Arena Racing Company (ARC) has joined forces with British racing’s official charity for the welfare of retired racehorses, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), to stage a series of awareness days across the courses in the ARC group. The first two days are set to take place at Fontwell Park on Sunday 27th May and at Royal Windsor on Monday 28th May.
The ‘ARC RoR Awareness Days’ will feature parades by former racehorses who have been retrained and are enjoying a fulfilling second career in another equine discipline. The aim is to increases awareness among racegoers of the versatility of racehorses and the increasingly wide range of options available to them when their racing careers are over.
Di Arbuthnot, Chief Executive of RoR, said: “This is a great initiative by ARC and we are indebted to them for providing RoR with the opportunity to showcase the thoroughbred’s versatility across the country at their courses.
“The ARC RoR Awareness Days will feature former racehorses that are local to the course, some of which may not have made their mark when racing but all of which are now enjoying success in their second career. They are a credit to the owners and riders who have retrained them and given them a new career and a new purpose.”
Sam Cone, PR and Communications Manager for ARC, added: “We are absolutely delighted to support RoR at our racecourses with these awareness days. We believe that the racing public will enjoy seeing some former stars of the turf while also getting a better understanding of the work the charity does for racehorses in their second careers.”
The ARC RoR Awareness Days are supported by the Peter O’Sullevan Trust, who are valued sponsors of RoR. Commentary and background about the horses will be provided while they are parading and further information about RoR will be relayed to the public via videos and the racecard, with on-course donations also accepted.
In all, nine ARC RoR Awareness Days are scheduled to take place, starting with Fontwell Park on Sunday and concluding at Hereford on their Countryside Raceday on 28th November, highlights include a parade at Doncaster on Leger Legends Day and Chepstow on the opening day of their jumps season in October.
Supported by funding from the racing industry, RoR stages hundreds of competition classes a year exclusively for former racehorses, across a dozen different disciplines, from dressage and eventing to polo and endurance. The charity is also on hand in the event that any former racehorse is considered in need of care and assistance.
Notes for Editors
1. The ARC RoR Awareness Days are due to take place as follows:
Fontwell – Sunday 27th May (Countryside Raceday)
Royal Windsor – Monday 28th May (Family Day)
Lingfield – Saturday 30th June
Brighton – Thursday 9th August (Ladies Day)
Worcester – Sunday 2nd September (Children’s Trust Charity Day)
Doncaster – Wednesday 12th September 2018 (Leger Legends Day)
Chepstow – Sunday 14th October (Opening NH fixture 2018/19)
Uttoxeter – Thursday 18th October (Access All Areas Raceday)
Hereford – Wednesday 28th November (Countryside Raceday)
2. About Retraining of Racehorses (RoR):
Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is British Horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of horses that have retired from racing. The charity:
* raises funds from within the Racing Industry for the retraining and rehoming of former racehorses
* provides a safety net for ‘vulnerable’ former racehorses
* promotes the adaptability and versatility of racehorses to other equestrian activities
* runs and funds a well established programme of competitions and educational events across the country
* provides information for owners and trainers in both the Racing and Equine Industries to assist with the rehoming and retraining of their former racehorses
The ultimate goal is to maintain a balance between the number of horses leaving Racing and the number of enthusiastic, and suitable, new homes. For more information visit RoR’s website:www.ror.org.uk
