KING Charles made history on Boxing Day and is £13,000 better off thanks to a horse he inherited from the late Queen.
Steal A March gave the monarch his first ever winner over jumps.
Charles and Camilla have got off to a great start after inheriting the late Queen’s multi-million pound racing operation
A royal winner as Steal A March wins the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle, landing doubles on the card for James Bowen and Nicky Henderson
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— Wincanton Racecourse (@wincantonraces) December 26, 2022
Charles took ownership of the seven-year-old gelding – and the rest of the multi-million pound Royal racing operation – after Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Steal A March was one of the late Queen’s last few winners.
And on his second run since then he came out on top in the Class 2 handicap hurdle at Wincanton on December 26.
Jockey James Bowen was the man responsible for steering the 4-1 shot to victory, a month after the horse was second at Newbury.
Steal A March won by three-quarters of a length from 11-2 Stellar Magic.
Victory in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle was worth a cool £13,000.
And it was a good bit of racing news for the Royal Family after the death of the late Queen’s favourite stallion Royal Applause was confirmed a few days earlier.
All roads could now lead to March’s Cheltenham Festival.
The Pertemps race that Steal A March won was a qualifier for the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle run on the Thursday of the Festival.
Victory for Third Wind last year pocketed connections a whopping £56,000.
That might be small fry compared to the £1million Charles made from selling 14 of the late Queen’s horses earlier this year.
But it would still be a hefty pay day – and with it the prestige of owning a Festival winner.
Proud Henderson said: “It was (quite momentous having a first jumps winner for The King) and it gave us a lot of pleasure.
“Amazingly he wasn’t quite the last of The Queen’s winner’s but he won at Worcester on Derby Day which was Platinum Jubilee weekend.
“Everyone was trying to get a winner for the Queen that weekend but good old Steal A March jumped up, although he wasn’t the most obvious one.
“I thought we ought to try and make sure we have a runner at the Festival and that was a Pertemps qualifier I said whatever you do get qualified.
“He got the job done really well and the plan would be to go straight there.”
