Horse racing legend Brough Scott has described being invited to join King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the royal procession at Royal Ascot as the greatest honour of his life. The 83-year-old broadcaster and writer, who has been closely associated with the sport for more than half a century, made the revelation during an interview with ITV Sport.
Last-minute invitation to join the royal couple
Scott, accompanied by his wife Susan, only learned he would be riding alongside the King and Queen moments before the procession began. He recounted: '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. It was a wonderful experience and a very enjoyable experience.'
Calling it 'the greatest honour of my life', Scott added: 'I'm a lucky fellow and for my wife to be with me was the loveliest moment.' When asked if it was his best day on a racecourse, he said: 'It's one of the best days of my life.'
A lifetime in racing
The honour was widely seen as deserved for Scott, who is hugely respected in racing circles. Reflecting on his career, he said: '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 dominate Royal Ascot
Meanwhile, Royal Ascot centurion Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore capped a stellar week by winning the leading trainer and leading jockey prizes respectively. The duo enjoyed many high-profile victories together, including the Coronation Stakes with Precise on Friday. The highlight was Scandinavia beating Trawlerman in the Gold Cup on Thursday, giving O'Brien a record-extending 10th success in the staying feature and making him the first trainer to reach 100 winners at the meeting.
O'Brien edged out his son Joseph, who had five winners, in a thrilling family battle on the final day to take top spot in the trainer's standings for the 14th time. O'Brien ended the meeting with seven winners, two clear of his son. He 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.'
