The second day of the Randox Grand National Festival on Friday, 12 April, sees the return of the annual Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Parade at 12.40pm before racing starts.
The line-up of eight horses taking part in the RoR Parade illustrates the versatility of the Thoroughbred. It shows off the diverse options available to racehorses after their racing careers end. The parade includes horses excelling in slightly more unconventional activities, such as horseball, and the more traditional disciplines of dressage and showing.
Blaklion
Aintree favourite Blaklion returns to the course where he lined up to contest the Grand National on four occasions and where he notably won the Becher Chase in 2017. Since retiring from horse racing in 2023, Blaklion now enjoys a fulfilling retirement under the guidance of retrainer Alice Pimberley. He has had a busy season competing in showing classes, taking part in fun rides, hunting, and has been successful in hunt races.
Lady Buttons
Joining the line-up is Lady Buttons, a beloved figure of the northern racing circuit. Training for Philip Kirby, she later joined former exercise rider Jenny Durrans in retirement. After a stellar debut season in the showing arena, the pair have set their sights on the world of eventing to target for the coming season.
Master Wickham
Master Wickham may have never troubled the judge in his racing career, but since retiring in 2015, he has carved out a hugely fruitful second career, finding success in every discipline he has turned his hoof to. His raft of prizes at prestigious venues such as Badminton, Hickstead, Burghley and Bramham highlights former racehorses’ versatility and ability to compete against non-Thoroughbreds in every discipline.
Duke Of Navan and Touch Of Faith
Former Willie Mullins trained duo Kemboy and Melon, Duke Of Navan and British Horseball competitors Touch Of Faith and Peveril Point will complete the line-up. Each horse has its unique story of successfully transitioning from the racecourse and pursuing a fulfilling second career, highlighting the diverse paths that former racehorses can take.
David Catlow, Managing Director of Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), said:
“Our thanks to Aintree Racecourse and The Jockey Club for giving us the opportunity to put together such a great line-up of former racehorses to parade for the Aintree crowd. RoR Parades are designed to educate racegoers whilst offering them a chance to witness first-hand the variety of different second career options open to racehorses once they retire from racing. They also highlight the need for further support and resources, as set out in the RoR Strategy 2024-2026, to ensure that we are able to safeguard the wellbeing of all former racehorses.”
Full Line up:
1. BLAKLION – ridden by Alice Pimbley
2. DUKE OF NAVAN – ridden by Kelly Harding
3. KEMBOY – ridden by Rachel Sharp
4. LADY BUTTONS – ridden by Jenny Durrans
5. MASTER WICKHAM – ridden by Claire Lewis
6. MELON – ridden by Sophie Candy
7. TOUCH OF FAITH – ridden by Ben Berry
8. PEVERIL POINT – ridden by David Worthington
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Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.