Queen Elizabeth’s horse won Royal Ascot Gold Cup, for the first time in history

These are photos of Queen Elizabeth and some other royal figures at Royal Ascot yesterday, Day 3. Notice how happy the Queen looks in these photos? While she smiles often, her public smiles are often polite, measured, kind and gracious. In these photos, she’s balls-out THRILLED. And you know why? Because she WON. Her horse won!! This is the first time a monarch’s horse won the Royal Ascot Gold Cup. The Queen loves her horses, as you know, and she often has horses in competition year after year. But this is the first time any of her horses has ever won the big prize, and so that’s why she looks so thrilled.

The horse’s name is Estimate, and she’s a four-year-old filly who won the Gold Cup by a “neck”. Look at how excited the princesses were during the race! Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips was ecsastic as well, telling the media: “It’s amazing! This is her passion and her life. She’s here every year and she strives to have winners — to win the big one at Royal Ascot means so much to her.” Estimate’s trainer, Michael Stoute said: “I really felt it was a tough task — I wasn’t confident at all with her taking on the boys. But it’s a great thrill. Estimate is a pain in the backside at times, but it’s a great honour and today is very special.” This is also the first time a filly has won the Gold Cup since 1991!! Yeah, Estimate!

Congrats, Liz! Congrats, Estimate!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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52 Responses to “Queen Elizabeth’s horse won Royal Ascot Gold Cup, for the first time in history”

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  1. Buckwild says:

    Aww that’s cute. Everyone looks thrilled.

    • Macey says:

      everyone except the horse, poor thing’s mouth looks so uncomfortable with that mouth piece in that first pic.

      • Shay says:

        That’s a bit. All horses wear them, it rests on their gums, not the teeth.

      • Lilo says:

        I guess the horse is kinda chewing, the way they do that when having the bit in the mouth. In a still photograph it looks really weird, but in reality the bit slides back to the front when the horse is done chewing. If you pull too hard it does hurt, because…well…the bit is the brake, so to say, to control and slow down the horse. There are other headgears for riding horses without bits (hackamore, sidepull etc.), but for racing the bits are best suited.

  2. Beatrice says:

    A great day for a beautiful woman!! The Queen looks great in lavender and her smile could light an arena. What an inspiration to us all.

    • Sassy says:

      God bless the darling queen! I am American, and have always adored this classy, elegant lady, who always seems to have her emotions in check. How nice to see a broad and natural smile. And how great that her horse won! She doesn’t have that many years in which to have this experience. Go Liz!

  3. daisydoodle says:

    The Queen is amused….

  4. Suze says:

    I honestly have never seen QEII so tickled. Not at any of the weddings/celebrations or balcony appearances I’ve witnessed through years of following the royals.

    Very nice!

    • pao la says:

      In her defence i have to say that every royal event is a total snooze fest. She looks gorgeous with that smile and that rosy cheeks!

    • bluhare says:

      When the Queen smiles a genuine smile, instead of her polite nice-to-meet-you smile, her face just lights up. I imagine it was hard for her to keep up appearances with this win.

  5. LadyMTL says:

    That’s awesome. I love the expressions on Beatrice and Eugenie’s faces too. Everyone looks like they want to start high-fiving, lol.

  6. pao la says:

    awww that smile!!! I havent’ seen a huge smile like that on her face in ages. Or maybe never?

  7. Amelia says:

    Teehee! I won twenty quid yesterday on Estimate!
    Cheers, QEII!

  8. eny79 says:

    That’s nice. But I wish we coud see at least one photo where QEII smiles so much to some member of her family, like kids or grandkids…

    • Kaiser says:

      The horses ARE her family!

      • eny79 says:

        I know that horsey teeth run in the Windsor’s family, but still…

      • bluhare says:

        envy: When I was in Britain, there was a show on BBC about the Queen and her horses. She’s very hands on, and appears to really love them. Plus she still rides at age 87. Without a helmet.

