A sad farewell to a ‘great man’, a very special former racehorse and other things the horse world is talking about
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A sad farewell to a “great man”
John Hales, who had a long-standing association with showjumping and racing, has died aged 85. John was a former British Showjumping president, and owned horses including Nick Skelton’s superstars Arko III and 2008 Olympic ride Russel II. John’s racing silks of yellow with a red star were instantly recognisable and carried to victory by horses including One Man and Grand National winner Neptune Collonges. “A great man and a fantastic owner and friend for many people. Thoughts with his wife Pat and his wonderful family. He will be missed by so many in racing. RIP John,” said trainer Paul Nicholls.
A former racehorse honoured with a prestigious award
Master Wickham, a former racehorse turned grade A showjumper, has been crowned The Jockey Club Retraining of Racehorses horse of the year. The 16-year-old gelding joined Claire Lewis in 2015 and has gone from strength to strength in his second career. The pair have been to numerous showjumping finals, competed at the Badminton grassroots championships and enjoyed success in showing. “When we got him, we didn’t really have any expectations,” said Claire, in a video shown during the awards, held on Cheltenham’s Festival Trials day (25 January). “He’s opened up opportunities I’ve never dreamt of ever having.”
An Olympic rider back in the saddle following surgery
Chinese Olympic rider Alex Hua Tian has returned following three months off while he recovered from shoulder surgery. Alex had the operation after Pau Horse Trials last year, as his previously dislocated shoulder had become unstable over time. “I have been off riding since – for 12 and a half weeks – and because I couldn’t ride or drive or work on the yard, I’ve been back in China doing some business most of that time, so I have to thank my business partner Sarah Higgins and the team at our yard at Pinfold for all their hard work and keeping the horses in work, while I’ve been away and off,” he said. Alex is aiming for Badminton this year with Jilsonne Van Bareelhof and Chicko.
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