Queen appears delighted with performance of horse at Royal Ascot
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The Queen looked delighted with the performance of her horse in the first race on the final day at Royal Ascot.
Reach For The Moon, the first of her four horses running in her colours on Saturday afternoon, finished a close second during the Chesham Stakes race at 2.30pm.
The monarch was not seen in the royal box during the race, opting to watch it privately, but had the chance to inspect the colt in the Parade Ring after it crossed the finish line.
The Queen, who could not hide her delight at being back at the famous Berkshire meet for the first time since 2019, had a wide smile on her face as she inspected the horse.
She beamed while watching the horses in the second race being paraded around the ring at just before 3pm.
Usually a regular at the famous Berkshire meet, the Queen has been a no-show since it began on Tuesday.
The monarch also missed last year’s race as it was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, on Saturday the Queen braved the grey weather to cheer on the four horses running in her colours of purple and gold.
She arrived to applause and cheers in a beige car at 2pm wearing an Angela Kelly outfit, including a pleated mint coat and matching hat, with a pink and mint floral dress.
Two of her horses, Tactical and Light Refrain, ran during the second race, while her fourth, King’s Lynn, is set to run later this afternoon.
Punters like to bet on the colour of the Queen’s hat, and this year bookmakers had said the most popular predictions were blue and green due to the change in weather.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes, said: “Punters could finally enjoy a flutter on the colour of the Queen’s hat after waiting patiently for her arrival all week.
“Green was the colour that attracted the majority of bets, so plenty of punters have got the day off to a great start.”
The Queen’s eldest grandson Peter Phillips was also seen arriving earlier in the day.
The carriage procession that usually precedes each day’s racing did not take place.
Environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion appeared to unfurl a banner reading “Racing To Extinction”, intended to be seen by the Queen, who was nowhere near the incident.
