLOPS at Royal Ascot despite being the favourite
KING Charles's hopes for his horse at Royal Ascot were dashed yesterday as the favourite failed to dazzle in the sun and finished ninth. Reaching High had been 4 King Charles's hopes for his horse at Royal Ascot were dashed Credit: Jason Dawso 4 Reaching High, circled, had been hotly tipped by bookies 4 Queen Camilla was cheering from the Royal Box alongside the King Credit: Max Mumby Thousands of revellers who were enjoying a scorching day at the Berkshire racecourse and had backed the favourite were also left stunned. Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, had been cheering from the Royal Box but were seen leaving shortly after the loss — even with two more races to go. Despite being trained by legendary Mullins said: 'Ryan just said he got no run. He's finished full of running, but just got no luck in running, so it's disappointing. READ MORE ON ROYAL ASCOT 'Their Majesties are very easy, lovely people to train for and it's a pleasure. 'There's a bit more pressure when you train one for them at this meeting, but to bring one here with a real chance is what we like to do. 'Hopefully this fellow will show us how good he is at some stage later in the season.' The King, whose only Ascot win was Desert Hero in 2023, is set to attend every day of the five-day festival after The Sun revealed he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the occasion. Most read in Horse Racing He had taken over his mum Queen Elizabeth II's stable of horses. She had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Earlier, Charles had written in the official racecard: 'Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days.' King Charles sends Willie Mullins 'impressive' horse with amazing pedigree in historic deal - as they target Royal Ascot Royals were out in force on the first day of the annual event. For the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession, Charles and Camilla arrived in a carriage with Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick, one the Queen's official companions. Peter Phillips, 47, and his NHS nurse girlfriend Harriet Sperling, 45, were also in one of the carriages. 4 The King is set to attend every day of the five-day festival Credit: Max Mumby
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
King and Queen arrive at Royal Ascot
The King and Queen recalled the 'thrill of victory' as they arrived at Royal Ascot for the opening day of the glamorous sporting event. Their Majesties led the traditional carriage procession as they swept onto the Berkshire course to loud cheers from the crowd. They were joined by horse breeder Prince Faisal bin Salman Al Saud and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen's closest confidantes, for the first of five days of racing. In their traditional message to guests, the King and Queen referred to their triumph in 2023, when their horse, Desert Hero, won the King George V Stakes, marking their first Royal Ascot winner as owners. 'Having experienced the thrill of victory at Royal Ascot ourselves in 2023, we can only wish all those competing this week the very best of luck and that everyone watching has a most enjoyable five days,' they said. Riding behind the King and Queen in the second carriage was the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Wellington, and the Queen's sister, Annabel Elliot. Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips and his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling, were in the third carriage, joined by author Anthony Horowitz and his wife, Jill. The Queen's Reading Room, Camilla's book club and charity, with which Horowitz is closely associated, has an exhibition stand at Ascot for the first time that will encourage visitors to take a break from the hustle and bustle and 'sit back and relax with a book'. The King and Queen said they hoped it would be of interest 'and that the delights of reading might even serve to enhance the pleasures of riding...' Riding in the fourth carriage was barrister Henry Morton Jack and his wife, Lady Joanna, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Halifax, alongside Lord and Lady Vestey. The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, a tradition which began during the reign of George IV in 1825 when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington. The King and Queen lost out on a winner last year but will be hoping for victory in the Ascot Stakes, when their horse Reaching High, trained by Willie Mullins, takes on other thoroughbreds. Mullins, reflecting on the thoroughbred's narrow defeat at Leopardstown racecourse in Ireland, said: 'I've been very happy since his first run, he did everything nicely at Leopardstown and if he could run a similar type of race at Ascot I would be very pleased.' Queen Elizabeth II was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. The King and Queen have taken on her stable of horses and were visibly emotional when Desert Hero triumphed in 2023.
