KING Charles has been urged to do his late mum proud by attending this month's Cheltenham Festival for the first time in 17 years.
Zara Tindall, Princess Anne's daughter and an equestrian champion, reckons a big Royal show would be 'great for the future' of the multi-million pound operation.
Charles, who recently broke with tradition by listing Camilla as co-owner of the horses he inherited from the late Queen, will have his first Cheltenham runner ever in two weeks' time.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Steal A March is a 16-1 shot in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle run on Thursday, March 16.
Legendary trainer Henderson, who looked after all the late Queen's horses over jumps, believes the eight-year-old, who was bred by the late monarch herself, has a great chance of landing the £56,270 first-place prize.
But amid uncertainty over the future of Royal racing, outstanding horsewoman Zara believes having Charles and Camilla there to cheer their horse home in person would be huge for its prospects.
Zara told Sun Racing: "I think with Steal A March it would be great to see Charles and Camilla back at Cheltenham.
"Having the involvement and having the runner here would be great for the future too.
Most read in Horse Racing
Templegate reveals two huge each-way Cheltenham Festival picks for the handicaps
Punter puts £30,000 on Tony Bloom’s horse amid flurry of colossal bets
Bash the bookies with these three longshots at Ludlow and Taunton
My NAP has taken to fences like a duck to water and can go in again
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets –CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Virtual markets excluded. #ad begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
"We'll see what happens – it's a changing of the times."
As a Cheltenham committee member Zara will be on site all four days, with husband Mike there as part of his hospitality venture The Green Room.
Mike memorably won more than £100,000 when his horse Monbeg Dude finished third in the 2015 Grand National.
Zara is an owner herself and hasn't ruled out the prospect of having some more in the future… maybe even at the Festival.
But it is Steal A March who is capturing all the attention now ahead of what could be a massive year for the Royal horses.
John Warren, the Royal racing adviser, said recently it was a 'tragedy' the late Queen is not here to see what he believes to be her 'best' crop of yearlings enter training.
And for all the riches on offer at Cheltenham, there could be even bigger prizes at stake once the Flat season, which the late Queen so dearly loved, begins in earnest.
But, for now, the Festival is the main aim.
Henderson last year recalled how much racing meant to the late Queen.
He said: "I know she watched the sport and followed it avidly because when we had our Sunday morning chats she knew exactly what was going on.
"The week after Cheltenham she could have told me about every race."
And the Seven Barrows supremo recently added his name to the list of people desperate to have the King and Queen there for Steal A March.
Speaking of his association with The King and Steal A March, Henderson said: "He won at Worcester on Derby Day last year, which was very special as it was on Jubilee weekend.
"We were all trying to get winners that weekend for The Queen.
"The Queen Consort has had horses of her own before, but I think he was The King’s first jumps winner. He’s improved a fair bit all of a sudden.
"We’ve got quite a strong team for the race to be fair, but I was impressed with Steal A March the last time.
Read More on The Sun
I’m a supermarket expert & there’s 7 types of customers we hate – don’t fall foul
I decided to get chin fat dissolving injections – but I look like Peter Griffin
"It would be nice to have him run – it would be very nice to have him win of course – but it would be lovely if they could come to watch.
"It would be good for racing."
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article