KING CHARLES was celebrating a massive £113,000 winner after his superstar horse Desert Hero won a big race at Glorious Goodwood.
The three-year-old colt, who Charles co-owns with Queen Camilla, was sent off a relatively unfancied 7-1.
A Royal winner of the Group 3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes as Desert Hero continues his upward progression under a fine ride from @TomMarquand for @WilliamHaggas. pic.twitter.com/4WnMMSxh4r
— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 3, 2023
But Desert Hero, who won at June’s Royal Ascot meeting, absolutely tanked through the race and run out a convincing winner.
Tom Marquand, who guided the horse to victory at Ascot, was in the saddle again.
Together, he and the horse have combined to give Charles and Camilla and a whopping £164,960 from their past two runs.
But there could be a much bigger payday lined up for next month with Desert Hero slashed in the market for the St Leger at Doncaster.
Victory in the final Classic of the year will be worth £396,970 to the winner.
Betfair cut Desert Hero from 16-1 to 6-1 for the top class Group 1 – one of the five biggest races of the season.
Neither Charles nor Camilla were at Goodwood to see their horse win on Ladies’ Day.
But they were at Berkshire track Ascot to see him win the King George V Stakes.
Charles was reduced to tears after the horse left to him by his mum, the late Queen, scored by a head at big odds of 18-1.
Praising the horse after his latest big win, Marquand, the husband of fellow top jockey Hollie Doyle, said: “I think today is a testament to how tenacious he really is.
“He had to find gaps at Ascot and he had to find gaps on ground that’s extremely tough work here.
“He’s obviously improving and it’s a fantastic job by the team.”
Charles and Camilla inherited the entire Royal racing operation after the late Queen passed away last September.
There were doubts over Charles’ love of the sport his late mum held so close to her heart.
One report claimed he was ‘not looking forward’ to Ascot and considered it an ‘ordeal’.
But there was no questioning his joy at bagging a big winner at racing’s poshest meeting – before following up at Goodwood.
All eyes will now be on Doncaster to see if the William Haggas-trained runner can make it an incredible hat-trick.
Charles cheered home Desert Hero at Ascot but wasn’t at Goodwood to see him win again