Derby Day 1953 was a bright, sunny Saturday in June. Just four days earlier the world had watched the grandeur and regal pomp of the coronation at Westminster Abbey. Now it was the chance for the young Queen Elizabeth to cast off the formality of that occasion and enjoy the trappings of the world’s greatest race day.
Her Majesty, as she is always referred to in the respectful world of racing, had a promising contender in Aureole, a flashy, headstrong chestnut and what better story could there be than the newly crowned Queen winning the Derby at Epsom?
Gordon Richards, the greatest jockey of the first half of the 20th century, had never won the Derby. He had been knighted in the coronation honours list, a timely recognition for the sportsman who had been champion jockey in all but two of the previous 27 years. The public loved him.
