news Al Shahir wins Veteran Horse Series Final

• The RoR and Jockey Club sponsored series concludes at Garthorpe

The 2022 point-to-point season has once again seen Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) join forces with The Jockey Club as co-sponsors of a series of races for older horses, designed to highlight post racing career options for point-to-point horses.

The final of the Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) and The Jockey Club Veteran Horse Series took place on Sunday, 22^nd May at the Melton Hunt Club fixture at Garthorpe. The winner was Al Shahir, a 10-year-old, owned by The Ice and Slice Racing Club and trained by Mr Tom Ellis and ridden by Miss Gina Andrews.

Open to horses aged nine years and upwards, the series comprises 14 races, although the final number held was reduced to 12 due to Covid related restrictions, and the first four finishers in each race qualified for the final.

Jointly supported by RoR and The Jockey Club, the series caters for older horses and highlights post racing career options for point-to-pointers, showing that age is no barrier to finding alternative activities after racing. There are many examples of successful point-to-pointers who following their retirement from racing have gone on to enjoy considerable success in another discipline.

The winning pointer and hunter chaser What of It retired in 2015 aged 12. Within three years What of It was crowned RoR Elite Showing Champion, following victories in two of the most prestigious RoR showing classes in the country. Owned by Sarah Ward and her son, trainer Tom Ward, and ridden by Hannah Horton, in 2018 What of It swept all before him, winning the Tattersalls Series Final at Hickstead before being awarded Supreme Champion at the RoR Goffs UK National Championships at Aintree.

After a seven-year career between the flags and under rules, winning nine races, five in points and four under rules, Jess Westwood’s popular chaser Monkerty Tunkerty retired from racing in 2016. The pair quickly found their feet in a range of other disciplines, including showing, dressage and show jumping. The now 18-year-old’s fantastic versatility earned Monkerty Tunkerty the accolade of RoR Horse of the Year for 2018.

Throughout the staging of the Veteran Horse Series RoR has continued to increase awareness of what the charity can offer to assist horses in retraining for a second career, including an extensive range of educational clinics and club nights that are available to those that register horses with RoR.