Racing icon Brough Scott has described accompanying King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot as "the greatest honour of my life". The 83-year-old broadcaster and journalist, who has been closely associated with the sport for over half a century, joined the royal couple in the carriage procession on the closing day of the event.
Scott, accompanied by his wife Susan, only learned of his elevated role moments before the procession. He told ITV Sport: "I found out when I stepped into Windsor Castle and they gave me the sheet! I was convinced we would be in the carriage at the back, so I had to tell Susan that we were in number one."
A Surprise Invitation
Scott described the experience as "a wonderful experience and a very enjoyable experience. Saying this carefully, the greatest honour of my life. I'm a lucky fellow and for my wife to be with me was the loveliest moment." When asked if it was his finest day at a racecourse, he said: "It's one of the best days of my life."
Reflecting on his long career, Scott added: "I'm a very lucky fellow. I've been around years and done lots of things in racing and had a wonderful time, but this was about the best of them. I first came here in 1962 or 1963, and I've seen it change but I honestly think it's in better shape now than it ever was. I'm not, but it is! I'm very proud of what has happened today and I'm very proud to have been selected."
O'Brien and Moore Crowned
Meanwhile, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore capped a magnificent week by claiming the leading trainer and top jockey awards respectively. O'Brien secured a record-extending 10th triumph in the Gold Cup with Scandinavia, defeating Trawlerman, and became the first trainer to achieve 100 winners at the fixture. He finished the Royal meeting with seven winners, two ahead of his son Joseph, claiming the trainer's title for the 14th time.
O'Brien said: "It's been a brilliant week. A lot of people have put in a lot of hard work, and I'm so grateful to them. I'm always mentioning everybody but some people I don't mention, I'm sorry to anyone I haven't mentioned, but I'm so grateful to the whole team for a lot of hard work."
