Stellar Line Up Of Retired Stars To Parade On William Hill Super Saturday

William Hill Super Saturday will feature not only top-quality racing action on the track, but numerous National Hunt legends are set to return to the meeting where they enjoyed some of their most significant successes. Those returning to parade at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday 8 February include Altior, Sprinter Sacre, Native River, Coneygree, Splash of Ginge and Kalashnikov. The parade will take place at 2pm, prior to the 2025 renewal of the Grade 2 William Hill Denman Chase.

The most successful horse in the history of the Game Spirit Chase, Altior, will be paraded on William Hill Super Saturday. Owned by Mrs Patricia Pugh, Altior was trained by Nicky Henderson but spends his retirement with Mick and Chloe Fitzgerald in Lambourn. One of the most popular jumps horses of recent decades, Altior won 21 of his 26 career starts including a record breaking 19 consecutive victories. Amongst the victories are ten at Grade 1 level including two Queen Mother Champion Chase victories in 2018 and 2019 as well as success in the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase in 2017, 2018 and 2020. Having retired in 2021 and surviving a near fatal episode of colic, Altior now spends his days enjoying a well-earned rest at the Fitzgerald yard in Lambourn. Chloe Fitzgerald rides him out regularly much to the delight of the Lambourn locals who all recognise him.

The winner of the 2012 renewal of the Game Spirit Chase, the legendary Sprinter Sacre will be paraded by Vicki Roberts with whom he spends his retirement. Now nineteen-year-old, the son of Network, owned by Caroline Mould and trained by Nicky Henderson, won 18 of his 24 career starts including nine times at Grade 1 level. Sprinter Sacre, the comeback King, was one of the most gifted two-mile chasers to ever set foot on a racecourse with a Timeform rating of 192, behind only Arkle and Flyingbolt. Having first won the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2013, he made a miraculous comeback from atrial fibrillation to claim his second Champion Chase in 2016 in what was one of his most remarkable victories.

A horse synonymous with Newbury Racecourse having been unbeaten in five starts over fences, the winner of the 2016 Hennessy Gold Cup, now Coral Gold Cup, as well as Grade 2 Denman Chase victories in 2017, 2018 and 2020, Native River will return to the Berkshire track on Saturday. Native River, who was trained by Colin Tizzard for Brocade Racing amassed over £1.1million in prize money in his career which included victory in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Native River, aka Garfield, has been busy in retirement having attended a school prom, the 30th Anniversary of the Rocking Horse Nursery at Newbury Racecourse, Boodles in Bond Street and starred in numerous racecourse parades. In 2024 he was crowned Tattersalls RoR Amateur Show Series Final Champion at Hickstead and won the Injured Jockeys Fund Southwest Jockeys Showjumping challenge at Bicton Arena when ridden by champion jockey Harry Cobden.

Success in the 2015 Denman Chase by the Bradstock trained Coneygree cemented their decision to send their son of Karinga Bay to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It was a decision that proved a successful one when Coneygree became the first novice in 41 years to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup when he was victorious in March 2015 under Nico de Boinville. Now eighteen-years of age, Coneygree enjoys his retirement at Bradstock’s yard in Letcombe Bassett where Sara describes him as knowing “he is the king.” He has won several RoR showing classes and twice qualified for the final of the Tattersalls RoR Show Series at Hickstead.

Splash of Ginge provided owner John Neild with a very memorable day ten years ago when landing the 2014 Betfair Hurdle. Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and ridden to victory by Ryan Hatch, Splash of Ginge caused a big upset when landing the Grade 3 hurdle at odds of 33-1, providing his young jockey with the first graded win of his career. The first horse Liverpudlian Neild owned outright when purchased for £20,000, Splash of Ginge provided all his supporters, known as the ‘Ginge Army’ with further graded success when winning the Grade 3 BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham when ridden by Tom Bellamy. ‘Ginge’ as he is known, is still looked after by his groom from his racing days, Gemma McQuillan.

Amy Murphy’s Grade 1 winner, Kalashnikov, battled through the Newbury mud to win the Befair Hurdle in 2018 on his handicap debut. Having provided Murphy with the biggest win of her training career to date at Newbury, the following month Kalashnikov was beaten a neck in the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He went on to record success at the highest level in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree. Having retired in 2023, Kalashnikov remains in the care of Murphy who will be riding him at Newbury on William Hill Super Saturday. Having only begun his retraining in the spring 2024, Kalasknikov has already been seen winning in the RoR show ring and been involved in the Tattersalls show series qualifiers.

David Catlow, Managing Director of Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) commented on the line up: “The line-up of horses set to parade at Newbury is exceptional, not only for their past track achievements but also for the success they’ve found in their new careers. These parades are designed to educate racegoers, offering a firsthand look at the many different second career options available to them once their racing careers come to an end. Regardless of a horse’s size, shape, or ability, there’s always a suitable post-racing path. While this highlights the care and commitment to retired racehorses in Great Britain, it also emphasises the need for continued support, as outlined in the RoR Strategy 2024-2026, to ensure all re8red racehorses have the opportunity for a fulfilling second career or retirement.”

TICKETS