THERE are very few racehorses who, in the course of their careers on the track, get to feature on the cover of the weekend sports sections of the national newspapers.
It’s even rarer to find one on the actual front page of the national papers of a weekend.
But A Plus Tard was one such horse. His win in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2023, when he carried Rachael Blackmore to a 15-length victory, avenging his defeat from the previous year, saw the Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding front and centre of mainstream media.
The following year his winning photos featured again in all the pre-Festival advertising promotions.
The French-bred competed at the Cheltenham Festival five times and was also a winner in his first appearance there, in the novices’ handicap chase in 2019. At the time, Rachael Blackmore recalled feeling as much pressure as in her later years of success but the then five-year-old didn’t let her down.
A Plus Tard (APT to his friends!) was retired from racing in the early spring of 2024 and moved to the next part of his career under the guidance of Irish dressage rider Emily Kate Robinson.
The Waterford girl was very familiar with the then 10-year-old as she is a vital member of trainer Henry de Bromhead’s team, using her skills on the racehorses as well as in her own competitive career.
A Plus Tard and winning jockey Rachael Blackmore celebrates after their Gold Cup success \ Healy Racing
Bit of everything
Like so many in our horse world, Emily Kate professes to have been on horseback before she could walk and “did a bit of everything” as part of the Waterford Pony Club. That included hunting, hunter trials, mounted games and showing.
Competitions came quickly. “I started competing with Dressage Ireland when I was 11 on the pony Bayview Sapphire with whom, in 2012, I won the Preliminary championship at the national winter finals and was fourth at the Hickstead Masters.”
Why dressage? “I participated in all disciplines, but my first pony Squirt was good with flatwork so I took flatwork lessons and I loved how the ponies reacted to learning new movements and then putting them together in a test!”
To date, Emily Kate has represented Ireland at pony, junior and young rider ranks all over Europe, in Nations Cups and European Championships. Last year she competed at her first international as a senior rider in the dressage arena and is part of the Irish Senior High Performance squad.
Pursuing her competitive career brought her to Germany when she turned 16 and spells training and learning with leading Irish dressage rider Judy Reynolds, while she also spent time abroad with show jumping Olympian Bertram Allen.
Along with her brother Jamie, a former jockey now running a sales and pinhooking business, they built a yard in Waterford to breed and produce her own horses for competition.
“Jamie consigns under Bayview Cottage. With the help of our parents, we bought the new premises in May 2024 and built our own yard. We have 15 stables and share them. It’s great as we can help each other.
“I compete with Edvaard (my higher level horse, at Prix St George/Inter 1), Kekepania (home-bred at advanced level), Largento (home-bred at advanced medium), In A Tizzy (home-bred four-year-old) and Dare To Dream (home-bred four-year-old).
Emily Kate had the pleasue to lead up Hiddenvalley Lake and Darragh O'Keeffe when they won the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle \ Healy Racing
Willing pupil
A Plus Tard proved a very willing pupil in his new arena, with Emily Kate taking over the race-fit 10-year-old in March 2024.
“Dressage and flat work for racehorses is great for them, both mentally and physically,” Robinson says. “It keeps them supple, happy and riding away on their own. It improves their core strength, balance and flexibility and power from behind. The more they can use their backs, the more likely they are to jump well.”
On the gelding’s early days in training, his then partner Rachael Blackmore recalled: “As a four-year-old, I remember the first time I rode him in a piece of work on the Curragh, he kept throwing his head down and pulling reins out of my hands!
“He soon stopped that and in general he was a really nice, kind horse to do anything with. He was the perfect ride in a race, jumped, travelled, so straight forward.”
The evidence is backed up by Emily Kate’s experience, describing him as ‘a total gentleman’. “He always did his homework with his ears pricked.”
Tribute to horse and rider is how quickly they made an impression on the new circuit, placing in his first show and taking the reserve champion Racehorse to Riding Horse at Balmoral Show in 2024, less than three months after he began in competition.
