Queen giggled at jockeys with their bums in the air....

Clare Balding reveals how Her Majesty loved all the 'naughtiness' of her horse racing world

- LUCY THORNTON

THE late Queen was horse racing's greatest champ, notching up more than 1,800 wins with the hundreds of thoroughbreds she owned over the years as she indulged her greatest passion.

She became an expert on "the turf", admired for her incredible knowledge of the sport, and the lineage of its bloodstock.

But according to sports presenter Clare Balding, whose grandfather, father and brother all trained the Queen's horses, she also loved the "naughtiness" of horse racing.

And the sight of a jockey with his bum in the air could make Her Majesty dissolve in a fit of the giggles.

Clare has told how she had the privilege to watch many horse races alongside the Queen, seeing close up how the monarch let her guard down as she cheered on jockeys in her gold, scarlet and purple colours.

Clare, 53, said: "There's a jockey called Richard Hughes, who was the most beautiful horseman, but he always stood there, very tall, at an angle and it made her laugh.