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Royal Ascot moment that made the Queen cry
Elizabeth II's horse racing adviser has revealed the Royal Ascot moment that made Queen Camilla cry. The Queen 'burst into tears' and the King 'welled up' after a horse bred by Elizabeth II won at Royal Ascot the year after her death, according to John Warren, the late Queen's long-serving bloodstock and racing adviser. The 2023 win for Desert Hero, which was formerly owned by the late Queen, was 'quite remarkable' in King Charles's first Royal Ascot as sovereign, Mr Warren added. 'The King welled up, tears in his eyes, and the Queen burst into tears,' said Mr Warren, in a documentary about the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession at Ascot. He described the late Queen as 'unbelievably knowledgeable' about the sport, saying she was an expert horse breeder who read the Racing Post cover to cover. In 2013, the late Queen's filly Estimate won the Gold Cup, making her the first reigning monarch to win as an owner. Mr Warren said she was thrilled at the time, adding: 'When she passed the post, it brought the house down… The Queen was really, really excited. It was a day to remember.' Since the death of Elizabeth II, the King and Queen Camilla have carried on the royal support for horse racing. William Haggas, a trainer, said about Desert Hero's win: 'To do it at Royal Ascot with a homebred of the late Queen's – it doesn't get better than that.' This year, the King and Queen will attend all five days of Royal Ascot. They have four runners: Reaching High, the favourite for the Ascot Stakes on Tuesday; Rainbows Edge, which will run on Wednesday in either the Duke of Cambridge Stakes or Kensington Palace Stakes; Treasure, which is likely to run in the Kensington Palace Stakes on Wednesday; and The King's Falcon, in the Golden Gates Handicap on Saturday. The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to attend during the week, taking part in the famous Royal Procession. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are also stalwarts of the event, along with the Princess Royal and Zara and Mike Tindall. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession, in which the King and his guests will travel by carriage along part of the course in front of the crowds. The tradition began in the reign of George IV when, in May 1825, the King, accompanied by the Duke of Wellington, led four other coaches with members of the Royal party from Windsor Castle to Ascot. To mark the anniversary, this year's visitors to the Queen Anne Enclosure will be able to view one of the landaus from the Royal Procession on the ground floor of the Grandstand. The documentary, which was broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday afternoon, is available to watch on YouTube.
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Still sport of the King: Windsor interest keeps Royal Ascot alive and kicking
Ascot will mark the 200th anniversary of the first Royal procession at its showpiece race meeting next week. The intermittent noise of jets on the final approach to Heathrow will be one of the few deviations from the sights and sounds when George IV first trundled his way up the course in 1825. The king and queen will ride in the first of the horse-drawn carriages, their liveried attendants will be upright in the saddle and, as they pass the Royal enclosure, the gentlemen's top hats will be doffed in the familiar mark of respect. There is little else, in sport or the wider world beyond, that remains just as it was in the immediate aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. Demand for the Royal Ascot experience also remains strong. Following a post-Covid surge, attendances are in decline at both the Derby and Cheltenham's festival meeting in March. At Royal Ascot 2024, though, the year-on-year crowd numbers were up. The meeting's most significant racegoer, meanwhile, has been present at (almost) every opportunity since his accession to the throne in 2022. The King attended all five days in 2023, when Desert Hero, a horse bred by his mother, carried the royal colours to victory in the King George V Handicap, and four days in 2024, missing only the Wednesday card when the Prince of Wales was there to present the prize for the feature race – the Prince of Wales's Stakes. So the more pessimistic predictions of a steady decline, and perhaps even the end, for the crown's association with Ascot – and, by extension, the sport of kings as a whole – after the death of Elizabeth II have proved to be unfounded. Charles III is the ninth reigning monarch to ride in the Royal procession, and the 10th to sit on the throne since the meeting was effectively established with the first running of the Gold Cup in 1807. 'People tend to forget that there was a Royal Ascot before Queen Elizabeth II,' Nick Smith, the track's director of racing and public affairs, said on Friday, 'and the level of interest from monarchs will vary. It's well known that Queen Victoria didn't go to Royal Ascot for most of the latter part of her life, when she was in mourning for her husband. 