    • Suze says:

      In her defense, I’ve read that she is quite different in private. So I think that fond smiles are bestowed on the grandkids often – but just not when we see them.

      And look how happy Bea and Eug are for their grandma – makes me think that there is genuine love and warmth there.

    • Pip says:

      My ex-father-in-law played cricket for England for many years. They were heading off on tour (this was in the days where they went overseas for months on end) & the Duke of Edinburgh & HRH for some reason came on board their flight to see them off.

      Apparently the Duke of Edinburgh asked to see the flight deck (planes were still a bit of a novelty fifty years ago) so someone suggested that HRH might like to come too. To which the Duke responded “unless it eats hay & farts, she won’t be remotely interested”.

      Even I, as a rabid republican (NB: small ‘r’), thought these pictures were fab.

      • Lucy says:

        That quote was about the Princess Royal not HRH

      • Pip says:

        Nope, definitely the Queen – heard that first-hand. Princess Anne must’ve stolen it from her mother!

        I doubt she would even have been born when this was said originally, in the 1950s.

  9. Meow Mix says:

    As someone who breeds and raises thoroughbreds for other people, it’s a thrill like no other. Can’t even describe it but these pictures do a pretty good job.

    • Sugarrbunny says:

      I agree it makes all the hardwork & at times, heartbreak worth it!! We breed thoroughbreds as well! where are you? We are in VA.

      • Meow Mix says:

        Sugarrbunny I am in Kentucky. It’s really hard to describe to people but obviously you know what I mean 🙂

    • j.eyre says:

      I went to Spendthrift Farms many years ago when Secretariat and Seattle Slew were still there. Never left me.

  10. boredbrit says:

    Hand on heart, this is only the second time I’ve seen her grinning. Ever.

  11. Anna says:

    OMG, I just LOVE how gleeful everyone looks! On the flip side, it’s sad that these royals/Brits get more outwardly excited about their horses than family members.

    • Pip says:

      That’s because some of us would’ve had a happier & healthier childhood if we’d be raised by horses ….

      Although surely that’s a universal thing? Is it just us Brits who are especially dysfunctional?

      Hmm.

    • Suze says:

      I don’t know if you can classify a whole nation as sour, dour, and anti-child-smiling.

      QEII was raised to portray a certain image in public and I think that’s what you see in most cases. But I think she loves her grandkids like any oma does.

      • Anna says:

        My bad on not being more specific…I was only making a broad generalization re: a specific subset of the British public, namely the stiff-upper-lip upper crusty types. They seem to be particularly reserved – not just in what we’re seeing in RL (=public photos), but any kind of Anglo-set period piece. Also I am bound to compare this behavior with other royal families, for example the Dutch and Danish and Swedish and some others, that seem to be much more warm, in public and private. I remember reading a story about how when QEII (who I think is all kinds of terrific) came back from some multi-week foreign trip and greeted a 4-yo Charles with a handshake. My heart broke a little.

      • bluhare says:

        Anna: My mother is that way. Yes, she’s English. When my dad was dying I was not allowed to talk to him about dying, I was to pretend he would get well. When he had died, and I kissed him and told him I was glad his “suffering” (not a good word I admit) was over, my sister told me to quit the dramatics. When I cried entering his home town where we were going to inter him, I was told to suck it up, basically. There you have the stiff upper lip and pretend nothing is happening dynamic.

      • FLORC says:

        Bluhare

        It’s also a Catholic thing. You don’t show emotion of any sort with others around. You must maintain that stoic look no matter your age or how close you were to the person lost. If someone wants to freak out I say let them go bat sh!t nuts! Grief is tough.

        And everyone deals with loss in their own way so there’s something to be said for the chain reaction of crying and showing intense emotion. Hope your father’s day went well enough and wasn’t too hard!

      • LAK says:

        Anna – It was a 6month tour away. you can see the footage on youtube of the handshake with the 4yr old Prince.

        bluhare – We have professional mourners. Would have appreciated the stiff upper lip recently.

