Queen Elizabeth II's undiminished love of horse racing

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Queen

[size=1.2]It's a love that has endured for over 70 years, since Queen Elizabeth II first visited a racing stable.

[size=1.2]She was 16 and her father, George VI, was casting his eye over two of his prime race horses -- Big Game and Sun Chariot.
[size=1.2]"She watched them do some gallops ahead of some big races that were imminent," journalist and author Julian Muscat told CNN Winning Post, "and afterward she went and patted them on the head and loved the feel and the silkiness of their coats.
[size=1.2]"The story goes that she didn't wash her hands for the rest of the day."
[size=1.2]Her passion remains undiminished. The Queen still rides horses every weekend, according to Muscat, and has made the Royal Ascot meeting -- held annually at Ascot racecourse, 26 miles outside of London -- a fixture of her calendar.
[size=1.2]She's attended the event for more than seven decades, both as a spectator and a successful horse trainer. Over the years, she's enjoyed 23 winners at Royal Ascot.