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H
orse racing is known as
the sport of kings but
really it should be called
the sport of queens. Start-
ing more than 300 years
ago, racing in this coun-
try has been profoundly influenced by four
British queens, along with a supporting cast
of duchesses, ladies, millionairesses and a
few overseas princesses. Today, this female
aristocracy of racing has been joined by
a meritocracy of women at the very top of
the sport, both as jockeys and trainers, and,
equally importantly, as executives, broad-
casters and power brokers.
In 1711, Queen Anne, who kept a large
string of racehorses, was out riding on
the heath at East Cote not far from Wind-
sor Castle. She declared: “This would be
a very good place for horses to gallop atfull stretch.” Queen Anne’s wish was rac-
ing’s command and so Her Majesty’s Plate,
worth 100 guineas (about £20,000 today)
and open to any horse, mare or gelding,
over the age of six, was contested at what
soon became known as Ascot. Today, Ascot
Racecourse is owned by HM The Queen,
who hosts racing’s flagship meeting, Royal
Ascot Races, every June. She invites a select
80,000 or so of her closest friends to join
her as members of the Royal Enclosure, and
around 10,000 to 13,000 of them turn up
daily during the meeting. The idea is said
to have started with Queen Victoria, who
wanted her husband, Prince Albert, and
his guests (including Tsar Nicholas I) to be
able to enjoy the races outside the Royal
Box but without mixing with racing’s more
colourful elements.
This set the tone for female involvement
in racing for the next century or so, dur-
ing which women continued to be at the
heart of the sport but in very specific roles.
From the 1930s right through to the 1950s,
Dorothy Paget dominated British racing both
on the flat and over jumps, especially with
herchaser Golden Miller. She owned
Ballymacoll Stud in County Meath
and sent out the winner of the
1943 Derby, Straight Deal. Like
those before and after her,
she was an aristocrat: the
daughter of Lord Queenbor-
ough and American heiress
Pauline Payne Whitney.LONG-HELD TRADITION
The tradition of lady owners and breeders is
continuing. Lady Lloyd Webber’s Watership
Down stud is a leading light of the flat-rac-
ing scene. But she points out: “I’ve resisted
ever getting involved with these tags such as
‘women in racing’ as I find them patronis-
ing. Women have been successful in racing
for decades, even centuries. So I don’t want
to seem stroppy but I think we should resist
jumping on a trendy topic of the day and
applying every industry to it.” Lady Lloyd
Webber is right: horse racing is not asLeft: Bridget Andrews
wins ahead of Katie
Walsh at Cheltenham
in 2018. Top r ight : Lady
Lloyd Webber with Lah
Ti Dar after victory at
NewmarketRacing