After dropping his hands with near disastrous consequences once in the day, jockey Luke Nolen was not going to repeat the mistake with the Queen.
Nolen says meeting the Queen after his dramatic Diamond Jubilee Stakes win on Black Caviar was a highlight of his experience at her Royal Ascot course.
But the country boy wasn’t sure what to do.
“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to touch her. She put her hand out to shake it so I didn’t leave her hanging,” he told racing network TVN on Thursday.
“I wasn’t sure of the etiquette because for someone who was born in Managatang and lived his adolescence in Dalby in Queensland there wasn’t many queens getting about.”
He said the Queen didn’t seem concerned by his controversial ride in which he eased up on Black Caviar 50m from the post, only to need a desperate lunge at the end to win by a nose and claim her 22nd straight victory.
“We chatted a little bit. She was very congratulating. She didn’t care about the last five hops I suppose,” he said.
“I didn’t drop my hands on the Queen – I didn’t leave her hanging – I might have got barred from England altogether.”