Retired National Hunt superstars Cue Card and Coneygree are set to become the next batch of retrained horses to take part in the RoR Goffs UK National Championships this week.
Cue Card won nine Grade 1's during his time on the track being renowned for being one of the best horses to never win a Cheltenham Gold Cup but picked up £1.4 million in prize money durng his career.
Coneygree trained by Mark Bradstock was the first novice chaser to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup since 1974 when he marched up Cleeve Hill to take the Grade 1, but now he will be plying his trade in a different area of the sport.
Both the ex chasers will, starting today, make their debut at the National Championships, which will feature showing, dressage and showjumping classes, they will be among 270 retrained racehorses taking part at Aintree across the four days.
Cue Card was retired back in April 2018 after an elusive career as a jumps horse with some of his major successes being when he won the King George VI at Kempton on Boxing Day back in 2015 and also winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock three times during his career.
However, having now left Colin Tizzard's stable he is being retrained by Katie Jerram-Hunnable for showing, Coneygree who only retired back in February of this year won nine of his 18 starts on the track and is also being sent to show after winning a competition back in June that qualifies him to head to Aintree this week.
Other familiar names from the National Hunt scene that will be among the 270 at the Grand National track are Sovereign Debt, Noland, Zarkandar, Annacotty and Thomas Crapper.
(Credit Racing Post) Chief executive of Retraining of Racehorses Di Arbuthnot, said: "As well as Gold Cup and King George winners, the four days of competition provides opportunities for all former racehorses to excel in a different discipline, from dressage to jumping and showing.
"The whole event has a wonderful feel-good factor and it is so rewarding to see the pleasure working with former racehorses gives people. It does not matter whether they are competing in the elite finals or just a regular class, the smiles on their faces say it all."