As First Receiver picks up yet another prize at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, royal groom Terry Pendry says Queen Elizabeth would be ‘looking down’
The Princess Royal with rider Katie Jerram Hunnable after she won the series qualifier on First Receiver, owned by His Majesty The King, during the Royal Windsor Horse Show(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Princess Anne is said to have “zoomed down the M1” to the Royal Windsor Horse Show, making it just in time to see her brother’s horse First Receiver pick up another prize.
The Princess Royal was at an engagement at the National Space Centre in Leicester on Thursday, May 14, before making the 107-mile journey from the English Midlands to Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
First Receiver won first prize in the Retired Racehorse class and Harriet Kean in the Mail on Sunday reports: “The horse, bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II, was greeted by an elated Princess Anne.”
The nine-year-old horse, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, had a decent racing career, winning just shy of £20,000 thanks to one first place – at Kempton in June 2020 – two seconds and a third.
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But he has made a spectacular transition to the showing arena, with Her Majesty watching him win his first Retired Racehorse rosette at Windsor in July 2021. Accompanied by her stud groom Terry Pendry, the late Queen was spotted fanning herself with the show programme during a summer heatwave.
The following year, First Receiver won the Racehorse to Riding Horse of the Year Championship at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in Birmingham on October 7 – just a few weeks after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at Balmoral.
Queen Elizabeth II watches her horse ‘First Receiver’ win his retired racehorses qualifier at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on July 3, 2021(Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty)
Producer Katie Jerram-Hunnable said the bay gelding had finally made Her Majesty’s wish of a home-bred winner at the HOYS come true.
“When I first rode for her 20 years ago, she said then that she wanted to win at Horse of the Year Show, and now I’ve finally done it. I was terrified with the anticipation of it all. I really just wanted to finish the job properly, and I made it.
“He was out of training 18 months ago, and he was quite a tricky little number, but we took our time with him. I really wanted to get him here, and when he won Burghley the Queen was told he would be going to the Horse of the Year Show. He was the last show horse winner that she had.”
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh watches First Receiver in the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park in May 2024(Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty)
First Receiver has gone on to pick up many more prizes for King Charles, including at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2024 with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh watching on.
After his latest victory, Katie said: “First is absolutely fantastic. We’ve been really lucky to have kept on with him, now the King’s horse, and it’s just an honour still to ride for the Royal Family. It’s quite unbelievable and I never thought the journey would continue, but it has.”
And royal groom Terry Pendry, who was ringside with Princess Anne, reflected on First Receiver’s 2022 HOYS win and said: “That was the Queen’s dream. She’d won everything else in the show world. Horse of the Year Show was the only thing that she never ever won. She’ll be looking down.”
Sadly, this year’s horse show was marred by tragedy when a soldier from the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery died after falling from his horse on Friday. Buckingham Palace said the King was “shocked and saddened” to learn about the death.