The Princess Royal has spent the day at Sandown Park Racecourse in Surrey where she presented the trophy to the winners of a race named in memory of her grandmother, The Queen Mother.
The race, called the ‘Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Memorial Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle‘, was ran for the first time since 2019, with eight-year-old gelding Purple King landing the spoils.
Trained by Dr Richard Newland and ridden by Lance Bombardier Jody Sole, Purple King cruised to the finishing line in impressive style, winning by ten lengths.
The race, formerly known as the Annington Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle, was renamed in honour of The Queen Mother back in 2015.
The late royal was one of jump racings biggest champions, and was a regular visitor to Sandown Park until her death in 2002 at the age of 101.
For over three decades, she was Patron of the Grand Military Race Committee, and was a huge supporter of the race that is today held in her honour.
The annual event is restricted to amateur jockeys who are either serving or retired members of the military.
After the completion of the race, Princess Anne entered the winners’ enclosure to present the prize to Purple King’s successful owners – Foxtrot Racing.
Foxtrot Racing is an affordable racing syndicate, with national hunt horses being trained by the likes of Jamie Snowden, Dan Skelton, Olly Murphy, and Purple King’s winning trainer, Dr Richard Newland.
The syndicate has enjoyed high profile success in recent years, with Purple King becoming their 29th win of the season.
The Queen Mother had well over 400 wins as an owner, including five Grand Military Gold Cups, a race that was also held on Tuesday at Sandown.
After the death of her mother, The Queen took over as Patron of the Grand Military Race Committee, a position she still holds today.
