On Track: The Power of an Equine Ambassador at Sandown Park

‘Horses for Courses’. This well-known phrase, one of many originating from horseracing to venture into common vernacular, has taken on a new meaning thanks to the ever-growing Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) initiative of the same name.

Horses for Courses sees retired racehorses revisit their old stomping grounds across the country and serve as an equine ambassador. The scheme is generously supported by Godolphin, and to date 30 British racecourses have signed up to the scheme. Each horse has a unique connection to that specific racecourse: some are multiple winners; one made an impressive 19 appearances at their venue and some even have bars named in their honour such is their local-legend status.

In this edition of On Track, Grace Dixon, Senior Marketing Executive for Jockey Club London Region, explains how Sandown Park’s adoption of Step Back as the Esher-track’s equine ambassador has reaped benefits for the racecourse, enhancing racedays and their community work alike.

“Having won the prestigious Grade 3 bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown Park in 2018 Step Back was the natural choice to be our RoR Horses for Courses equine ambassador, and thanks to the brilliant support of his owner Sara Bradstock we were able to make it happen” said Dixon.

“He’s always popular with racegoers, at last year’s bet365 Jump Finale fixture the crowd was three deep around his enclosure with everyone keen to say hello. It’s a great opportunity for racegoers that saw him race at Sandown to see the fantastic condition he’s maintained in retirement, and a chance for those new to the sport to meet a thoroughbred up close. He’s also proved a hit on our social media channels with clips of him meeting the public amassing thousands of views.” 

Away from the racecourse having an equine ambassador has allowed Sandown to enhance their already extensive community programme. In August 2024 they took Step Back, along with Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree, to the Lower Green Community Centre in Esher.

On the visit Dixon said: “Being based in an urban area means a lot of locals, particularly young people, have never even seen a horse or considered racing as a day out. Working with Lower Green and utilising our equine ambassador enabled us to take racing to them in a different way.

“It was a fantastic education opportunity for the young people at the centre. Sara was so generous with her time and answered all sorts of questions about Step Back, his career as a racehorse and what he’s up to now. It was genuinely amazing to see the impact he had on the children, one parent told us their child had never seen a horse before, and it had really made their day. Everyone that came along to the Centre that day had the opportunity to claim complimentary tickets and join us at an upcoming Family Raceday so it helped us to introduce Sandown as a day out to an entirely new group of people.

“The difference having an equine ambassador can make to community work is something I feel incredibly passionate about. We’ve got some exciting plans for the next 12 months that will make a real difference for people in our community if we can pull them off. We’re really grateful to the support of the Bradstock family and look forward to continuing to work with RoR to promote racehorse welfare to the public.”

On the programme, David Catlow, Managing Director of Retraining of Racehorses said: “We are delighted with the success of the ‘Horses for Courses’ programme and how enthusiastically it has been embraced by participating racecourses. Providing the public with updates across digital platforms as well as opportunities to meet these incredible horses is invaluable, deepening the understanding and appreciation for these horses and highlighting that their aftercare is paramount. We hope that as more racecourses see the benefits of the scheme, they will be inspired to get involved.”

If you’d like to see Step Back at Sandown Park’s bet365 Jump Finale fixture on Saturday 26^th April you can find out more and buy tickets here.

To find out more about the programme, or if you work for a racecourse and would like to adopt your own equine ambassador visit the RoR website here.