Royal jockeys to make up Epsom guard of honour for the Queen on Derby Day

The Queen will be greeted by a guard of honour comprised of 40 retired and current jockeys to have ridden in her famous purple and gold silks at Epsom for the 243rd running of the Cazoo Derby on June 4 as part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The likes of Willie Carson, who rode the Queen’s Oaks winner Dunfermline in 1977, and John Reid will be joined by Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and Hayley Turner, all dressed in the silks.

Epsom will permanently rename The Queen's Stand as The Queen Elizabeth II Stand on Thursday June 2 in a move designed to recognise Her Majesty's contribution to racing and her long association with the Derby.

The Derby remains the only one of the five Classics the Queen has yet to win as an owner, with Aureole's second place in 1953 – just four days after her coronation – the closest she has come. Carlton House, who was third in 2011, was her tenth and most recent runner.

The Queen, who missed just two Derbys between her 1953 Coronation and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, currently has three horses entered for the 2022 race – Educator, General Idea and Reach For The Moon – and a victory would be only the second time a reigning monarch has won the Derby after King Edward VII's Minoru was successful in 1909.

Phil White, London regional director at the Jockey Club, said: "We are absolutely delighted this year’s Cazoo Derby will be a part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations and excited and proud to be able to take the opportunity to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her enormous contribution to horseracing over many, many years.

"As well as her amazing association with horseracing and horses, the Queen also has a special relationship with the Derby. She has only missed four since her Coronation and two of those were in the last two years during the pandemic. To permanently recognise this we are renaming The Queen's Stand as The Queen Elizabeth II Stand. A plaque to recognise this will be unveiled on a community night at the racecourse on Thursday June 2."

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