news The search begins for nominations to find The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year 2022

• RoR opens online nominations to find The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year.
• The public will be invited to vote with the overall winner chosen by sports broadcaster, horse lover and RoR Patron Clare Balding CBE.

The search is now live for The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year as Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) opens nominations via www.ror-events.org.uk to find this year’s worthy winner. The prestigious award will be presented at the RoR Awards Ceremony on 21^st January 2023.

The RoR Horse of the Year award is sponsored by The Jockey Club and is open to all RoR registered former racehorses who have demonstrated their versatility and adaptability in retraining for new careers after retiring from racing.

This is the first year that owners of former racehorses can nominate their horse for RoR Horse of the Year and then a public vote will determine the top three finalists. RoR Patron and renowned sports broadcaster Clare Balding OBE will be tasked with selecting the worthy winner.

The finalists will be invited to attend the RoR Elite Awards at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket on Saturday 21^stJanuary 2023, where the overall winner will be revealed on the night by Clare Balding OBE.

Since the inaugural award in 2014 won by Whatcanyasay, The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year is now firmly established as one of RoRs’ most coveted titles. Previous recipients of The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year include well-known and popular former racehorses: Liverpool, Monet’s Garden, Beware Chalk Pit, Monkerty Tunkerty and the incumbent holder of The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year in 2019, the late HM The Queen’s horse Quadrille.

The overall winner receives The Jockey Club perpetual bronze trophy, as well as Club Admission and Hospitality for two people for the Opening Day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival meeting. In addition, each finalist chosen by the public vote will have a specially commissioned video telling their horses’ story which will be premiered at the Awards night.

The Jockey Club RoR Horse of the Year award is presented on the same night as the RoR Elite Awards in showing, eventing, dressage, endurance, polo, hunting and other RoR Series winners.

Di Arbuthnot, RoR Chief Executive, says: “The stories told in each of the finalists’ videos are always so inspiring and the finalists are the ambassadors for so many former racehorses that are so lovingly rehomed and retrained each year. We receive some wonderful stories from the nominations and it’s undoubtedly going to be a tough decision to decide the shortlist from the hundreds of entries we anticipate.”

In addition, your horse could also be chosen to appear in the ‘RoR Simply the Best’ compilation video which will be shown at the Awards. The video will highlight and celebrate former racehorses enjoying life after racing. So whether or not you make the shortlist or final, your RoR may still enjoy a starring role on the night of the Awards.

Nominations can be made online from Wednesday 9^thNovember until Friday 25th November 2022. Those who make the shortlist of three finalists will be notified by Wednesday 14th December. For more information about how to make nominations and full terms and conditions visit www.ror-events.org.uk.