The Queen: This lifelong dream was left unfulfilled

Saturday 6th June 1953, mere days after her coronation, Queen Elizabeth II's horse Aureole finished 2nd in the Epsom Derby. Since that day, Her Majesty strived to win 'the greatest race of all'.

A lifelong passion

According to Hello Magazine, journalist and sporting expert Clare Balding, who has known the Queen all her life, spoke with Waitrose Weekend about Her Majesty's passion for horses. More specifically, horse racingand horse breeding, mainly to participate in the sport.

The Queen was a keen equestrian, having rode her first horse at the age of three. King George V gifted a four-year-old Princess Elizabeth with a Shetland Mare. Her Majesty continued to ride well into her 90s, Hello Magazinereports.

According to Balding, the late Queen had cameras installed in the foaling boxes so that Her Majesty could watch them being born.

Over the years, the late Queen Elizabeth established herself as a veritable horse breeder, owning approximately180 horses, most being kept at Balmoral or Sandringham.

According to the sporting expert, the Queen 'liked the attention to be on others', which is why she loved horse racing because Her Majesty wasn't the centre of attention.

A dream unfulfilled

Since Aureole finished second in the 1953 Epsom Derby, it became Queen Elizabeth's greatest wish to win 'the greatest race of all'. According to Balding:

Racing is an unpredictable sport, but Her Majesty loved the challenge of trying to breed horses that could rival bigger operations.

Per The Jockey Club, her Majesty's 2011 Derby contender, Carlton House, was sent off as the 5/2 favourite. But the horse lost a shoe and finished third.

Queen Elizabeth made sporting history in 2013 by being the first reigning monarch to win Royal Ascot's Golden Cup with her horse Estimate.

Sky Sports reports that the Queen had 24 Ascot winners and won all the British Classics, except the Derby at Epsom.

However, unfortunately, the late Queen never achieved her dream of breeding an Epsom Derby winner.

Sources used:

- Hello Magazine: 'The Queen's greatest wish she never saw fulfilled'

- Hello Magazine: 'The sweet reason Queen Elizabeth II loved horses so much'

- Sky Sports: 'Queen Elizabeth II: Her Majesty's best racehorses through the years'

- The Jockey Club: 'Her Majesty the Queen and the Epsom Derby'

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