news Former globe-trotting stars set to meet the public at Newmarket

• ‘Meet The Racehorse’ returns with Prince Of Arran and Side Glance

Two of racing’s most travelled equine performers will form part of the added attractions for racegoers at the upcoming three-day QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket. The globe-trotting millionaires Prince Of Arran and Side Glance are set to appear at Newmarket on Friday and Saturday respectively and the public will have the chance to meet them and find out more about what each horse is doing in its life after racing.

Based in the Fan Zone on the Rowley Mile, QIPCO British Champions Series and Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) have teamed up to provide racegoers with the chance to ‘Meet The Racehorse’ and at Newmarket the horses in question boast combined career earnings of nearly £4 million in prize money.

The excellent temperaments that held both horses in such good stead for their various international forays are now being put to good use in their second careers, highlighting the thoroughbred’s versatility.

On Friday afternoon, Prince Of Arran will be on-site in the Fan Zone and available to meet racegoers. The 9-year-old gelding ran 49 times and earned over £2m in prize money prior to his retirement from racing in 2021. The winner of six races for trainer Charlie Fellowes, Prince Of Arran was three times placed in the Melbourne Cup, as well as running in America, Dubai, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

Since leaving training in 2021, Prince of Arran has enjoyed lots of hacking out as well as beginning his retraining in both dressage and jumping. The plans for this summer include a variety of dressage, jumping and pleasure rides to help him develop physically and find his strengths in other disciplines. The ambition is for Prince Of Arran to qualify for the RoR Southern Dressage Championships at Blenheim Palace in September.

On Saturday, the now 15-year-old Side Glance will be in residence in the ‘Meet The Racehorse’ stable. Trained by Andrew Balding, Side Glance ran in the colours of QIPCO Guineas Festival sponsor, Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, and notched up over £1.7m in win and place prize money, with his biggest success being victory in the Grade 1 Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington, Australia in 2013.

On his retirement from racing, he was kindly given to Leanne White, who travelled with him on many of his international trips, and Side Glance has since turned his hoof to a variety of activities in his second career, including showing classes and dressage, as well as being a conveyance for Leanne on her wedding day.

The Fan Zone takes place on Friday 29^th April, Saturday 30^th April and Sunday 1^st May as part of the three-day QIPCO Guineas Festival. As well as Meet The Racehorse, other Fan Zone activities include autograph signings with jockeys, Jockey School with equicizers, a masterclass with a famous jockey and a design your own silks competition to win a tour of Tweenhills.

The Fan Zone is hosted by QIPCO British Champions Series in partnership with Tweenhills, the British Racing School, Careers In Racing, The Pony Club, the Pony Racing Authority, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), the Horse Welfare Board and National Racehorse Week.