NEWS & EVENTS

New Beginnings launch in May

May 2025

Daryl Jacob, Grand National winning jockey addresses guests at the New Beginnings launch.

“We would like to thank The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust and their Trustees for their continued support. They have helped fund our research, our Feasibility Report, and the conversion of two stables and an unoccupied building into a first-class Education Centre. These facilities will help many children who are struggling with mainstream education along with children from deprived areas to come and learn about horses and the countryside. This is becoming even more important to help to educate young people in the welfare of horses both during and after their racing careers are over.”

Kevin Atkinson
Co-CEO and Co-Founder of New Beginnings Horses

The Trust’s Nigel Payne in Kentucky

May 2025

Diana Cooper, a senior member of the Godolphin team as their Strategic Charities Advisor had suggested to me some months ago that I might wish to attend the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) in Lexington Kentucky.

I decided to set myself targets: Cornwall to London, North London to Heathrow Terminal 5, assistance at the airport, check-in, lounge and the flight direct to Cincinnati, clear security and meet my reserved taxi for the 90 min drive to Lexington. Despite my nervousness all went to plan and I checked in to my hotel by 11 pm. Tired but delighted to have made it!

As I will be an octogenarian next year many thought I was foolish to attempt such a trip flying solo so to speak. They were almost certainly right but what I saw and learned was inspirational and humbling and made me even more determined to try to bring to bare just some of the practices and philosophies adopted by other jurisdictions.

There has been much debate and discussion in the UK but Thoroughbred Aftercare being IFAR’s raison d’etre, the forum proved a perfect learning platform for me and other delegates.

IFAR was formalised in 2016 to provide leadership, support and expert advice on a range of aftercare issues and it facilitates a forum for jurisdictions to relate their experiences and to share best practice. It holds an annual conference.

The most rewarding feature for me personally was the amazing dedication and friendliness of the many delegates I was to spend time with from Australia, New Zealand, United States, Japan, Ireland and of course the UK.

TUESDAY

Day one on Tuesday was a free day for me and through Horse Country Diana had fixed up an am tour of the magnificent Lanes End Farm owned by the Farish family where I was lucky enough to see Arcangelo and City of Light amongst many other major champions.

I also saw the statue of one of America’s greatest ever stallions, A.P. Indy who won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic on his way to American Horse of the Year honours in 1992. His time in the Belmont Stakes tied Easy Goer for the second-fastest running in the history of the race, behind his damsire Secretariat.

I emailed Wendy Normile, John Magnier’s PA at Coolmore as I thought it would be great to see their farm too.

As is always the case with Wendy she came up trumps and a visit was arranged that afternoon where I met Director of Sales Charlie O’Connor who asked me to pass on best wishes to Mike Dillon and I had a personal tour with Adrian Wallace a truly delightful man who gave me his time unsparingly.

It was a joy and privilege to stand with both American Pharoah and the spectacularly handsome Justify sire of City of Troy of course.

After an enthralling 2 hours which concluded with a look at the cemetery where looking at the stallion roll of honour, one can dream of some of the great moments in horse racing history.

What a great day I had had and to put the icing on the cake the ever-courteous Adrian Wallace then drove me back to my hotel – a true gentleman.

WEDNESDAY

With the conference proper due to start on the Thursday, Wednesday was a day organised for us by the Godolphin Team under Katie LaMonica.

At this stage I was very pleased to see David Catlow CEO of Retraining of Racehorses arrive. David learned a great deal and just how backward we are in the UK in the Industry financial support – or shameful lack of it I should say!

Anyway we got off to a great start under warm Kentucky skies watching the horses work at Keeneland and a brilliant talk from Dr Stuart Brown, Keeneland’s Equine Safety Officer.

I was so thrilled when Stuart told us (what I knew already) that the thoroughbred was perfect for equine therapy. I am not being arrogant or complacent when I say (what I knew already) it’s just I was surprised to hear this so early in the visit.

Equine therapy has become a passion of mine and The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust has extensively funded the setting up of the Human Equine Interaction Register (HEIR) and here was a USA welfare legend endorsing the self-same thing. This trip was getting better by the minute – and we had barely started.

Back on the bus and visit to the private Godolphin Training Barn where trainer Johnny Bourke explained how he and his team take in and retrain horses to race or retirement, dependant on their performance. The care and attention Mr Bourke and his team give all the inmates is amazing – one begins to realise the extraordinary investment Godolphin put into Thoroughbred Racing worldwide the more you hear.

Now off to Jonabell the Godolphin Stud Farm (my third already) and another incredible experience and it was here I met 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish.

Post time at Keeneland was 1pm and Diana, kindly offered to drive me as she had valet parking, and we could drop off close to the entrance. Her enormous ability as an achiever was again put to the test as according to gate staff at the Clubhouse entrance, I was not suitably attired.

My very pricey jacket was not a suit, nor a blazer and I was not wearing a tie.

I was loaned a tie and Diana persuaded the powers that be that I was an eccentric old Englishman, and my jacket was an expensive piece of tailoring. She won the day.

And I had a wonderful afternoon in the Godolphin Box and met so many people including the young women and men who are in Lexington on the Godolphin Flying Start training programme – a sort of exclusive equine graduate training course.

The four lads were racing nuts and listened on in awe as I relayed my tale of buying Earth Summit for £5800 and winning the Scottish and Welsh Nationals and the Grand National. They loved it. So did I mind.

Back at the hotel and dinner with some other colleagues at the well named Texas Roadhouse – basically a classy burger bar!!

THURSDAY

Thursday saw the start of IFAR in earnest with an early (7.00 am) roll call.

