The death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of The Queen, on Friday at age 99 will be marked across British racecourses on Saturday.
Two minutes of silence was observed at Aintree on Friday, with jockeys wearing black armbands and flags flying at half-mast, and those measures will be repeated again during Saturday's Grand National meeting at the course. Similar tributes will be held at the fixtures at Chepstow, Lingfield Park, Wolverhampton and Newcastle.
Though never a racehorse owner himself, the Duke of Edinburgh had been an honorary member of the Jockey Club since 1947 and regularly accompanied The Queen at Royal Ascot, where the Duke of Edinburgh H. was staged.
Sir Francis Brooke Bt, Her Majesty's representative at Ascot, said in a statement, “We extend our deepest condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family at this time. We have very happy memories of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at Ascot where he accompanied Her Majesty The Queen on so many occasions and shared in her successes. One of the most memorable moments was in 2012 when His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh presented Her Majesty The Queen with the Queen's Vase after Estimate's victory.”
Estimate (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) would win the G1 Gold Cup the following year at Royal Ascot, providing The Queen with one of her greatest victories as an owner.
Annamarie Phelps, chair of the British Horseracing Authority, said, “The British Horseracing Authority is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. We owe him a considerable debt of gratitude for his many years of tireless public service and dedication. We offer our sincere condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and The Royal Family.”
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