The Queen had secret career and left people ‘stopped in their tracks’ with nine word question
She was well known around the world for her role as Britain’s longest reigning monarch, but her late majesty The Queen also had a secret career and was instrumental in "changing horse racing history" forever.
Alongside her duties as both the sovereign and a loving wife and mother, the Queen also held a long standing passion for horses and was even labelled a “brilliant” bloodstock agent and top negotiator.
In fact, the Queen’s knowledge was so formidable and her charm second to none, that she was able to help with the smooth transfer of a top horse to the ruler of Dubai around 37 years ago.
It all started in 1985, when the ruler of Dubai at the time, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his intention to purchase Irish Oaks winner Helen Street for his own breeding operation.
The Sheikh had been hoping to user her as a broodmare when her racing career had run its course, with the ultimate hope being that she would be able to produce a new generation of successful runners.
But Helen Street's owners, the late Lord Weinstock and Sir Michael Sobell, were reluctant to sell.
In order to smooth things over, The Queen intervened, with Hugh Anderson, who now runs Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation, revealing all the details in a recent chat with the Racing Post.
He said: "The Queen was a superb rider, breeder, owner, form analyst, pedigree expert – that's a given – but did you know she was also a rather brilliant bloodstock agent?"
Recalling the entire situation, Hugh went on to reveal that her owners – two giants of business and industry – were determined to get a competitive price for her and held off on agreeing to any sale.
Intervening during a fateful Summer meeting at Ascot, her majesty instead proposed a solution that was beneficial to all parties involved.
Hugh said: "Suffice to say that there was much speculation within this distinguished group of owners about the future of Helen Street, but everything was stopped in its tracks with the Queen uttering the immortal words, 'If I may, please, can I propose a solution?'
He then continued: "I’m not going to relay in any detail precisely what that solution was but this was the outcome.
"Darley acquired Helen Street and she went on to produce Street Cry, winner of the Dubai World Cup and sire of Winx, as well as Helsinki, the dam of Shamardal, one of our greatest stallions.”
Now, almost four decades on, Godolphin is one of the biggest racing powerhouses in the world, with their runners earning an impressive £8 million on the Flat in 2022 alone.
Since her death in September, the Queen’s own racing operation has been downsized dramatically, with fears even raised that her National Stud may now be converted into a museum, instead of a functional operation.
All of the horses that previously belonged to her majesty now run under King Charles, but the monarch has already begun to sell off the beloved runners, with the King making over £1 million after selling just 14 of them in October.
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