      • bluhare says:

        LAK: I actually kidded with my husband about hiring myself out as a professional mourner, because you get me in a funeral (anyone’s funeral) and the waterworks turn on. One of the reasons I don’t go to funerals.

      • LAK says:

        Bluhare – if the waterworks turn on that easily, you’d make a killing [pun unintended] as a professional mourner. Throw in abit of wailing and you’d be booked for decades….LOL!!

      • Loira says:

        @bluhare, count me in!
        @ FLORC it is a catholic thing to suck it up? well, you need to come by where i live, some of us are big criers in times of crisis, and some are plain dramatic, throwing themselves over coffins (the ones I have seen do it were just too much)..
        Maybe it depend a bit on the culture, religion and the personality, all at the same time.
        Some very catholic cousins did not cry at their granny’s service because they were hardore thinking in the next life or something, while one of them was pure sentiment crying missing her. Of course we wesre side eyeing the non crier because she was acting not very nicely to those of us wet eyed for the loss of a very nice older lady.
        So, generalizations are not good. It is like saying that all Germans try to commit suicide when they get their heart broken, that Italians will make a scene or some members of some religion will definitely act a certain way.

  12. Poppy says:

    You can really see how pretty she was as a young woman when she smiles like that!

  13. The Original Mia says:

    I was happy for her and I don’t even like horses all that much. Her grandkids adore her. It’s obvious she loves them very much. It’s cute.

  14. j.eyre says:

    I love these photos.

  15. Elle says:

    I saw the Queen smile a lot last year during all the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

    I think she takes her role very seriously. Probably because she was a young woman with a young family when she came to the throne, and at the same time losing her father.

    Prince Charles gave a lovely tribute to his mother in the BBC documentary with some fabulous old footage. I think Charles and his siblings were very much loved as children. I’m not sure if it’s okay to post this link. Apologies if not – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8LTFzC5JP4&feature=youtu.be

    • bluhare says:

      Not sure Charles would agree. His mother was largely absent; saw them for half an hour in the morning and half an hour at night, and left him at home when she went on 6 month tours of the commonwealth (no commercial flights back then). I think he’s talked about it. He loves his mother but I’m not sure they are close.

      • Elle says:

        I don’t think they’re attached at the hip but if you watch Charles discussing his mother and showing the home movies from his childhood as I said above you can see they were loved.

    • LAK says:

      i adore toddler-6/7yr old Charles. He is so expressive in the footage.

      Elle – it’s a different video.

    • Boxy Lady says:

      That’s the BBC documentary with Prince Charles watching the home movies, right? The PBS station in NYC is showing that this coming Sunday @ 8pm. I’ve already seen it but I want to see it again. In watching it, I got the impression that Prince Charles adores his mother and is quite fascinated by her. At the same time, he seemed a lot less enthused whenever his father popped up in those movies, so I wonder if the Duke of Edinburgh was a hard-ass on Prince Charles growing up (and maybe still).

      • LAK says:

        DoE was definitely hard on Charles, but it wasn’t deliberate. He was [is] tough on all the family. Trouble was that Charles was an emotional, sensitive child who would have benefited from hugs rather than tough love style of parenting.

        The other kids weren’t so sensitive and are cut from DoE’s emotional cloth.

        DoE’s solution to Charles was to toughen him up which was obviously the wrong tack but they seem to have made their peace in the last few decades.

  16. Sabrine says:

    What charmed lives they lead. No wonder they all live so long. They have no stress.

  17. s says:

    this totally made my day.

  18. mslewis says:

    She really does have a lovely smile. I remember that her horses have won before at Ascot but not the BIG race. I suppose it’s like winning the Kentucky Derby. Good for her.

  19. princesslizabeth says:

    Congratulations, to Her Majesty! I am sure this is a dream come true. She leads an amazing life, but doesn’t have much control over what she can/can’t do. Horses are her unbridled passion, pardon the pun, and it must mean a lot to have this victory. It’s something she’s probably aspired to for years.