Charles ‘working on' producing a contender for the Derby
Charles's comment came when he and the Queen visited the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket, the heart of the horse racing industry, after touring the nearby National Stud.
The couple went on a meet and greet with the public after more than a 1,000 people flocked to the Suffolk town's centre and the King, who is receiving ongoing cancer treatment, spoke about his health.
Lee Harman, 54, from Bury St Edmunds, said: 'I asked him how he was, and he said he was feeling a lot better now and that it was 'just one of those things'.'
After telling Charles about his own cancer issues, Mr Harman said: 'He asked me how I was and I said 'I'm all good', I got the all clear from cancer last year.'
Thoroughbreds owned by the late Queen won four out of the five flat racing classics – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks twice and the St Leger – with only the Derby eluding her.
Now it appears the King, who took on Elizabeth II's stable of horses with his wife, is aiming to have a thoroughbred ready.
As he toured the Jockey Club Rooms, a retreat for members and the public, he chatted to his racing manager John Warren, Jockey Club staff and members, and some of the chairs of racecourses run by the club, the official governing body for horseracing in Britain.
Brian Finch, chairman of Epsom Downs Racecourse, home to the world-famous Derby, said after speaking to the King: 'We were talking about him getting a Derby runner and he said 'we're working on it'.
'Everybody is hoping the royal family will have a Derby winner soon.'
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Max Verstappen interview: On fatherhood, Red Bull's slide and the road ahead
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Eva Okaro relishing trailblazer status ahead of World Championships
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Forbes
10 hours ago
- Forbes
Sandman Hopes To Keep It Simple In The Jim Dandy Stakes
Sandman is looking to make a big run in the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26. Here is a valid question. Do we often times over think when it comes to sports? The essence of competition is really very simple. All one has to do is simply be better than the opposition, case closed. For a beautifully marked Thoroughbred, a simple approach is exactly what he hopes to execute in the grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on July 26. Sandman is a beautiful gray colt that inherited the good looks from his father. This son of Tapit has displayed a big turn of foot down the lane during his ten-race career that has at times looked as handsome as he. Trained by the fabulously successful Mark Casse, a simple approach will be taken as he takes on a short but very talented field in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. 'We just want him to run a good race', says Casse, who has 4,000 wins as a trainer in North America. 'He will be coming in off a little bit of a break and we are going to add blinkers in an effort to help him focus. Sometimes adding blinkers can backfire, but we just want to try and keep his mind on just simply running his race.' Sandman's last start was a closing third place finish in the Preakness on May 17. Prior to that was a troubled seventh in the Kentucky Derby. But before running for the roses, this grandson of Distorted Humor was very impressive in winning the Arkansas Derby. Chasing a hot pace over the Oaklawn dirt, Sandman closed with authority and was 2 ½ lengths clear despite wandering about in the stretch. 'The Arkansas Derby was a great race for him', says Casse. 'Everything went well and he had a nice pace in front of him. He had a really good trip and showed some of his potential. He will not have that kind of pace in the Jim Dandy, but the field will be a lot smaller.' Sandman hopes a simple approach will get him back to the winner's circle The Jim Dandy, which was inaugurated in 1964, will feature only five runners, but oh my what a lineup. Sovereignty, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont champ headlines the group. Also included is West Coast phenom Baeza who was third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, Mo Plex, recent winner of the Ohio Derby and a two-time stakes victor at Saratoga, and Hill Road, the Peter Pan Stakes champ. 'The Jim Dandy gives us an opportunity to really see where Sandman is in this three-year-old division', says Casse. 'We hope we have a young talent on the rise. He has given us those indications and the good news is he ran really great in winning in his only start at Saratoga as a two-year old.' The Jim Dandy is considered one of the major preps for the Travers Stakes, also run at Saratoga. Carded as race 10 with an expected post time of 5:41 eastern, the Dandy offers $500,000 in prize money. The Travers will be contested on August 23 with a purse of $1.25 million. Sandman currently has three wins, one second, and three thirds in ten lifetime starts with career earnings in excess of $1.47 million. Jose Ortiz will ride as the Sandman breaks from post two.
