Racehorse given royal approval enjoys socialising with owners down the pub

A racehorse given royal approval by Queen Camilla has taken to socialising with his owners at the local pub.

Thank You Ma’am has joined members of the syndicate who have a stake in the thoroughbred at a country pub near his stables in Oxfordshire, where his friendly demeanour makes him the centre of attention.

The thoroughbred is affectionately known as Leroy in the yard and has been taken to meet his fans outside The Blowing Stone Inn, in the village of Kingston Lisle near Oxford.

Clive Huggins, who works on the Kingston Lisle Park Estate, said: “I love my racing and following the horses most days. It’s great seeing the horses from the stable come past the pub – but if you asked me if I would ever own a share or two in one, I would have had a right laugh.

“Now they bring Leroy to the pub to see his fans on a monthly basis – if I had to guess I would say he is a Guinness man.”

Camilla wished the horse good luck after nine-year-old Harry, son of Rupert Adams the syndicate’s owner, wrote to the Queen before Christmas wishing her well after a bout of pneumonia.

The schoolboy told the Queen about an upcoming race which the thoroughbred later won, after a string of second places.

The Posh Pundit racing club syndicate which owns Leroy is supporting Brain Tumour Research by donating 50% of the purchase price of shares in its race-winning horse.

Leroy will be in the starting line-up at Ascot racecourse on Saturday when trainer Georgie Nicholls and jockey Olive Nicholls, the mother and daughter team behind the horse, will be hoping for a second win in succession and will be cheered on by more than 50 members of the syndicate.

Mr Adams told Brain Tumour Research: “Like every adult in the UK, I am fully aware of the dangers of cancer. But I was particularly moved by an interview I heard on 5 Live Drive with Tony Livesey. Tony was talking to a researcher from Brain Tumour Research who was fantastic.

“My takeaway was that there is real hope and progress being made – but brain cancer appears to a forgotten cancer. I said then and there that if I can make a difference I will. Racing is my love, life and passion, and if I can combine the two, then I’m a happy man.”

A year-long share in the thoroughbred, named in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, can be purchased for £80 in support of the charity through the racing club website www.theposhpundit.co.uk.