British Queen takes time out to view champion racehorses

After two days of intensive historical engagements in Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II had a more relaxed itinerary on Thursday, indulging her passion for horses with a visit to the Irish National Stud.

The facility located outside of Dublin is home to some of the world's most valuable bloodstock and has connections with the British Royal family dating back over a century.

The British queen and her husband Prince Philip were greeted by Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and Health Minister James Reilly and prominent members of the Irish horse racing industry.

The Irish National Stud was established in 1946 but before that it was in fact Britain's national stud. During its time as Britain's premier stud, it bred many successful horses owned by the royal family.

The queen is a highly successful horse breeder in her own right and her horses have won all of the English classic races except the Epsom Derby, a Group 1 flat horse race in Britain. The Queen hopes to end the Epsom drought next month when her horse Carlton House is expected to go off as favorite.

Source: Xinhua

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