The Queen’s great-grandchildren including Mia Tindall follow in her footsteps as they cheer at Cheltenham Racecourse
THE late Queen was well known for her love of horse racing and it seems that her great-grandchildren are set to inherit her passion.
Mia Tindall, daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, joined her cousins Savannah and Isla Phillips, daughters of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly at Cheltenham Racecourse today.
And while some children would have little interest in racing that was certainly not the case for the cousins who could be seen cheering enthusiastically from the balcony.
Holding what appeared to be their parents' racecards, the girls could be seen shouting and throwing their hands in the air as they watched the races on New Year’s Day.
Racegoers under 18 are not able to place a bet by law, but can join in the fun by selecting their favourite horse by name or colour.
Savannah, 12, appeared particularly enthusiastic as she punched the air and cheered, while Mia, 9, and Isla, 11, seemed a little more tense.
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It is unsurprising that the young royals show such an interest in horse racing with a love of the sport spanning generations of the royal family.
While she never gambled, the late Queen Elizabeth was a regular at racing events and was said to read the Racing Post over breakfast every morning.
And she owned horses herself, including Pall Mall that won the classic 2000 Guineas in 1958. Her racehorse Estimate won the Doncaster Cup in 2014.
The Queen has been around horses from her early childhood, with her first riding lesson taking place when she was just four at the Buckingham Palace Mews.
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She was given a Shetland pony named Peggy as a child, going on to follow the sport throughout her life.
Her passion has also been passed down to the rest of the royal family, with Princess Anne and Zara Tindall both known for their equestrian talents.
And according to Mike Tindall, his daughter Mia is a keen horse rider with her dad previously revealing that she regularly rides with her cousins Savannah and Isla.
The Queen's love of horses in her own words
Her Majesty on her earliest racing memories
“I suppose I first became interested in racing during the war, when my father had leased Big Game and Sun Chariot from the National Stud. My father took me down to Beckhampton in 1942 to see them working, which I'd never seen before, and I was able to pat them in the stable afterwards. I had never felt the satiny softness of a thoroughbred before. It's a wonderful feeling.”
The Queen would surely have loved the time to go racing more often, as she proved with a joke here
“Were it not for my Archbishop of Canterbury I should be off in my plane to Longchamp every Sunday.”
The Queen left no stone unturned when it came to breeding the best
“My philosophy about racing is simple. I enjoy breeding a horse that is faster than other people's. I enjoy going racing but basically I love horses.”
She came mightily close, but Her Majesty never realised her Epsom Derby dream
“A thoroughbred epitomises a really good horse to me. My particular hope for the future, like all breeders of horses, is to breed the winner of the Derby.”
Her Majesty’s humour on display once more after a visit to Richard Hannon Sr's yard
“It's one of the few places I go that doesn't smell of fresh paint!”
As ever, The Queen took her high-profile defeats in the best possible manner. Aureole ran in the Derby just four days after she was crowned
“It was very exciting to have a horse so soon as an owner to run in the Derby but Aureole ruined his chance in the parade. And one shouldn't really be sad not to win because Sir Gordon Richards had won his Derby at last.”