news Remarkable former racehorses and individuals shortlisted for the annual RoR Awards

The Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) Awards will take place on Saturday, 25 January 2025, at Cheltenham Racecourse during Festival Trials Day. The event will feature the presentation of the RoR Elite Series Champions across six equestrian disciplines: dressage, endurance, eventing, polo, showing, and showjumping, in addition to the announcement of The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year Award and the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR Community Impact Award winners.

Nominations for this year’s awards were submitted from across the racing and equestrian communities, with an independent judging panel selecting the finalists. Since retiring from racing, all of the shortlisted former racehorses have successfully been retrained and are now either contributing to their local community or competing in a variety of equine disciplines demonstrating the extraordinary versatility of Thoroughbreds.

The winners will be announced at the RoR Awards at Cheltenham Racecourse on Festival Trials Day on Saturday 25 January 2025, which will be opened by RoR Patron Zara Tindall.

Zara Tindall, RoR Patron, said: “I am thrilled to be attending the RoR Awards 2025. The charity’s tireless commitment to supporting the retraining and wellbeing of retired racehorses reflects my passion for these incredible animals. I look forward to celebrating the achievements made over the past 25 years and to helping RoR continue making a positive impact across the racing and equine communities.”

The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year Award

RoR, British horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of former racehorses, introduced the Horse of the Year Award in 2014 to all RoR-registered former racehorses who can demonstrate how they have successfully transitioned from racing to a new career. The finalists for this award are:

Amroth Bay and Sophie Kington (Nottinghamshire)

Watch Amroth Bay and Sophie Kington's video

Amroth Bay and Sophie Kington went unbeaten all year in the show ring, claiming the title in both the Amateur Final and Veteran Final at the RoR National Championships last August. With high hopes for 2025, Sophie is aiming to compete at the Horse of the Year show in the SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse class and return to the Veteran Showing Final at the RoR National Championships.

Evron and Stella Bunn (Worcestershire)

Watch Evron and Stella Bunn's video

In less than two years, Evron and Stella Bunn have won six RoR Championships across dressage, showjumping, and eventing. In 2024 they claimed two class victories in showjumping at the Royal Three Counties Show and successfully qualified for the Badminton Horse Trials Grassroots Championships 2025. Qualifying for the Badminton Horse Trials was a childhood dream for Stella who describes Evron as her one-in-a-million horse, who thrives on training and competing in all disciplines.

Master Wickham and Claire Lewis (Derbyshire)

Watch Master Wickham and Claire Lewis's video

Master Wickham and Claire Lewis qualified for all five major British Showjumping Championships in 2024, claiming victory in the Elementary Dressage to Music category, and adding a thirteenth RoR National Championship win to their collection. The highlight of his season, however, was achieving Grade A status in showjumping, the highest level of showjumping grade possible in the UK, rewarding his remarkable consistency across eight years competing in his new discipline.

Second Brook and Lesley Sayers (Neath)

Watch Second Brook and Lesley Sayers's video

Second Brook and Lesley Sayers were crowned champions in dressage at the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) National Championships. Lesley lost her sight 10 years ago and Second Brook competes with her in dressage and showing. After success at the end of 2023 in the Dressage Anywhere RoR League, the pair attended their first RoR camp at Lincomb in May and began regular training with the United Counties RDA Group. The highlight of a stellar year came when they won the RDA National Dressage title in the B1 grade.

The Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust RoR Community Impact Award

Introduced last year to recognise any individual, former racehorse partnership, or organisation that can demonstrate how using a former racehorse has made a significant impact on the quality of people’s lives and helped to make a difference in their community. The finalists for this award are:

Louise Robson and Forth Bridge (Buckinghamshire)

Watch Louise Robson and Forth Bridge's video

Louise Robson is the custodian of Forth Bridge, owned by HM The King, and regularly hosts demonstration and education evenings at her Thoroughbred Dressage yard. Forth Bridge has retrained in dressage, and also regularly takes part in community activities with Louise. During National Racehorse Week 2024, they visited Denbigh High School in Milton Keynes to meet students as part of the week’s community outreach programme which provides urban, diverse and disadvantaged communities with the opportunity to meet racehorses and learn about the sport.

Grace Muir of HEROS charity (Oxfordshire)

Watch Grace Muir of HEROS charity in this video

Grace Muir’s work with HEROS includes retraining and rehoming former racehorses, as well as offering education programmes to 11-16-year-olds who struggle in mainstream education. The charity was founded by Grace in 2006 and in 2024 won the Animal Award at the BBC Make a Difference Awards in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It is an invaluable asset to both the racing and educational industries, and prides itself in offering opportunities to individuals with no prior experience.

Samantha Ivy Barton and Up For An Oscar (Pembrokeshire)

Watch Samantha Ivy Barton and Up For An Oscar's video

Samantha Ivy Barton and Up For An Oscar play a vital role in helping novices build confidence with horses at Redberth Croft CIC. Earlier this year, Samantha endured the devastating challenges of homelessness, however, she found renewed purpose in her work with Up For An Oscar, and the pair’s bond inspires and mentors young people who have faced adversity from the local community to improve their confidence and horsemanship skills.

David Catlow, Managing Director of RoR, commented: "The outstanding nominations we received made selecting finalists a tough task for our judges. Each story underscores the incredible versatility of former racehorses as they transition into new careers, as well as the unwavering dedication to their care and wellbeing shown by those committed to aftercare."

The public vote is now open and closes at 5pm on Friday 10 January. To review all the finalists’ stories and participate in the voting process, visit www.ror.org.uk/awards.

The 2025 RoR Awards will be especially meaningful as they coincide with RoR’s 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of commitment to supporting former racehorses, through an established welfare safety net, as well as providing education, support and advice for their owners, alongside a series of well-established events.