'All monarchs past and present would come to Royal Ascot with varying degrees of focus on various elements of what they're going to see. With Queen Elizabeth II it was primarily about the horses, but if anything, it's a wider set of interests for the current King and Queen. For instance, there's an exhibition this year around the Queen's Reading Room, which is a charity very close to the Queen's heart.' While the royal presence is a key ingredient of the meeting, it is not, in other words, a one-way street. Some monarchs focus almost entirely on the racing, others appreciate the social, cultural and economic benefits attached, including inward investment by the owners whose arrival in Berkshire each year creates a version of Davos for sovereign wealth. 'Royal Ascot is one of Britain's most powerful soft power assets,' Smith says. 'It is a major promotion of the British summertime overseas, and a major promotion of British sport overseas. And if you're getting presented with a trophy by the King and Queen, you can't replicate that experience and that means an awful lot to an awful lot of people. 'At the heart of it all, it's the traditions that make it special. The procession is broadly unchanged in 200 years, and it's the same with the dress codes, not just in the Royal enclosure but throughout the entire site. People who come to Royal Ascot know what they want to see and they know what they're going to get.' The King and Queen are expected to attend all five days of this year's meeting, they will have a sprinkling of runners through the week and there is a real buzz in particular around Willie Mullins's Reaching High, who is expected to line up for the Ascot Stakes at 5pm on Tuesday's opening day. Reaching High became the first horse owned by a reigning British monarch to be stabled in Ireland when he was sent to Mullins's yard following Sir Michael Stoute's retirement. But he offers a link to recent history too, as he was one of the last horses bred by Elizabeth II, and a son of Estimate, the mare whose success in the 2013 Gold Cup was the most cherished of all the late Queen's Royal Ascot winners. The three-year-old sprint handicap which is the feature race on York's annual Macmillan Charity card on Saturday is always one of the strongest races of its type all season, and the fact that just two favourites have won this century is worth bearing in mind with the many and varied betting opportunities of Royal Ascot so close at hand. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion This year's favourite is Charlie Hills's Double Rush, who was an obvious pick to head the early betting on the bare form of his two-from-two record this year. He has drawn stall 20 of 22, however, on a course where low numbers often enjoy a significant advantage, and makes no appeal at all at his latest odds of around 5-1. Marchogion (3.35), the cosy winner of a similar event at Newmarket last month with several of today's rivals in behind, is a better option at around 7-1. He has had more racing this year that many in this field but his latest outing was only his third on turf and he has obvious scope for further progress off a 7lb higher mark. York 1.50 Dashing Darcey is in the early stages of his career with Geoff Harker after a six-figure switch over the winter and has little to find on his latest form at Haydock to get his first win for his new stable on the board. Sandown 2.05 Richard Hannon's Classic is without a win for nearly two years, but that success came over seven furlongs at this track off 89 and he is now back down to a career-low mark of 87. His hold-up style can make life tricky but Ryan Moore is an eye-catching booking to ride and he has travelled like a well-handicapped horse in both of his outings so far this season. York 2.25 Adrian Keatley and Jody Townend took this valuable contest for female amateur riders with Kihavah two years ago and Maghlaak, the runner-up in the same race over track and trip at the Dante meeting that Kihavah used as a springboard to success, has a clear chance to follow suit. Sandown 2.40 The lack of a run this season is a slight concern but Coto De Caza was all speed as a juvenile, the Simon & Ed Crisford stable remains in fine form and his winning form in last season's Group Three Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket is the best on offer. York 3.00 Absurde travelled as well as the winner, Illinois, in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes at Chester last time and Willie Mullins's versatile gelding will appreciate the slight drop in grade to Listed company here. Chester 3.20 On the face of it, 14th of 14 last time out does little to advertise the chance of Charlie Johnston's Tattie Bogle, but he was racing for the second time in five days, has been given a month off since and has also drawn an ideal berth in two, given that he is the obvious front-runner in the field.
