Queen hoping to add to Royal Ascot winners

The Queen will be hoping to add to her tally of Royal Ascot winners when her horse Seniority joins the runners at the famous Berkshire course.

After spending the first day of the famous meet with her family on Tuesday, the Queen is likely to be focused on the exploits of her thoroughbred in the Royal Hunt Cup.

Her first Royal Ascot victory was in the Royal Hunt Cup won by her horse Choir Boy in 1953, while her last was three years ago when Dartmouth triumphed in the Hardwicke Stakes – the monarch’s 23rd winner at the event.

Thoroughbreds are the Queen’s great passion, and she is probably never happier when working with John Warren, her bloodstock and racing adviser.

Her love of all things equine began as a little girl, and she went on to breed her own horses and enjoys the thrill of seeing them race.

She is a respected figure in the racing world and her horses have won four out of the five flat racing classics – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger – with only the Derby eluding her.

The Queen made sporting history in 2013 when she became the first reigning monarch to win Royal Ascot’s Gold Cup.