A Parade of Champions will take place at the Punchestown Festival this year and has been organised by Racehorse to Riding Horse Ireland (R2RHI) and sponsored by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM). The special off-track racehorse celebratory parade will take place on Wednesday 27 of April at 2.15pm at Punchestown Racecourse.

Around 20 horses will take part including successful racehorses Elusive Time, General Principal and Woodland Opera as well as new career success stories Smokey Bay, Ballela and Milan who won more outside their track career than on it.

Parading on the day will be Elusive Time who had a successful track career including winning the Irish Cambridgeshire in 2017.

With a stable name of ‘Swagger’, he was one of the first horses to be selected for the Thoroughbred Assisted six-month pilot project held at Horses for People in Co Down with June Burgess. The pilot is the result of a collaboration between international charity Racing to Relate and Down Royal Corporation of Horsebreeders.

The pilot is aimed at providing a second career for racehorses in Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning and is monitored by the University of Bristol Welfare and Veterinary Department. The research findings will be presented as part of a ground-breaking Racing to Relate PhD study funded by The John Pearce Foundation. The research aim is to develop the evidence base for a global standard in retraining racehorses for Equine Assisted Services.

R2RHI believes that all ex-racehorses who are rehomed and enjoy a successful ridden or non-ridden career after racing should be considered champions. At competitions held throughout the year, ex-racehorses compete against each other on an equal playing field with judging based on retraining and behaviour, not on what the horses achieved in their former career.

This year, for the first time the Parade will introduce an unraced horse and manager Julie Morris explains why: “R2RHI hold competitions for the forgotten horses of the industry and at Punchestown we will introduce War Celeste. War Celeste is a filly who sold for €240,000 yet didn’t make it to the track. War Celeste was sold on to be a broodmare. However, where she went or what happened to her during that period is unknown. A few years later she was found in very poor conditions and nursed back to health. This wonderful mare won the ITM Champion Retrained Thoroughbred in the unraced section at our annual Rachorse to Riding Horse Festival. Come along and show your appreciation for these magnificent thoroughbreds, all welcome.”