The countdown is on and the nominations are in. The annual RoR Awards night is fast approaching and the nominations are in for the evening’s most prestigious award, RoR Horse of the Year, sponsored by The Jockey Club.

The 2018 RoR Awards take place on Wednesday 12th December, hosted by RoR Patron, Clare Balding together with Luke Harvey. The event will once again be staged at the historic Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket.

The awards acknowledge and celebrate the versatility of former racehorses across a range of disciplines, with prizes awarded to the elite winners in dressage, polo, eventing, endurance and showing. The final award on the night is the Jockey Club sponsored RoR Horse of the Year.

This year a long-list of seventeen contenders has been assembled, with nominations put forward from all around the country via RoR’s network of Regional Coordinators. A judging panel comprising RoR Patron Sir Anthony McCoy and ITV Racing and At The Races presenter, Luke Harvey, will review the list and identify four horses to go forward to a shortlist with the eventual winner announced on the night.

Last year’s winner of Horse of the Year was Beware Chalk Pit and previous winners include Monet’s Garden. The list of the 2018 nominees reflects the diverse range of back-stories for horses that participate in RoR staged events and that go on to enjoy a fulfilling second career after racing.

Included among the nominations are horses relatively recently retired from racing, such as the evergreen and ever popular Monkerty Tunkerty, as well as Lampos and Ponte Vecchio (pictured), who are both into their second decade as RoR horses and who both enjoyed their best ever seasons in 2018. The shortlist of four will be announced in the build-up to the RoR Awards night.

 

Full list of the 2018 RoR Horse of the Year nominations:

Burj Hatta (Eventing) Owned and ridden by Rachel Casbon
10-year-old gelding by Kingmambo, formerly trained by Saeed Bin Suroor

Fruity O’Rooney (Eventing) Owned and ridden by Beccy Green
15-year-old gelding by Kahyasi, formerly trained by Gary Moore

Master Wickham (Eventing) Owned and ridden by Claire Lewis
9-year-old gelding by Darsi, formerly trained by Paul Webber

Murdoch (Eventing and Dressage) Owned and ridden by Megan Lewis
14-year-old gelding by Mutamarkiz, formerly trained by Colin Tizzard

Ponte Vecchio (Eventing) Owned and ridden by Stuart Nie (pictured)
14-year-old gelding by Trans Island, formerly trained by Jim Boyle

Stockade (Eventing) Owned and ridden by Claire Fielding
12-year-old gelding by Alfora, formerly trained by Sally Duckett

Follow The Facts (Dressage) Owned and ridden by Steph Potter
11-year-old gelding by Tobougg, formerly trained by Nicky Henderson

Pedregal (Dressage) Owned and ridden by Tim Masey
12-year-old by Diktat, formerly trained by Jim Goldie

Jive Master (Showjumping) Owned and ridden by Paige Smart
13-year-old gelding by Marignan, formerly trained by Tim Vaughan

Monkerty Tunkerty (Showing & Showjumping) Owned and ridden by Jess Westwood
15-year-old gelding by Silver Patriarch, formerly trained by Jess Westwood

Lampos (Showing) Owned and ridden by Jolene Midgley
18-year-old gelding by Southern Halo, formerly trained by Julie Camacho

Billybo (Showing) Owned and Ridden by Claire Griffiths
15-year-old gelding by Kayf Tara, formerly trained by Tim Vaughan

Buckstruther (Showing) Owned and ridden by Jazmin Hosgood
16-year-old gelding by Anshan, formerly trained by Paul Hosgood

Desert Joe (Showing) Owned by Liz Prowting, ridden by Rebecca Court
12-year-old gelding by Anshan, formerly trained by Alan King and Sarah Bosley

Ravenstone Lad (Showing) Owned and ridden by Louise Goss
16-year-old by Presenting, formerly trained by Fiona Kehoe

Wild West (Showing) Owned and ridden by Lizzie Harris
10-year-old by Galileo, formerly trained by Jonjo O’Neill

Word Of Warning (Showing & Unaffiliated Eventing) Owned and ridden by Clare Poole
14-year-old by War Chant, formerly trained by Philip Kirby