When Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away in 2022, she of course bequeathed the throne to her son, the now King Charles III.

He inherited her various estates and interests; one of which was horse racing, which Elizabeth and her ancestors were fervent fans of. She won more than £8 million in prize money from her incredibly successful stable.

Charles has the opportunity to continue that legacy – and he couldn’t wish for a better yard of horses to get up and running with.

Royal Blood

Given that the Royal Family began racing and breeding horses as far back as the 1800s, they have had ample time to create a bloodline that has delivered plenty of success.

They have their own breeding operation, the Royal Stud, housed at the Sandringham Estate, where many of the monarch’s horses in training are schooled too. Yearlings – young horses who are likely to be raced once they reach two years of age or older – are sent to the Polhampton Stud in Hampshire, with the whole process overseen by the monarchy’s racing and bloodstock manager, John Warren.

All of which makes it difficult to put an exact number on how many horses the King owns, as there are so many different arms to the Royal Family’s racing division.

Even a conservative estimate would suggest that King Charles has inherited around 100 horses at various stages of their racing and breeding careers.

Which Horse Races Has the Royal Family Won?

The famous purple, red and gold silks of the Royal Family, which passed from King Edward VII to George VI and on to Elizabeth II, have been worn with some success over the years.

Elizabeth II was a huge fan of racing, inheriting her father George VI’s stable of horses in 1952 and enjoying some seven decades of action out on the track – she was a regular visitor to Royal Ascot, where the races are named after various members of the monarchy.

There are five British Classics raced on the Flat – the Derby, the Oaks, the St Leger and the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas. Elizabeth II won them all, some multiple times, bar the Epsom Derby; her horse Aureole coming agonisingly close in second place at the 1953 edition.

Elizabeth II enjoyed success on French soil, winning their classic Prix de Diane in 1974, while she also cheered home a number of winners from the Royal Box at Ascot – famously Estimate ended her 50+ year wait for glory in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.

Remember, you can bet on Royal Ascot and any other race meeting in the UK and Ireland right here at talkSPORT BET. But always remember to gamble responsibly – more information on that is available via our Safer Gambling Portal.

More to Come?

When King Charles inherited Elizabeth II’s stock of horses in 2022, he enjoyed his first winner barely a month after her passing at Leicester Racecourse.

Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, the King then made the decision to sell around 30 of the horses he had inherited from his late mother – depending on which source you consult, he raised in the region of £2.2 million from the sales. That is the first indication that Charles doesn’t quite share Elizabeth’s passion for Flat and jumps racing, although Queen Camilla is known to be a fan of the sport.

Nonetheless, there’s still a healthy yard of horses in training at Sandringham and the other properties operated by the Royals, so don’t be surprised if those famous purple silks are spotted thundering to the finishing line in first place many more times this horse racing season and into the future.

Of that crop, perhaps Reach for the Moon and Desert Hero are the most intriguing for punters. The latter won the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2023 – King Charles, watching on, was visibly moved by the moment of glory. Reach for the Moon, meanwhile, is trained by the prolific John Gosden and finished second in the Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Needless to say, you can wager on any of King Charles’ horses when they race right here at talkSPORT Bet. We offer odds for all UK and Irish horse racing meetings on the Flat and over jumps, so you can cheer home the royal horses alongside His Majesty next time they’re out on the track.

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