Racing and the coronation: where to catch the best of both worlds this weekend
The coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort on Saturday will be marked across the racing industry in Britain.
As many tune in to witness an event last broadcast at the dawn of the television age in 1953, former royal jockey Willie Carson believes the continued interest of the King and Queen is vital to the sport's image among the wider British public and abroad.
"I hope the King will be able to spend a little bit of time with us and get to know the sport better," said Carson, whose victories in the royal silks for the late Queen included the Oaks and the St Leger aboard Dunfermline in the Silver Jubilee year of 1977.
"Hopefully he'll keep the Queen's passion for racing going. That will be important. I don't expect them to keep it going to the level maintained by the Queen, but I hope the Queen Consort's real enthusiasm and interest will be a big help.
"The Queen's racing legacy is huge and some early success would be helpful for the new King and Queen. Don't forget her father had several Classic winners such as Big Game and Sun Chariot in the years before her own coronation."
The most notable practical impact to Saturday's racing is the late start to the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at 4.40, the sixth of eight races on the Newmarket card which has been scheduled in plenty of time after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The Rowley Mile may be the centre of all things Guineas this weekend, but the town and the racecourse are also entering fully into the spirit of the coronation. On Tuesday, William Haggas entertained more than a dozen visitors in the first of three exclusive stable visits of the royal trainers' yards, an exercise which will be repeated by John and Thady Gosden on May 29 and Sir Mark Prescott on July 26.
The coronation stable visits have been arranged in conjunction with Discover Newmarket and tickets can be booked for the two future dates.
Meanwhile, at the National Horse Racing Museum, a new exhibition marking past coronations opened on Friday and features the robes worn to the late Queen's coronation in June 1953 by Lord and Lady Fermoy, the maternal grandparents of Diana, Princess of Wales, created for the occasion by the royal designer, Sir Norman Hartnell.
From Saturday to Monday the museum is hosting a Royally Fun trail around the site, with families invited to collect clues as they explore the palace of King Charles II, the original 'Old Rowley'. Both the trail and the Celebrating Past Coronations exhibition are included in the price of general admission.
The Rothschild Yard at the National Horse Racing Museum, which will host a number of coronation-themed events
The theme of family fun is reflected in the Garden Enclosure at Newmarket's Rowley Mile racecourse on the two remaining days of the Guineas Festival.
A big screen will show the coronation ceremony on Saturday and racegoers are encouraged to bring a picnic and join in the celebrations.
Newmarket is far from the only racecourse to be getting in the royal mood. Doncaster hosts its Coronation Royal Race evening, with the action on the track set to be followed by a Right Royal Disco. Thirsk's Hunt Cup card as well as the meetings at Hexham and Ayr are also carrying on the coronation theme.
And while Their Majesties' Slipofthepen has sidestepped the 2,000 Guineas in favour of a campaign designed to peak at Royal Ascot, the King and Queen’s colours will be carried on Coronation day by the Haggas-trained Saga at Newmarket and Candle Of Hope from the Richard Hughes yard at Goodwood.
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