BRITISH RACING TO COMMEMORATE WINNERS OF RACES NAMED AFTER HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN PLATINUM JUBILEE YEAR
The photograph in the background of this image shows Her Majesty The Queen arriving at Royal Randwick Racecourse in 1954, the occasion on which the Queen Elizabeth Stakes was given its name. (Credit: Australian Turf Club)
To mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, British racing will make a special presentation to this year's winning owners of various Group/Grade 1 races around the world that are named after Her Majesty. The initiative celebrates The Queen’s international impact on the sport of horse racing.
The races involved in the initiative – the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick, the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland in October and the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Hanshin Racecourse in November – are, together, indicative of the respect in which Her Majesty is held by the world’s racing community and are symbolic of her far-reaching impact on the sport.
Her Majesty’s eponymous race in Great Britain, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), is held on QIPCO British Champions Day in October.
The winning owners of the 2022 renewals of these Group 1 contests around the world will each receive a strawberry dish commissioned by Great British Racing International and QIPCO British Champions Series on behalf of British Racing, and produced by Royal jewelers, Garrard.
The first recipient, Richard Johnston of Bylong Park, whose Think It Over won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in April, said upon receiving the commemorative dish:
“Her Majesty is loved and admired here in Australia, particularly amongst the racing fraternity that share her passion for the thoroughbred.
“To play a miniscule part in celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, as a result of Think It Over’s effort in winning the prestigious Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes, I find it both humbling and a source of great joy. I will be sure to give him a pat for Her Majesty.”
Australian Turf Club CEO, Jamie Barkley, commented:
“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s contribution and passion for horse racing is admired the world over and we are extremely proud to have horses in her famous silks both racing and training at the Australian Turf Club’s Sydney racecourses.
“We also owe a significant part of our history to Her Majesty’s legacy in granting official status to Royal Randwick Racecourse, where our Club and its Members have been privileged to host several Royal visits. The most notable of these was in 1954, the year which commenced the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and it is most appropriate we are paying tribute to Her Majesty on the 70th renewal of this flagship Australian race.”
Also commenting on the initiative, Mr Goto Masayuki, President and CEO of the JRA, commented:
“First of all, I would like to express my sincere congratulations on The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We are truly honoured that, with the special permission from Buckingham Palace, the JRA will hold the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Group 1) and the Epsom Cup (Group 3) as commemorative races to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
“We also appreciate the great initiative of Great British Racing International & QIPCO British Champions Series to kindly present the special strawberry dish to the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup – Platinum Jubilee (Group 1) in Japan along with other races around the world which are named after Her Majesty. I hope and believe from my heart that these commemorative races to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will be greatly received by horse racing fans.”
Shannon Arvin, Keeneland President and CEO, said of the initiative:
“Keeneland is extremely proud to be a part of this unique Platinum Jubilee recognition for the winner of this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. Her Majesty’s visit here is one of the most extraordinary events in Keeneland’s history, and we take immense pride that the race named in her honour is so globally prestigious.”
Rod Street, CEO of Great British Racing and QIPCO British Champions Series, added:
“Her Majesty The Queen’s lifelong passion for racing has created widespread interest and global investment in the sport throughout her reign and her attendance on a racecourse always creates a special occasion. That there are so many prestigious races named after her internationally is testament to her patronage of the sport throughout her life and we are delighted to be marking the Platinum Jubilee with this special presentation.”