King Charles and Queen Camilla left Royal Ascot without a win after their final horse Warrant Holder came agonisingly close in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, beaten by just a length and three quarters.
Royal Couple's Week at Ascot
The King and Queen concluded Royal Ascot without a victory, their final contestant narrowly missing out on success on Friday. They have been present at the historic event for the first four days, each day commencing with a horse-drawn carriage procession from Windsor Castle to the racecourse.
Queen Elizabeth II, their predecessor, never missed a Royal Meeting during her reign. During this time, she saw 22 horses emerge victorious in the royal colours. A highlight of her successes was Estimate's win in the 2013 Gold Cup, the first time in the 207-year history of the event a reigning monarch claimed the title.
Royal Stable Reforms
Since Queen Elizabeth's passing, the royal stable has undergone reforms. Despite this, the King and Queen have continued their winning streak on the track. Their winning streak at Royal Ascot began with Desert Hero, trained by William Haggas, taking the King George V Stakes in 2023.
This year, they entered five contestants but unfortunately could not replicate their previous successes. Reaching High, Willie Mullins' 13-8 favourite for the Ascot Stakes, came in last out of 20 on day one. Subsequent days saw equally disappointing results: Point Of Law finished fourth on Wednesday, with Golden Orbit and King's Prize facing significant defeats on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Final Contender's Near Miss
There were high expectations for their final contender of the week, Warrant Holder, at 16-5 odds in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes. The John and Thady Gosden-trained gelding secured a win at York back in May. With the support of the 50,000-strong crowd, he briefly took the lead, but ultimately couldn't fend off the relentless challenge from Opportunity, who emerged victorious by a length and three quarters over Warrant Holder.
Opportunity's trainer, Haggas, secured the win for the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing. The team's manager, Richard Brown, remarked: "I wish something else was second! But we are obviously all sportsmen."
Consolation Win
Although the royals didn't claim the top spot in this race, they didn't go without a win that week. On Wednesday, Haggas brought them some solace by guiding their horse, Lorca's Waltz, to victory in a maiden race at Beverley.
