King Wins First Royal Ascot Race In Great Grandad’s Contest With Desert Hero

The King was smiling at Royal Ascot today as he fired in his first winner at the meeting when the William Haggas-trained Desert Hero scrambled home in a tight finish at 18/1 – but he’s still 23 winners behind his mum.

Desert Hero Enters The History Books As King Charles III’s First Royal Ascot Winner In Great Grandad’s Race

It’s been no real secret that King Charles III doesn’t exactly share the same love of horse racing that his mother did, but maybe after grabbing his first winner at Royal Ascot on Thursday this will change.

After two days of blanks, the King had something to celebrate when this Desert Crown finished the best to win the King George V Stakes (3:05pm) in a tight finish – a race that is named after Charles’ great grandad.

Royal winner at #RoyalAscot! Desert Hero wins the King George V for King Charles, Queen Camilla, @TomMarquand and William Haggas! @Ascot pic.twitter.com/TWQ7v2DILY

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 22, 2023

The win provided royal trainer William Haggas and jockey Tom Marquand with their first King George V Stakes win.

It was also a victory that matched the Queen, as she landed this prize back in 1955 with a horse called Jardiniere.

So, will this success ignite the horse racing interest into the King? We’ll have to see, but with their rumours he might not attend Royal Ascot on Saturday – maybe he’ll change his mind now.

You can also get a £5 free bet with the guys at 10bet with their unique Royal Ascot offer that will give players £5 cash if The King attends the meeting on Saturday (if you bet £50 beforehand, Ts&C’s apply).

The King Inherited All The Queen’s Race Horses and Her Colours

King Charles III inherited the Queen’s horses when she died on September 8th 2022 – and so far he’s had 7 winners go in under his name, which includes his Royal Ascot 2023 winner Desert Hero.

The King’s racing colours are also the same as the Queen’s (see here).

The Queen Had 24 Royal Ascot Winners Over The Years

However, the King still has some way to go to catch up with his late mother in terms of Royal Ascot winners.

Over the years, the Queen had 24 Royal Ascot winners, with her first winner at the big meeting Choir Boy in 1953 in the Royal Hunt Cup.

Since then, 23 more Royal Ascot winners have followed, with her most recent being Tactical in 2020, who won the Windsor Castle Stakes (watch below). This turned out to be The Queen’s final Royal Ascot winner.

Best Horse Racing Offers for Royal Ascot

1.	Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets New cust only. 3 days to claim & 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. New cust only. 3 days to claim & 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 4x Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply.	Claim Offer
2.	Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets New customers, opt-in and deposit within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 free bets. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with odds of 1.3 or greater, stake not returned. T&C’s Apply. New customers, opt-in and deposit within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 free bets. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with odds of 1.3 or greater, stake not returned. T&C’s Apply.	Claim Offer
3.	50% Of First Day Losses Back As A Free Bet Up To £25 50% of first day losses refunded as a free bet. Max free bet per customer £25. To activate your 50% back offer, simply deposit and have a minimum of 3 bets of £10 or more on separate events at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger on first day. First day losses equals all settled stakes less all returns. The first day finishes at 23:59 on day of registration. Free bets must be used in their entirety and stakes are deducted from returns. Free bets non withdrawable Free bets to be credited within 24 hours. 18+, T&Cs apply 50% of first day losses refunded as a free bet. Max free bet per customer £25. To activate your 50% back offer, simply deposit and have a minimum of 3 bets of £10 or more on separate events at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger on first day. First day losses equals all settled stakes less all returns. The first day finishes at 23:59 on day of registration. Free bets must be used in their entirety and stakes are deducted from returns. Free bets non withdrawable Free bets to be credited within 24 hours. 18+, T&Cs apply	Claim Offer
4.	Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 4 x £5 free spread bets + £1 Race Index spread bet. Ts&Cs Apply. 18+ BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG | SPREAD BETTING LOSSES CAN EXCEED DEPOSIT Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 4 x £5 free spread bets + £1 Race Index spread bet. Ts&Cs Apply. 18+ BEGAMBLEAWARE.ORG | SPREAD BETTING LOSSES CAN EXCEED DEPOSIT	Claim Offer
5.	Bet £5, Get £20 in Free Bets New Customers only. Place your first bet at a minimum of £5, and we’ll give you £20 Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and a further £10 excluding win/place racing bets. Welcome offer Tote Credit is subject to a 7-day expiry from the date that it is credited to your Account. 18+ Full T&Cs Apply. BeGambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply. New Customers only. Place your first bet at a minimum of £5, and we’ll give you £20 Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and a further £10 excluding win/place racing bets. Welcome offer Tote Credit is subject to a 7-day expiry from the date that it is credited to your Account. 18+ Full T&Cs Apply. BeGambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply.	Claim Offer
6.	Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets Registration required. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.	Claim Offer
7.	Bet £10 Get £20 In Free Bets New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. T&Cs apply New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. T&Cs apply	Claim Offer

The King Still Have Some More Royal Ascot Runners On Friday and Saturday to Look For

Friday 23rd June 2023

3.40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap) 1m 4f ITV: EDUCATOR @ 12/1 with BetGoodwin
5.35pm – Sandringham Stakes (Handicap) 1m (straight) ITV: CANDLE OF HOPE @ 25/1 with BetGoodwin
5.35pm – King Edward VII Stakes CIRCLE OF FIRE @ 9/2 with BetGoodwin

Saturday 24th June 2023

5.00pm – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 6f: KING’S LYNN @ 16/1 with BetGoodwin
5.35pm – Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) 1m 2f: MARKET VALUE @ SP with BetGoodw

Related Horse Racing Content:

• Best Royal Ascot Betting Sites in the UK 2023
• Ascot Races Today 2023 – Cards, Tips & Results of Races at Ascot Today
• 2023 Royal Ascot Race Times, Date, Full Schedule and Running Order
• 2023 Royal Ascot Top Jockey Betting: Which Riders Have Won The Most Ascot Races?
• 2023 Royal Ascot Top Trainers: Which Stables Have Won The Most Ascot Races?
• How Many Royal Ascot Winners Has Frankie Dettori Ridden?
• 2023 Royal Ascot Bankers: Which Ascot Runners Have The Best Chance Of Winning?
• Royal Ascot Favourites 2023: Ascot Runners The Bookmakers Are Fearing Most
• How Many Royal Ascot Favourites Win? Market Leaders Strike-Rate Over The Last 5 Years
• Ascot Gold Cup Trends 2023: Which Ascot Runners Tick The Most Stats?
• Best Horse Racing Free Bets Offers at UK Sportsbooks – Top Horse Racing Bonuses for 2023
• Top Free Horse Racing Tips & Advice for UK Betting Today
• Free NAP of The Day – Today’s Horse Racing NAPs 12 June
• Free Horse Racing Lucky 15 Tips for Today – Best Lucky 15 Bet Today
• Today’s Racecards – View Horse Racing Cards Today
• Horse Racing Results Today – See All Recent Race Results & Winners