King Charles now £50,000 richer thanks to one of the late Queen's most trusted friends
KING CHARLES is just under £50,000 richer thanks to a horse left to him by the late Queen.
Her late Majesty bred Chalk Stream before sending him to be trained in Australia.
The five-year-old gelding defied 20-1 odds to land a Listed contest at Warwick Farm racecourse Down Under on Thursday.
It marked the biggest success of the King's burgeoning racing career - and biggest cheque.
The £48,000 first-place prize was around £20,000 more than his previous best, won by Perfect Alibi at Yarmouth last October.
Chalk Stream is trained by Chris Waller, who was meant to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral before being struck down with Covid.
A racing icon in Australia, Waller's best runner was Winx, the highest-earning horse ever with more than £14million to her name and a world-record 28 Group 1s.
He was a very close friend of the late Queen and was said to be in almost daily contact with her.
Waller was reported to have become 'concerned' for her health when he was unable to speak to her on the Saturday before she passed away peacefully aged 96 last September.
Recalling their friendship, Waller said: "I train a horse for her and when she races normally there'd be a phone call afterwards.
"When I've been to the UK I've spent some time with her, just small visits… one day a little bit longer.
"She just made you feel so warm talking to her on the phone or in her company.
"She's entered so many people's hearts, their parents, their grandparents - what a matriarch she's been."
Remembering one memorable experience in particular, Waller said: "I was with her one day and one of her corgis was there.
"She grabbed a cracker off the table, broke it in half, gave me half and gave the corgi the other!
"There was always a warm conversation and she was just a beautiful, beautiful lady."
Remember to gamble responsibly
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
