'Racing's patron saint and best friend' - Nicky Henderson remembers the Queen

Nicky Henderson, the Queen's principal jumps trainer who saddled more than 60 winners for her, pays a dear tribute

My parents knew the Queen Mother very well, and consequently the Queen, so I've had a connection with the royal family for a number of years and took over from Fulke Walwyn as the Queen Mother's trainer.

When the Queen Mother died, the Queen very kindly took over the horses and I suspect I went with them, but it was lovely and an honour to train for Her Majesty.

I was very lucky and so was jump racing because, when we lost the Queen Mother, there was a continuation and jumping had that royal patronage. They were two great ladies.

Nicky Henderson at Epsom in June with a host of the Queen's jockeysCredit: Edward Whitaker

Racing is a small, little family, which has been privileged to have Her Majesty as its patron saint - she was great for racing, and we know it was something she really enjoyed.

She loved horses and had a lot of friends in racing, but she was racing's best friend. She was its biggest supporter and this is a tragic, tragic time. She'll be missed enormously, but we've been fortunate to have played a part in her life, and a part she adored.

Everyone appreciated her and the duties she carried out for the country – and for so long – were incredible; she was utterly remarkable.

If she was allowed a bit of downtime, I suspect most of it was given to the horse. There probably wasn't a lot of time off, but there was Royal Ascot and the Derby for her, along with occasional visits to Newbury. I bet she would have loved to have gone racing every day, but her diary was a bit different to most people's – it was cast in stone a year ahead.

I loved talking to her about the horses and she'd say what she thought too – if she didn't like an idea, she'd tell you!

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. I'd follow all her Flat horses too because she knew what all my other horses were doing, so it was my duty to know what the rest of hers were doing!

Nicky Henderson: trainer saddled more than 60 winners for the QueenCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com)

Barbers Shop, who finished second at the festival and was also third in one of Kauto Star's King Georges, was the best we trained for her and he was a lovely horse, while I think she got a huge thrill out of Steal A March winning at Worcester on Derby day, which was part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

I probably got a bigger kick out of it because it was mission accomplished and it was planned. I was actually at Epsom that day and she wasn't, which was a great shame, but that win gave us a lot of pleasure.

We'd go to Sandringham to see the stud and the young horses with her, which was tremendous fun. We all thought she was immortal and it was never going to come to an end. For instance, we'd discussed this year's jump foals, who aren't going to be seen for at least three or four years, but we were already making plans for them.

Steal A March: the Queen's last winner over jumpsCredit: Nigel Kirby

That breeding was something she treasured and the stud at Sandringham was very special to her. The horse was the primary catalyst, although I think she enjoyed the characters that are part of the sport and I imagine thinking or talking about racing was a little escape for her when you consider the thousands of things she had going on in her life.

I remember once having a winner for her and she told me she'd been watching it in the sitting room. The horse led over the last, but it was a tight finish so she stood up and screamed it home. With that, she said the security guards burst open the door thinking there had been some ghastly drama, but found her shouting at the television rather than an intruder! That always tickled me.

Nobody in this world has lived on the schedule she did for so long. It's mind boggling what she achieved through thick and thin, highs and lows.

She was an absolute rock and racing was blessed to have had such an amazing ally.

I'm sure the rest of the racing world would join us in sending our heartfelt condolences and commiserations to the King, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and all of the royal family at this sad time.