British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at 96 in Scotland after reigning for seven decades, was, throughout her long life, a Thoroughbred owner and breeder and racing enthusiast who visited Kentucky many times. A rider in her youth who remained a lifelong equestrian, Elizabeth II received her first racehorse, the filly Astrakhan, as a wedding present from the Aga Khan in 1948. Four years later, she inherited the breeding and racing stock of her late father, King George VI. The following year, which marked her official coronation, she campaigned Aureole, who won the Derby Trial before finishing second in the Epsom Derby, a race that eluded the monarch as she won several other British classics. Aureole went on to win the Victor Wild Stakes, Coronation Cup, Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, retiring with 11 wins from 14 starts.  Dunfermline won two of the British classics, the Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes, in the queen's silver jubilee year of 1977. Other top runners for the monarch, whose horses are foaled at the Royal Stud in the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, include 1958 English 2000 Guineas winner Pall Mall; 1957 Epsom Oaks winner Carrozza; and Highclere, winner of the British 1000 Guineas and French Oaks in 1974.  “We've got to know the queen quite well, and it's her passion,” jockey Willie Carson, who rode Dunfermline, told Town and Country Magazine this year. “I wouldn't call it her life, but it's her passion, her hobby, and she really enjoys doing it. It's not just the horse racing she enjoys, she enjoys the breeding side of it. She likes to know from trainers how the horse is behaving and its attitude, its temperament. She wants to know those things. That's what she's really interested in. The winning post is the end result and she enjoys that, of course, but she enjoys everything before you get to the winning post. That gives her the most pleasure." The queen's most accomplished runner in recent years was Estimate, winner of the 2012 Queen's Vase and 2013 Gold Cup at the renowned Royal Ascot meeting. Overall, her colors – a purple jacket with red sleeves and a black cap, trimmed with gold accents – were carried to victory for 20 wins at that meeting, with the queen regularly in attendance. This June marked the first time in her 70-year reign that she did not attend Royal Ascot; she also missed this year’s Epsom Derby, a cornerstone event of her platinum jubilee celebrations, for just the third time in that span.  "We at Ascot are privileged to have many memories of Her Majesty the Queen at this her racecourse, including some wonderful victories in the Royal colors," Sir Frances Brooke Bt., the monarch's representative at Royal Ascot, said in a statement issued Thursday.  Queen Elizabeth II visited Kentucky, the cornerstone of the North American Thoroughbred industry, five times during her reign. The first visit came in 1984, when she attended the races at Keeneland and presented a trophy as the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup was inaugurated in her honor. She returned to the Bluegrass State in 1986, 1989, 1991, and 2007. She stayed at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky., owned by William Farish, who had met her heir, Prince Charles, while playing polo, and who later served as ambassador to the United Kingdom. The queen eventually boarded a selection of mares at Lane’s End to facilitate their breeding to American stallions.  In her final visit, she and her late husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh – himself an accomplished equestrian who served as the president of the Federation Equestre Internationale for more than two decades – attended the 2007 Kentucky Derby, won by Street Sense. Jockey Calvin Borel subsequently attended a state dinner for the Queen and Prince Philip given by President George W. Bush at the White House.  The monarch was a regular visitor to another North American classic, as she and Prince Philip attended the Queen's Plate at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada in 1959 – its 100th running – 1973, 1997, and 2010.  The legacy of the monarch was already to be honored at Keeneland this fall as part of the year of platinum jubilee celebrations. This year's renewal of the Grade 1, $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup is set for Oct. 15. It was previously announced that to mark the Platinum Jubilee, this year’s winning owner will be the recipient of a strawberry dish commissioned by Great British Racing International and QIPCO British Champions Series on behalf of British Racing and produced by Royal jewelers Garrard. "Keeneland joins the world in mourning the loss today of Queen Elizabeth II, a beloved leader with exceptional integrity and an unmatched horsewoman," Keeneland president Shannon Arvin said in a statement issued Thursday. "Queen Elizabeth’s lifelong love for horses and her passion for racing left an indelible legacy on the sport around the world and at Keeneland." The tribute at Keeneland this fall will certainly take on a different tone upon the monarch's death. On Thursday, reactions were beginning to pour in from around the racing world. Racing was canceled in England on Thursday and Friday. More details are expected on Friday as to when racing will resume.  “The BHA extends our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family and all those affected by this sad news," British Horseracing Authority chair Joe Saumarez Smith said in a press release. "Racing owes an incalculable debt of gratitude, not only for Her Majesty’s dedication and commitment to the sport, but for her public advocacy of it, something that doubtless has driven the sport’s popularity and attracted a great number of fans. There will be many who work in racing who have enjoyed relationships with Her Majesty through the training and breeding of her horses and will be grieving."  The international Godolphin operation, the leading owner at Royal Ascot this year, also issued a statement.  "Everyone at Godolphin is deeply saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen," it read. "She was an outstanding and devoted Head of State, who loved the Thoroughbred and our sport with a passion. Our deepest condolences go to the Royal Family and to the country.