Racing has lost its best friend it has been an enormous honour and a privilege to train for her.” Andrew Lloyd Webber: ‘She could be so warm and friendly’ I think we all actually thought she was immortal and could go on forever. “They aren’t going to come into training with us for another two or three years but she was planning ahead. He says only this summer he was walking the fields at Sandringham with her, looking at the foals and the yearlings. Racing is a small community, and we were lucky to have her as our patron.” “We had tremendous times – I’m not even exactly sure how many winners we’ve had, but I think it’s around 60. “The first two things that went in her diary every year were Royal Ascot and Derby they were sacrosanct,” he explains. Horse racing was, of course, her favourite thing to do when off duty. “She would always say what she thought and had very definite opinions.” He describes her as a “very understanding and lovely person” with an occasionally “impish” sense of humour. Henderson started training horses for the Queen Mother in the late 1980s and then began working with the Queen in 2002. It was just like talking to any of our other owners because she was just very down to earth, and she understood horses very, very well.” “We would discuss her horses their plans, progress and problems. “I spoke to the late Queen most Sunday mornings on the phone, wherever she was,” he says. Nicky Henderson was the Queen’s primary jumps trainer and saddled multiple winners for her in their time together. Nicky Henderson, the Queen’s jumps trainer: ‘Racing has lost its best friend’ Funny, clever, warm and thoughtful with an unwavering passion for horses - this is the Queen that few of us ever saw. On the eve of our late monarch’s funeral, it is noticeable that the profound sadness felt by a nation has evolved into something more complex a celebration of an incredible life a recognition of 70 years spent in unquestioning service an understanding that Elizabeth II provided unity, stability and constance for most British citizens living today.īut beyond that, for people who had the honour of meeting her or just studying her through their work, there were also intimate, precious glimpses into the life behind the public facade.

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