News Tiger Roll and Cyrname make their RoR Parade debuts at Cheltenham on Friday

Two recently retired stars of the National Hunt arena in Tiger Roll and Cyrname are among the big names appearing in a parade of retrained racehorses at Cheltenham on Friday.

The Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) parade takes place at 12.25 on the opening day of the November meeting, known as Countryside Day. It features nine horses, including two Grand National winners, a Gold Cup winner and five former winners at the Cheltenham Festival, all showing off their new skills in different disciplines.

One of the parade’s headline acts will undoubtedly be Tiger Roll, who on the same day is is due to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cheltenham. Retired from racing in March this year following his narrow defeat in the Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham, Tiger Roll is a dual Grand National winner whose career included five victories at the Cheltenham Festival. He has since proved to be a hit in the show ring as well, winning ‘first time out’ at Tullamore Show and then being placed third in a competitive class for former racehorses at the Dublin Horse Show.

Tiger Roll will be led in the parade by Ted O’Leary, who is the 17-year-old son of Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for brother Michael’s Gigginstown House Stud operation, the owner of Tiger Roll.

Also in the parade is Cyrname. Formerly the highest rated chaser in training, whose victories included a defeat of Altior at Ascot, Cyrname was retired in May this year. To date he has not put a foot wrong in his retraining and he made an appearance at Blenheim International Horse Trials in September taking part in a RoR educational dressage display.

Cyrname is the latest in a line of former top-class chasers to be ridden in their second career by Charlotte Alexander and her aim is to go eventing, hunting and team chasing with him.

The parade showcases the versatility of the thoroughbred together with the range of activities open to horses when they finish their racing careers, thanks to the work of Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), British Horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of horses that have retired from racing

Also featuring in the parade are Gold Cup winner, Coneygree, and Grand National winner, Pineau De Re, both of which are now firmly established competitors in RoR run classes and events.

The full nine-horse parade line-up is as follows:

1.BALTHAZAR KING – ridden by Lucinda Sims
18-year-old by King’s Theatre, formerly trained by Philip Hobbs

2.CONEYGREE - ridden by Sara Bradstock
15-year-old by Karinga Bay, formerly trained by Mark Bradstock

3. CYRNAME – ridden Charlotte Alexander
10-year-old by Nickname, formerly trained by Paul Nicholls

4. PINEAU DE RE - ridden by Molly Johnstone-Ellis
19-year-old gelding by Maresca Sorrento, formerly trained by Dr Richard Newland

5. SMAD PLACE – ridden by Sarah Haydon
15-year-old gelding by Smadoun, formerly trained by Alan King

6. TERREFORT – ridden by Clare Alexander
9-year-old gelding by Martaline, formerly trained by Nicky Henderson

7.TIGER ROLL – led by by Ted O’ Leary
12-year-old gelding by Authorized, formerly trained by Gordon Elliott

8. UN TEMPS POUR TOUT – ridden by Clare Poole
13-year-old gelding by Robin Des Champs, formerly trained by David Pipe

9. ZARKARDAR – ridden side saddle by Olivia Fforde
15-year-old gelding by Azamour, formerly trained by Paul Nicholls

To help stimulate demand for former racehorses within the wider equestrian market, RoR annually stages over 40 separate competition series across 15 different disciplines, catering for all levels of ability, from grassroots to elite. The disciplines include dressage, showing, polo, eventing, show jumping, endurance, hunting and horseball.