Location was Spy Coasts Equine Farm Equine Education Centre.

The conference was opened by IFAR Chair Dr Eliot Forbes the CEO of the Racing Integrity Board from New Zealand, and the keynote speaker was champion 3-day eventer and four times Olympian, Australian Boyd Martin.

The structure was excellent with panels each with four speakers and a moderator.

First panel covered Sustainable Business Practices in Aftercare. It highlighted to many how far behind we are in the UK in respect of aftercare funding models.

This was followed by Engaging Equestrian Communities and the strengthening of connections between Thoroughbred aftercare and the equestrian world across all disciplines.

Other panels included Challenges in Aftercare, from track to second career, Post Racing Veterinary Evaluations to identify horses suited to second careers. Careers which featured RoR’s David Catlow, Raising Awareness through Events to raise funds and awareness for Thoroughbred aftercare globally and finally Connections Through Thoroughbreds which focussed on sourcing Thoroughbreds for therapeutic services or Equine Assisted Therapy as we better know it over here.

Between sessions two and three Diana had arranged with Maggie Sweet of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for me to visit Spy Coast Farm where Lisa Laurie run the Second Chances Programme which pairs retired racehorses with incarcerated individuals at 8 correctional facilities across the US.

This is another area that I believe proves yet again the magical therapeutic skills of the Thoroughbred .

Here I met Dustin who had been imprisoned in Blackburn Penitentiary – rather than remembering what he said here are his own words written to me:

Hello, below are the photos you asked me to send. Sorry for the delay. I enjoyed meeting you and the brief conversation we shared about horses. The Thoroughbred. I believe you asked me something along the lines of what was special about them and how they helped me.

At the time I cannot recall exactly what I told you. For one it is a very hard thing to describe to someone that doesn't feel the way you do about horses. But I believe you are someone else who understands. It's just something inside you that they can spark. A connection or bond so strong it's as if you can communicate with them on feelings alone. For me that is the way it seems at times anyway. It's like I almost know what they’re thinking or feeling. And sometimes vice versa. I can be having a bad day and a simple action from one of them can completely change that. It's almost like a symbiotic relationship. Both mutually beneficial and helping the other. Because without me or someone like me they would have no food or water and could not survive the confinements we put them in and without them I don't know if I'd be here today either.

I think that's why working with them is such a joy for me and why I want to continue to live an work in or around the horse industry. They make you wonder, like whether or not a new born foal got his sire or dams best traits an natural ability. They give you hope, know that when you look at a field full of yearlings that any one of them in just a couple years’ time can go on to win the derby or even more and capture the attention of an audience worldwide in doing so. Or how when you go for a ride it can take all your worries and stress away if for only a brief moment, it's just you and the horse and nothing else matters.

I got lost somewhere along the way and made some bad choices that led me to some bad places. One of those being prison. But I wouldn't change a thing because in one of the most hopeless of all places that is what I found. The groom elite program at the Thoroughbred retirement farm on the Blackburn correctional complex. It brought me back into contact with a thing I had always loved but cast to the side and almost forgotten about. Horses. That is where I was able to obtain a lot of knowledge, gain valuable skills, get a sense of responsibility, and find hope. That maybe it wasn't too late to turn my life around. I was still alive therefore I was still in the race. That is the reason why I now know what I want to do with my life.

Sorry I got off on a little rant there. I can't wait to read your article and hope that just maybe a small part of my story or someone else's can be changed by something you have written. Or that it can help to start new programs like the one I went through. 

Thursday evening concluded with a visit to New Vocations Open Barn and barbecue.

Here we experienced first hand the biblical rains that Kentucky can gift you, but it was nevertheless a useful evening where we saw a demonstration of young people on thoroughbreds in arena surroundings.

FRIDAY

On Friday it was an inspiring visit to the Secretariat Centre and The Central Kentucky Riding for Hope and Old Friends.

It is difficult to imagine and even harder to explain just how huge the investment in horse welfare is in Kentucky.

At the Riding for Hope academy their belief is that quality of life can be enriched and improved by special physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs through activities with the horse – and it works, as so many real life examples prove over and over again.

CEO of Old Friends is the legendary John Nicholson, charismatic in every way .

Old Friends provides dignified retirement to Thoroughbreds whose racing and breeding careers have come to an end.

UK aftercare proponents please note – Old Friends require USD 10,000 per horse on arrival, from owner.

It’s the same in Hong Kong when a horse is placed in Aftercare – the owner pays a bond.

It should be the same here. A horse is for life not just for fun!

At the Kentucky Horse Park – wow what a place – we attended day 2 of the Defender Kentucky three-day-event.

There was a lot of walking, so Luke, one of the Godolphin Flyng Start students, looked after me so well and organised golf buggies for me. It was cold and windy where we were based so picnic blankets adorned like over coats helped no end!

I wish Luke well in his career and thank him for his kindness.

Back to the bus via buggy then back to the hotel to plan our last dinner.

Kim Duffy from Queensland Racing had already found a spot in downtown Lexington – The Rackhouse Tavern.

Kim was there, John Cornell from Southern Australia, Eliot Forbes, Martin Rice from Weatherby’s, Rob Stevenson a Farrier and Welfare officer also from Queensland and Caiome Doherty also from Ireland.

What a wonderful evening we had and we were entertained by an excellent country and western group. They asked for requests so I suggested Stand by Me by Ben E King. Fine they said and would you like to sing it with us?

Never shy coming forward “Yes” I said and 15 mins later there I was on the mike.

What a way to end a fabulous six days!!

I am glad Diana did not see the rendition – she would have wished she had never suggested I came.

On Sunday I flew home!