The Victoria Racing Club will pay a tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at their race meeting at Flemington on Saturday.

The Queen, who was a racehorse owner, breeder and racing lover, visited Flemington on three occasions in 1954, 1963 and 1977 while her horse Arabian Story finished sixth in the 1997 Melbourne Cup.

As part of the 1954 Australian Royal Tour, the VRC held a special Royal Race Meeting in February to mark Her Majesty’s visit, featuring the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Duke of Edinburgh Australian Cup.

VRC Chairman Neil Wilson said he was deeply saddened to learn Her Majesty The Queen had died.

“The VRC has joined the rest of the world in mourning the loss of Her Majesty who was a much-loved and respected leader and a life-long supporter of horse racing,” Wilson said.

“On behalf of the VRC, I extend our deepest condolences to His Majesty The King and the entire Royal Family. The Queen had visited Flemington Racecourse as part of three Royal Tours to Melbourne and her knowledge and passion of horse racing was well-known and inspiring.

“The Queen has left an extraordinary legacy and her contribution and support for our industry has always been greatly appreciated.

“She will remain in our hearts forever.”

The Lindsay Park-trained Bold Sniper was The Queen’s first winner in Australia when successful at Sandown and again later at Moonee Valley in 2016.