They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but when it comes to the equine variety I think you probably can.
Once racehorses end their career on the track there are still so many things they can do and often several former stars of the turf acquit themselves well to their new life.
Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is a strong supporter of allowing racehorses the chance to shine in a second career and it was announced earlier in the week that she is to be the patron of Retraining of Racehorses, which is a charity founded in 2000, and does exactly what it says on the tin.
A lover of horses and a very talented rider herself, Princess Haya was understandably privileged to be part of such a worthy cause and said: “It is a particular pleasure for me to support Retraining of Racehorses, whose work I much admire and I hope that through my involvement I can assist them to raise awareness of the vital work they do in giving racehorses a career after racing.''
I was thinking about suitable candidates and the first horse that sprung to mind was the Godolphin-trained Donativum who was a Breeders' Cup winner in the colours of the princess, but who was gelded as a two-year old, therefore the chances of him producing any offspring are very slim to say the least.
Formerly handled by John Gosden, the grey was a little bit of a character on the gallops and it was decided that an operation to train his mind more on the job of racing rather than anything else would help his temperament and indeed it proved a wise decision.
Unless he is sold to go hurdling, which is probably not going to happen (I wonder if a Breeders' Cup winner has ever jumped a hurdle in public? Answers on a post-card please!) he has the option of turning his talents to many other aspects of equine sport.
Who knows, maybe we'll see Princess Haya team up with him in the show ring.
A typical example of the work the retraining centre does is how they have managed to transform the Grand National winner Bindaree into a high-class dressage horse. It is paramount that once a thoroughbred's time span on the track has come to a conclusion they are given the opportunity to move on to pastures new, and that doesn't mean just a different field.
Dar lights up arc
It looks likely that Dar Re Mi will run in this Sunday's Prix de l'Arc De Triomphe in France and while I would have loved connections to snub the French authorities after the Prix Vermeille fiasco, they would simply be cutting their noses off to spite their face and for the good of racing, it's fantastic that her presence in what is an absolute cracker of a race, has been granted.
Owned by music entrepreneur Andrew Lloyd Webber let's hope she hits the right note and dances to victory, or will she just Sea The Stars?
