Queen encourages Sheikh Fahad to 'enjoy the moment' as Lion roars home in QEII

Sheikh Fahad Al Thani spoke of a “scary” moment two furlongs from home as the owner’s Roaring Lion started to close on the leaders in a pulsating Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The awkward moment was not down to the unknown of unsuitably soft ground or to a rival travelling stronger than his horse, instead it was the dilemma of whether to raise his voice as things heated up or play it safe in the presence of the Queen.

The pictures broadcast around the course and on television showed the answer, Sheikh Fahad rising to his feet and supporting Roaring Lion to a narrow victory, with the Queen all smiles but still seated by his side.

He revealed: “At the two pole I was a bit scared, but Her Majesty said, ‘No, you’re allowed to enjoy this’. I hope I wasn’t too loud and I think she enjoyed it.

"She congratulated me straight away and said, ‘It’s great you’ve had a winner here and especially in this race’, which is her race.

The Queen makes a point to her Ascot representative Johnny WeatherbyCredit: Chris J Ratcliffe

“She was delighted and is the greatest supporter of our racing and the breeding industry. She’s had a few horses bred to our stallions before and hopefully will do the same with this horse.”

When Roaring Lion triumphed at York in August, Sheikh Fahad said it was his greatest moment involved in British racing, but it was topped by having a winner on the day behind which he has been the driving force and watching the race with the Queen in the royal boxt.

“I’d say this is my greatest day in racing,” he added. “We started this day a few years back and having my brothers here to enjoy it is special.

"A lot of people, including the media, were anti the idea, but I think we’ve all forgotten that now and are all together having this as a proper finale to the British season.

“It took us five years to get Simple Verse to win here and another few years for this lad, so it’s tough to win here.”

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