King Charles and Camilla rip up the rule book for late Queen’s racing operation and hire brand new trainer
KING CHARLES and Camilla have ripped up the late Queen's rule book for the Royal racing operation - by hiring a brand new trainer.
Ralph Beckett is to be sent four of The King's two-year-old horses to train this season.
Beckett and the monarch do go back more than 15 years, however, as he was the first man to train a horse owned jointly by the then Prince and Duchess of Cornwall.
But this is the first time he will have runners in the famous purple Royal silks.
Charles and Camilla have inherited Queen Elizabeth II's multi-million pound racing operation.
The late Queen had a long list of trusted trainers she always used, including the likes of John Gosden on the Flat and Nicky Henderson over jumps.
But Charles is putting his own stamp on things by bringing in Andover-based Beckett.
He is to be given four as yet unnamed juveniles from the Royal Studs - which it is feared could turn into a 'museum' in a few years.
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One of them is a sister to the Andrew Balding-trained King's Lynn, winner of a Group 2 race, report the .
Beckett spoke in 2007 of how he could not believe it when he got the call to say he would train the first of Charles' horses.
Royal Superlative, who is now 17, won once in seven attempts and earned £4,246 in all.
Her sole victory came on her third run at Chepstow in June 2009 over a mile.
The horse was a wedding gift from the late Queen.
Speaking of the joy he felt upon being informed he would train for a member of the Royal Family, Beckett said at the time: "It was a bit of a shock to get the phone call from John Warren (the Queen's racing advisor), and when he told me the plan I did a double take.
"I immediately rang my wife, Issy, who was shopping, and it took her a while to grasp what I was trying to tell her. It's a real honour."
Charles is looking to streamline the Royal racing operation.
He sold 14 of the late Queen's horses for more than £1million last October.
It is believed Camilla will call the shots in the Royal horse racing yard from now on, with Charles taking more of a backseat role.
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