The Queen has made more than £6m in prize money off gambling on her thoroughbred horses
THE Queen has made millions over the years from betting on her thoroughbred horses at the races.
The monarch is a keen rider and a fixture at the sporting events, winning hundreds of races over the past few decades.
Figures from erevealed the 93-year-old has racked in £6.7 million from her horses, winning £557,650 in 2016 alone.
Since 1988 the Queen has won 451 races, working out to an average of 15 wins per year, the figures showed.
One of her most lucrative horses is Merlin, who has won her £21,768 alone.
The Queen inherited her father’s, King George VI, thoroughbred horses, as well as his breeding and racing stock, and she was later named as the patron of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association.
She still uses the racing colours her father and grandfather used, which is a purple and scarlet jacket with gold braiding.
The monarch is famed for winning every classic race - apart from Epsom Derby - despite 10 attempts.
She was named as the British Flat Racing Champion Owner in 1954 and 1957 - the first reigning monarch to do so twice.
As well as UK races, the Queen has even won races in France, with her horse Highclere coming first in the Prix de Diane in 1974.
The Queen won her first race back in 1949, when she was still Princess Elizabeth, when her horse, Monaveen, won at Fontwell Park.
She was given her first Shetland pony aged just four, called Peggy, and was riding by age six.
The Queen continues to ride, and was spotted on horseback at Windsor Castle last year, aged 93.
It costs around £35,000 a year to keep and train a horse, with the reporting Buckingham Palace declined the comment on the ‘private’ matter of how the winnings are distributed.
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