His accomplishments so far since he left the racetrack and under Emily Kate’s tuition are:
• Won at Dressage Ireland regional shows, both at preliminary and novice level. Regularly scores in the 70%’s
• Reserve champion Racehorse to Riding Horse at Balmoral Show in 2024.
• Champion Racehorse to Riding Horse at Balmoral Show 2025,
• Fifth at the National Dressage Championships (September 2024) in the preliminary category 3
• Reserve champion at the Treo Eile showing series final 2024 (novice)
• Reserve champion Racehorse to Riding Horse of the Year at the Showing Ireland points awards 2024.
The highlight so far came in May when the combination took the first place rosette, judged by the late Edward O’Grady and Davy Russell, in Balmoral’s Racehorse to Riding Horse class.
She notes how the now 11-year-old had “filled out a lot” from his race-fit days last year and has taken so well to his new lifestyle.
“He’s a lovely horse just to take on the lorry to shows because people come up to see him and he loves the attention,” she adds.
“There’s no pressure with a horse like him. When they are good, they know they are good.”
Speaking for this piece last month, Rachael Blackmore added: “I was with him the other day and he still knows he is a racehorse! He looks really well and seems to be enjoying his new career which is great. Emily Kate has done such a wonderful job at getting him to where he is now. ”
Pivotal role
A vital element in pulling together the different options in re-training former racehorses to new disciplines is provided by Treo Eile.
Established in 2020, it plays a pivotal role aiding the transition of horses from training and the race course and to a productive after-racing life.
The not-for-profit organisation provides assistance to racehorse trainers and owners who wish to rehome and retrain thoroughbreds. Via the website, parties can connect and match horses to new homes.
They also are at the helm of creating competitions around the showing, jumping, dressage and eventing scene across the country.
There is also the hugely popular annual December Christmas Show where many of the leading racing personalities and riders take part.
A spokesperson detailed their recent activities: “In 2025 we are seeing a huge increase in entries in our sponsored classes (e.g. at Raheendaw Horse & Pony Show in May). Our Tattersalls Ireland Treo Eile Showing Pathway Series recorded the highest entries across all classes at the show (26 combined between Novice/Open).
“At Middleton Show the same classes had 25 entries. The prize fund for this series has been increased to €10,000.
“We are seeing more of a demand for jumping and performance-based classes so we are about to launch a Thoroughbred Performance Class at the Tattersalls July Show. It will run similar to the Connemara & Draught RDS qualifiers. This class is being sponsored by Agria Insurance.
“In response to the needs of the community we have also increased the sponsorship of our Thoroughbred Eventing League with Eventing Ireland. This year we are also launching a Thoroughbred Three-Day event Challenge at Ballindenisk International in September. This is being kindly supported by the Irish European Breeders Fund and has a prize fund of €5,000.
“The demand for our clinics has increased also and they are providing a wonderful environment for our community to build relationships with coaches and also those within the Treo Eile community.
“We see lots of our members organising days out, having lessons together as a result of meeting at a clinic.”
Free portal
Treo Eile also endeavours to keep track of retired racehorses.
“We have 900 horses registered with us on our database and while it’s hard to tell if all are active, we launched our portal (free service) last summer to help with connecting horses with new owners.”
This year’s class at the RDS will be judged by Harry and Dan Skelton, and is one of the most watched on Saturday, and with a double figure entry of former racehorses of different ability guaranteed.
While it’s great to see the ‘star’ horses retrained and looking so happy in retirement, it’s a level playing field for those who did not hit the heights too.
Last year’s Dublin contest was won by Mickah Wallace, an eight-year-old son of Anjaal in the care of Stephanie McGlynn with another eight-year-old, Vincent Phelan’s Askforbigmoney in the reserve spot.
But A Plus Tard is sure to get lots of attention and, with another year of performance under his skilled rider, he is likely to be in that final line-up again.
Emily Kate’s work with the de Bromhead yard brought her an unexpected bonus this spring when she led up the Aintree Grade 1 hurdle winner Hiddenvalley Lake, so many different winner’s ‘slots’ have been part of her year.
If you cheered A Plus Tard home for his Gold Cup, go see him and his rider in his slower paces this year. He might still be the poster boy for another big win!