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Queen Elizabeth II: Newmarket pays tribute to passionate fan of horses

Rachael McMenemy/BBC Flowers laid at the statue of the Queen in NewmarketRachael McMenemy/BBC
Flowers have been laid at a statue of Queen Elizabeth II at Newmarket racecourse

Horse racing lovers, trainers and people in a town famed for its links to the sport have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain's longest-reigning monarch died at Balmoral on Thursday, aged 96.

In Newmarket, Suffolk, known as the home of British racing, floral tributes have been laid at a statue of the Queen.

Former mayor Rachel Hood said the Queen had a "special relationship with Newmarket and the thoroughbred horse".

"When she was first able to go to the races after the pandemic, you could see the joy in her eyes," she said.

"Nobody knew more about the thoroughbred horse than Her Majesty."

Rachael McMenemy/BBC People laying the flowers at the statue of the Queen in NewmarketRachael McMenemy/BBC
Those remembering the Queen said she had a "special" connection to horse racing and Newmarket

The statue of the Queen with a mare and a foal was a gift to her from the town in the year of her 90th birthday.

It was unveiled as part of the opening of the £15m National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art in 2016.

Donna Stevens, who was paying her respects at the statue with her son, said the Queen was a "special lady for the whole country but especially for the town".

Rachael McMenemy/BBC Joanne Banks at the statue of the Queen in NewmarketRachael McMenemy/BBC
Joanne Banks said the statue in Newmarket felt like an "obvious place" to lay flowers

The Queen rode, owned and bred horses and was recognised for her contribution by being inducted into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame in 2021.

When her racehorse Estimate won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2013, it was the first time a reigning monarch had owned the winner in 207 years.

Eddie Partridge, who was paying tribute at the statue, said "the whole of Newmarket wanted that horse to win that day".

Estimate's triumph was among a total of more than 1,800 victories for the Queen.

PA Media Queen Elizabeth II at Newmarket Racecourse, after she unveiled a statue of herself with a foal and a mare as a gift in the year of her 90th birthday, during a visit to the town often referred to as the headquarters of British racingPA Media
The Queen unveiled the statue of herself with a mare and a foal in 2016
Getty Image/Evening Standard Queen Elizabeth II with her racehorse Highclere, after the horse won the 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket, UK, 2nd May 1974Getty Image/Evening Standard
The Queen, pictured with her racehorse Highclere, in Newmarket in May 1974, "absolutely loved her horses"

Joanne Banks said the statue in Newmarket felt like an "obvious place" to lay flowers.

"I've worked in racing all my life and the Queen was such a big part of racing, she absolutely loved her horses and knew more than probably I did in all the years I worked in racing."

"She wasn't just a queen, she was like a mother to us all, she did so much for us and worked right up until the last."

HM Queen Elizabeth II 640x55
HM Queen Elizabeth II black line

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