On a misty evening in November 2022, a small crowd of racegoers at Kempton Park could not see the starting stalls on the far side of the track. The potential of a horse named Slipofthepen became obvious just 90 seconds later, when he emerged from the fog nearly six lengths clear of the runner-up. The jockey’s famous purple, scarlet and gold silks were a clue to the horse’s royal pedigree.
Slipofthepen was one of about 100 thoroughbred horses inherited by King Charles III from Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Nearly 30 were sold within a few weeks of her death, at public auctions of racing and breeding stock, where the “E II R” gilets and scarves worn by grooms from the Royal Stud at Sandringham set their horses apart from the others parading in front of prospective buyers.
