Long live the sport of king's

Those worried royal interest in racing is waning can take heart. The King and Queen Consort are perpetuating The Queen’s commitment,

- Julian Muscat

AMONG the many investitures bestowed on King Charles III at his coronation on Saturday will be his stewardship of the Royal Studs. He will become custodian of a racing and breeding enterprise with greater inherent potential than at any time in the past 45 years.

The studs now house broodmares of a calibre inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when the royal silks were to the fore in that year’s Derby. They were carried by Aureole, who chased home Pinza at Epsom just four days after The Queen’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. And in Slipofthepen, the King and Queen have a home-bred colt who is full of promise.

Unbeaten in two starts, Slipofthepen, trained by John and Thady Gosden, might have contested a Classic of his own by running in the 2000 Guineas on Saturday. However, connections are taking a less arduous route with the inexperienced chestnut. He is engaged in the French equivalent, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, and could head to Longchamp on 14 May ahead of a projected trip to Royal Ascot next month.

Slipofthepen’s status as a colt of substance pays tribute to The late Queen’s dedication to enhancing the royal bloodlines over the past two decades. At the time of her passing in September, John Warren, the royal bloodstock and advisor since 2001, described the Royal Studs’ crop of yearlings as “the best yet”. Those yearlings became two-year-olds on 1 January. Nothing has since transpired to dampen those expectations.