Retraining of Racehorses’ (RoR) Patron, Clare Balding OBE will reunite with her former TV partner, racing legend and Champion jockey Willie Carson OBE, to co-present the first ever RoR Award Ceremony at the historic Jockey Club Rooms at the home of racing in Newmarket on Wednesday 26 November 2014.

Racing’s inimitable duo will preside over the prestigious RoR Award ceremony that is supported by The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British racing that invests all profits back into the sport. A total of seven trophies will be presented with prizes totalling £16,500 to this year’s RoR Elite Champions in Dressage, Showjumping, Endurance, Polo, Eventing and Showing.

RoR are also delighted to announce the introduction of a new award at the first ever RoR Awards, the ‘RoR Horse of the Year Champion 2014’ sponsored by The Jockey Club. This award recognises the special achievements of a retrained racehorse adapting to a new career. The winner will be announced at the Awards ceremony and will be presented with The Jockey Club perpetual trophyas part of their sponsorship. The Jockey Club will provide the winner with Club Admission and Hospitality for two people on the Opening Day of the 2015 Cheltenham Festival meeting.

The presentation of the Awards to a total of seven RoR Elite Champions and the addition of the new RoR Horse of the Year Champion, provides a focus for the thousands of former racehorses competing successfully in equestrian disciplines of Eventing, Dressage, Showjumping, Endurance and Showing and shows both the adaptability and versatility of former racehorses adapting to life after racing in new careers.

RoR Chief Executive, Di Arbuthnot said:  “We are looking forward to the RoR Awards and would like to say thank you to The Jockey club for supporting this event and also for their sponsorship of our new award for the RoR Horse of the Year. The RoR Awards ceremony provide an opportunity for the charity and its supporters to celebratethe tremendous achievements of our winners as well as the thousands of former racehorses now enjoying life after racing.”

Simon Bazalgette, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said:

“Retraining of Racehorses does an excellent job promoting the successful careers that many racehorses go on to have. The welfare of the sport’s equine stars once they retire from racing is very important. Governed by Royal Charter to act for the good of the sport, I’m delighted The Jockey Club is expanding its support for this worthy charity and I hope the new awards programme encourages more people to retrain and re-home former racehorses.”

About RoR
RoR is British horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of horses that have retired from racing. It raises funds from within racing to provide facilities for the care, retraining and re-homing of former racehorses, and to promote awareness of the suitability of the retrained racehorse for other equine careers. For more information visit www.ror.org.uk

About The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club has been at the heart of British racing for more than 260 years. Today the largest commercial group in the sport, The Jockey Club runs the largest racecourse group in the UK by turnover (2013: £158.7m), courses (15) including those at Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and Newmarket, attendances (2013: 1.7m), total prize money (2013: £41.6m), contribution to prize money (2013: £18.24m) and quality racing (Group and Graded races); more than 3,000 acres of world-class training grounds in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom Downs; The National Stud breeding enterprise and education provider; and the charity for racing’s people in need, Racing Welfare. Governed by Royal Charter, every penny The Jockey Club makes it puts back into British racing. More information is available at www.thejockeyclub.co.uk.

For further information please contact: Retraining of Racehorses (RoR):
Sue Wallis, Pace Marketing T: 0774 8653338 E: [email protected]