Queen Elizabeth Gets a Bit of Good News After Falling Ill With COVID-19

By Daniel S. Levine

Queen Elizabeth II had some good news on Sunday, hours after Buckingham Palace announced she tested positive for COVID-19. Kincardine, a horse bred by the queen, won the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Maiden Hurdle at Newbury. The horse was trained by Nickey Henderson, who was formerly the principal trainer to The Queen Mother's horses.

Queen Elizabeth's horses are successful on flat horseracing courses, so Kincardine's victory in National Hunt racing over obstacles was a rare win in the field for her, reports Royal Central. It was the queen's first win over jumps since May 2021. Kincardine's jockey was Nico de Boinville.

"We were all sad to hear Her Majesty has Covid – I don't know if that's Covid medicine but I hope it is," Henderson said of Kincardine's win in an interview with Racing TV after the race. "It was always going to be tough and I didn't really want to come back to two miles with him. There was a pretty competitive race at Ascot yesterday over two and a half which looked nice but I thought on this ground two miles was far enough for him."

"It's hard work, but he enjoyed himself and handled the ground really well and he jumped well," Henderson continued. "This is only practicing for the days ahead when he should make a three-mile chaser and I hope he might be a smart one at the end of the day."

Earlier Sunday, Buckingham Palace confirmed the Queen rested positive for COVID-19 and was showing "mild cold-like symptoms." Despite the diagnosis, she will continue "light duties" at Windsor Castle for the rest of the week. "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines," the palace said, reports the BBC. The news comes after Prince Charles tested positive on Feb. 10, two days after meeting his mother.

After the positive test was announced, the palace issued a statement from the Queen congratulating the U.K.'s curling team's success at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The women's team won gold while the men won silver. She called their performances "outstanding," adding, "I know that your local communities and people throughout the United Kingdom will join me in sending our good wishes to you, your coaches, and the friends and family who have supported you in your great success."

The queen turns 96 in April and marked 70 years on the throne this month. She did receive a COVID-19 vaccination, with her first shot in January 2021. She was hospitalized in October 2021 for a night of medical checks, then missed the Remembrance Sunday service in November due to a strained back. 

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