A racehorse dubbed the country’s unluckiest thoroughbred has finally finished first after appealing for some royal luck.

Thank You Ma’am, named in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, won at the weekend after notching up an unenviable string of six second places.

The horse triumphed on Saturday at Ascot racecourse, the home of the famous royal meet, after one boy wrote to racing fan Queen Camilla asking if she could help change the horse’s fortunes.

The thoroughbred is owned by the Posh Pundit racing syndicate and Harry, the nine-year-old son of the club owner Rupert Adams, wrote the Christmas card to the Queen.

Mr Adams said: “Harry is convinced that his letter to Queen Camilla has made all the difference and it may well be that the Queen has written back, but her reply has got lost in the Christmas post.

“It was fantastic that Harry’s 19-year-old cousin Olive Nicholls rode Thank You Ma’am for her first winner at Ascot – it was a real family occasion as her mother Georgie trains the horse for us.

“But one thing is certain, we had a brush with racing royalty ahead of the race as we met Grand National winning jockey Bob Champion and perhaps that is what made the difference.”

The Posh Pundit racing club has signed a partnership with the Bob Champion Cancer Trust to sell shares in their racehorse Thank You Ma’am. Shares are priced at £80 and £40 will go directly to the trust.

Mother and daughter trainer Georgie Nicholls and jockey Olive Nicholls, are behind the horse, affectionately known as Leroy in the stable yard, and Olive was elated to ride her first winner at Ascot for her mother.

Ms Nicholls, whose ex-husband is Paul Nicholls, one of the country’s leading jump trainers, said: “Thank You Ma’am is developing into a star, the sky is the limit and one commentator is even suggesting a trip to Cheltenham for the big one. It’s developing into a royal fairy tale!”

Bob Champion recovered from cancer to famously win the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti and established the trust in 1983.

He said: “We are very excited to be partnering with the Posh Pundit racing club. I have visited Thank You Ma’am in Lambourn and he looks a cracking horse, whilst I know both Georgina and Olive and have great faith in both.

“In this partnership I think we have found a way to increase awareness of the male cancers, raise much-needed funds and dare I say have some fun doing so. Buy a share in Thank You Ma’am, you won’t regret it.”

To purchase a share for Christmas go to www.theposhpundit.co.uk