Training RoR Midlands - Evening with National Hunt Legends

We are thrilled to welcome you to an evening with three National Hunt Legends at the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket.

Sharing the stage we have Bob Champion, Ian Watkinson and Steve Smith-Eccles. Chris Pitt is hosting the evening for us and you will have opportunity to ask your own questions of these legends.

Light refreshments are provided on the evening and we look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful John Lambton rooms at the National Horse Racing Museum.

We will also be having a raffle and auction of a wide selection of items that have kindly been donated by a wide range of sponsors, full details will be shared closer to the event.

Thanks also go the the National Horse Racing Museum who have provided the function room allowing all proceeds from the evening to go to Retraining of Racehorse Charity.

Bob Champion CBE, needs no introduction after a successful career as a jockey yielding in excess of 500 winners both domestically and abroad and winning the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti in front of 750 million people worldwide. The pair then went on to raise millions for the Bob Champion Cancer Trust and Bob continues to do so today with his involvement with, amongst other things, The Shetland Pony Grand National...so far the Trust has raised nearly £18 million and built two research laboratories. He also won the Eider Chase on Highland Wedding in 1968 before the horse went on the win the Grand National with Eddie Harty and the 1978 Hennessy Gold Cup on Approaching for Josh Gifford. Ian Watkinson rode over 200 winners in a career beset with injury due to his reluctance to ever turn down a ride even if it was a known faller. He partnered three of the most famous horses in National Hunt History in Sea Pigeon, on whom he won on three out of three rides including the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, he won seven races on the legendary Tingle Creek, becoming the horse's winning most jockey and partnered Night Nurse, to this day the highest rated hurdler in British racing history on a mark of 182, winning five novice chases on him and was booked to partner him in the 1979 Gold Cup before a career ending fall nine days beforehand. Ian also won the 1976 Hennessy Gold Cup on Zeta s Son, owned by Constitution Hill's owner Michael Buckley. Steve Smith Eccles had a stellar 21 year career as a jockey riding 876 winners after taking over as number one from Ian Watkinson at Harry Thomson Jones and riding Tingle Creek in his final race at Sandown, breaking the course record and thus placing the horse firmly in the record books with a race still named after him to this day. Steve is best remembered for winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham three years running on the Nicky Henderson trained See You Then in 1985, 1986 and 1987 but in total partnered eight Cheltenham festival winners...three in 1985 which gave him the leading rider at the festival award that year. He also won the Triumph Hurdle twice in 1985 and 1987, The Grand Annual in 1985 and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in 1986. First Bout (1985) , See you Then, River Ceiriog, (1986) and Alone Success (1987) were all trained by Nicky Henderson. Sweet Joe was trained by Harry Thomson Jones and Kathies Lad (1985) was trained by Alan Jarvis. On the retirement of John Francome in 1985 Steve moved to the number one peg in the weighing room where he stayed until hanging up his boots in 1994.