King Charles to sell 12 of the Queen’s favourite top racehorses as he starts to cut down her racing operation

KING Charles is set to sell 12 of the Queen's favourite racehorses as he begins "winding down" of his mother's racing operation as part of his big Royal shake-up.

A third of the top racehorses inherited by King Charles will be sold at Newmarket's Tattersalls this month, and top of the list is Just Fine - the first horse to win for the new monarch.

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Before she died, Queen Elizabeth II owned 37 horses, but now a source close to the Royal Sandringham stud in Norfolk claimed there are talks of "winding down" her breeding operation.

The source told : "The Royal stud could be a museum in three years. It would be a real shame."

Love Affairs, the Queen's horse who won at Goodwood only two days before her death, is also up for sale at the auction.

However, a royal source reassured that the King still intends to maintain the connection between the horse racing industry and the Royal Family.

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They said: "The desire is to continue with the traditions and connections with Royal Ascot but not on the same scale as Her Majesty because she had a passion."

While it is normal to sell several horses as part of running the collection, the Queen tended to only sell seven per year.

At present, Charles has 60 racehorses and 38 brood mares at Sandringham, with 30 new foals expected next year.

A racing source confirmed Gulf State yards is looking to buy a connection to the Queen through her horses.

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It is believed King Charles will make a fortune in racing next year after inheriting the massive stable.

In the last 35 years, the Queen won 566 races and had entered horses in 3,441 races in the UK, research by  revealed.

Her biggest and best moment in the spotlight came arguably when Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.

King Charles won £28,000 in one go when Perfect Alibi won a Listed contest at Yarmouth earlier this month.

And since his first runner in the famous gold, purple and red Royal silks on September 29, he has won £50,700 in all.

This comes as the King announced he is set to axe the role of his late mother's close and trusted friend amid the big Royal shake-up in racing.

Racing manager John Warren oversaw the Queen's racing and horse breeding interests for more than 13 years and is still in charge of horses running in the Royal colours.

However, it is speculated he will not be involved for much longer, according to racing insiders as he is now moving in Bahraini royal circles.

He recently took on a role advising Commissioning’s owner Isa Salman and Abdulla Al Khalifa.

Warren, one of the most respected figures in the racing world, was with Her Majesty talking horses just before her death at Balmoral last month.

He said: "We sat there for hours strategising and making plans going forward.

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"I think the nicest thing for me is to know that she was surrounded by her family members.

"She really loved having them right there with her and being able to talk about her horses and her love for her horses right to the very end."

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