On Parade at Newbury

Last Saturday ( 12th April) some friends from the Ex-Racers Club gave a parade of their reschooled ex-racehorses at Newbury Racecourse. Fifteen of them - as glorious a bunch of recycled ex-racers as you could wish to see !

There were all different types, ages, race-records, and stages of rehabilitation, but all of them ( well - most !) behaved superbly, and every one was in tip-top condition and beautifully turned out. Handsome Badshah won the Best Turned Out prize, judged and presented by former Grand National winning jockey Bob Champion . Both he and John Francome, who was commentating for Channel 4 Racing, said how impressed they were with all the horses on parade.

All these ex-racers had been re-trained for various different activities, and the riders dressed according to their horses' new disciplines. So, people wore showing jackets , showjumping gear, cross-country kit - and one girl even wore a full side-saddle habit, her lovely bay looking the perfect ladies' hack, just to show how versatile the post-racing Thoroughbred can be.

Ex-racehorse parades are becoming popular at race meetings these days. People love to see how well the horses have retrained and adapted, physically and mentally - especially if they remember a horse from its racing days. But this event at Newbury was very special. It was done as a Memorial Tribute to Sian O'Gorman, who died last year, and was followed by a race held in her honour.

Sian was a long-time, and much-loved, member of the Ex-Racers Club. Witty and wise, and with a real talent for the written word, she was known for her informative and sometimes hilarious posts, and her willingness to help anyone, in any way she could. She lived and worked in the Lambourn area, in the heart of the racing world, and she loved racehorses, - both former and current - with a passion. She raced her own horse, Mother Says ( known at home as Philip), and when he retired from the track they went hunting and showing. Not only that, Sian also helped rehome dozens of other retiring racehorses over the years. It was no wonder that the crowds turned out to cheer the parade and race held to commemorate her.

So her beloved Philip, now in the care of Sian's friend Laura, travelled down from Yorkshire to head the parade on Saturday. He wore Sian's racing paddock sheet, and Laura sprinked him all over with golden dust. The other paraders came from all over the country. It had taken eight months of organising and hectic fundraising by the Ex-Racers Club to arrange it all, and pay for the race sponsorship and trophies. But it was worth it ! There were a few tears, but many more cheers , and the rain held off till after Sian's race. Sian's doing, we reckoned. Her race was won by the Queen's horse, Barbers Shop. Two of the other jockeys fell off. Wonder if Sian had a hand in that, too...?