King Charles sells Queen’s horses: Royal stud could become museum

A third of the top racehorses inherited from King Charles will be sold at Tattersalls in Newmarket this month, with Just Fine – the first horse to win for the new monarch – topping the list.

before she died Queen Elizabeth II has owned 37 horses, but now a source close to the Royal Sandringham Stud in Norfolk claims talks are underway to “wind down” her stud.

A source told The Daily Mail: “The Royal Stud could become a museum in three years. It would be a real shame.”

Also up for auction is Love Affairs, the Queen’s horse who won at Goodwood just two days before her death.

However, a royal source said the king still intends to maintain links between the horse racing industry and the royal family.

“The desire is to continue the tradition and connection with Royal Ascot, but not on the scale of Her Majesty, because she had a passion,” the source said.

While it is customary to sell several horses as part of a collection, the Queen only sold seven a year.

Charles currently has 60 racehorses and 38 broodmares at Sandringham, with 30 new foals expected next year.

A racing source confirmed that the Gulf State yards are looking to acquire a link with the Queen through her horses.

King Charles is expected to make his fortune in racing next year after inheriting a huge stable.

His mother’s horses have earned a whopping $4 million on the Flat over the past five years, and her biggest and best moment in the spotlight may have come when Estimate won the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup.

Back then, the win was worth about $360,000, but when Pyledriver won the same race this year, it was worth $1.3 million

Unsurprisingly, bookies have given King Charles some big pot next year – with the monarch 7-2 to celebrate a winner from the royal box at Royal Ascot in 2023.

It comes after the king announced he was set to step down as his late mother’s close and trusted friend amid a major royal shake-up in the race.

Horse Racing Manager John Warren has managed the Queen’s horse racing and breeding operations for over 13 years and is still responsible for the horses in the royal coat of arms.

However, it is believed that he will not be in the race for long, according to racing insiders, as he is currently moving in the royal circles of Bahrain.

He recently took on the role of consultant to the owner of Commissioning, Issa Salman and Abdullah Al Khalifa.

Warren, one of the most respected figures in the horse racing world, was Her Majesty’s talking horse shortly before her death at Balmoral last month.

“We sat for hours, strategizing and making plans for the future,” he said.

“I think the best thing for me is knowing that she was surrounded by her family.

“She really enjoyed having them around her and could talk about her horses and her love for her horses until the very end.”

This article was originally published The sun and reproduced with permission

Originally published as King Charles to sell off Queen’s horses: ‘Royal stud could become museum in three years’