King Charles will have his first runner on Thursday (29.09.22) after taking over ownership of his late mother Queen Elizabeth's horses following her death.
King Charles to have first horse runner after taking over ownership from Queen Elizabeth
Charles has inherited around two dozen racehorses and about 80 brood mares from the royal stable after the monarch passed away on September 8th aged 96, and Educator has been declared in the 4.54 race at Salisbury, in Wiltshire, southern England.
British Horseracing Authority (BHA) chairman Joe Saumarez Smith said in a statement: "The loss of Her late Majesty was keenly felt within the racing and breeding industries given her lifelong passion for the sport, and so we are naturally thrilled to see that the horses previously owned by her will race on in the ownership of His Majesty King Charles III.
"Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II left an indelible mark on our sport and her legacy will continue to be felt, not only through the horses that will continue to run in the name of King Charles III but also those she bred who are yet to be seen on the racecourse in the years to come. We wish Educator and King Charles III the very best of luck on Thursday, and keenly look forward to further successes in those famous Royal silks on British racecourses."
Educator will be the first horse to run in the royal silks since the queen's passing, after Improvise was beaten at Epsom on September 8th, the day of the queen's death.
Tom Marquand will ride the equine, for trainer William Haggas, in the four-horse race, and the jockey admitted riding the king's first horse is "a moment to cherish".
He told Sky Sports Racing: "Hopefully we can get off to a good start."
Educator is expected to be around Evens favourite to win the race and give Charles his first victory since taking over his late mum's racing operation.
But the horse looks set to face stiff competition from the Ryan Moore-ridden Okeechobee, who is currently 11/8 second favourite.
However, longhosts Gloucestershire, who is 8/1, and Belloccio, priced at 11/1 with bookmaker William Hill, appear unlikely to trouble the king's three-year-old steed.
Educator has amassed career earnings of £22,340 and last ran at Newmarket in April when the horse won by a nose - with Tom in the saddle - 199 days after its previous run, a win at Haydock in September.
The late monarch's bloodstock and racing adviser, John Warren, recently revealed the queen had spent "hours" planning for the future of her beloved racehorses "less than 48 hours" before her death.
He said: “We sat there for hours over the weekend strategising and making plans going forward.
“She was in such a healthy state of mind and in tremendous form.
“She really loved having them right there with her and being able to talk about her horses and her love for her horses right to the very end.
“I left her on Monday afternoon, the prime ministers were coming in on the Tuesday, she had a winner on the Tuesday.
“On the Tuesday evening, she was in really good form, delighted she had had a winner, and talked about the prime ministers coming in and out, and I can hardly believe it possible that within less than 48 hours the Queen had died.
“Perhaps the racing community contributed to giving her some pleasure along the way.”
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