ROYAL Applause, The Queen’s favourite horse, has passed away at the age of 29.
He had been living at the Royal Studs in Sandringham since his retirement from racing in 1997.
Royal Applause has passed away at the age of 29
The Queen was a lover of horse racing
And he went on to sire dozens of elite racehorses between 1998 and 2014.
The Queen, who died in September, was a keen horse racing lover and has been since she was a young girl.
Her grandfather, King George V, gifted her a Shetland pony when she was a child – which she named Peggy.
Her Majesty would go on to become a keen rider, owner and breeder of horses.
She attended the likes of the Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot – events she enjoyed thoroughly throughout her life.
When attending Sandringham, The Queen would regularly request to see Royal Applause as he was her favourite horse.
He was a son of the Queen Anne Stakes winner Waajib.
And he went on to win a host of big races before his retirement 25 years ago.
They included the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Gimcrack at York, the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, the Duke of York Stakes and the Cork and Orrery Stakes.
He took up stallion duties from Derby winner Shirley Heights in 1998.
And among those in his crop was Ticker Tapejust – who would go on to become a top-level winner.
Royal Applause also sired a number of elite race horses including Finjaan, Majestic Missile, Peak To Creek, Royal Julius and Battle Of Hastings.
Royal Applause won a host of big races
