Known as ‘Remy’ to his friends, Royal Ascot hero who also landed the Prix de l’Abbaye eight years ago is enjoying life meeting and greeting racegoers and visiting schools and hospices – as Amanda Duckworth reports
GB: At the height of his career, sprinter Goldream was lightning fast and won on racing’s biggest days. In his retirement, it is his easygoing and intuitive nature that have made him the perfect equine ambassador for York Racecourse.
On the track, Goldream made 53 starts over the course of eight seasons, his best year coming in 2015 when he won a pair of G1 events for trainer Robert Cowell, namely the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp on the Arc card.
The Oasis Dream gelding raced on until mid-2018, and when it was time to retire him, the original plan was to send him to the British Racing School in Newmarket.
While Goldream excelled in the sprint division, as it turns out that talent was not particularly an asset when it came to trying to help educate the next generation of jockeys. The former five-furlong star was a bit too keen for the job and was soon looking for another retirement option.
However, Goldream found his perfect new career via New Beginnings, an accredited rehoming centre with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), British racing’s official charity for the welfare of retired horses.
Last year, York asked the organization if it had a horse who could be its first-ever official ambassador horse. Everyone decided ‘Remy’, as Goldream is known these days, fitted the bill perfectly.
“We have worked with New Beginnings for 15 years now, and we were the first racecourse where they brought ex-racehorses to stand at race meetings,” said Amy Swales, senior marketing and sponsorship manager at York. “The racehorse is at the heart of what we do, and we really felt like we needed an official racehorse representative to fly the York racecourse flag.
“We are very proud of Remy,” she went on. “He was a sprinter in his day, and sprinters can be quite hot-headed, but he is such a gentleman when it comes to meeting people. He’s an absolute superstar, and he’s brought a lot of light to a lot of people this season.”
The team at New Beginnings had already been working with Remy to get him used to being back at racecourses as a spectator and not a participant.
Celebrity on the Knavesmire
He took to his lessons well, and now as York’s official equine ambassador, on racedays he is found on the Knavesmire near the finishing post, awaiting his public.
A well-rounded fellow, Remy has also been retrained as a riding horse, and when he is not serving as an ambassador, he enjoys dressage competitions.
“We sometimes forget when we are in the racing world that a lot of children and adults don’t have the opportunity to meet a racehorse,” said Swales.
“We make sure every race meeting that Remy and New Beginnings are there. People don’t understand how soft their muzzles are or how gentle they are as a larger animal.
“He has Poppy the pony with him as well because Remy is a big horse, and some people like to pat Poppy first and work up to him.”
While Remy has taken to his ambassadorship with aplomb, he still takes an interest in the field as they race by him. The imagery of him watching the active racehorses thunder past has helped the York team reach beyond traditional racing fans.
“He usually has a pick of grass and then goes to sleep, but sometimes he hangs his head over the rail and watches the races because he’s so close to the track,” said Swales. “We have a reel that went out with Great British Racing that has had over 100,000 views because people are amazed at an ex-racehorse watching the races.
“He shows an interest but not a hot-head interest. He just pricks his ears forward and watches. It’s like he reminisces.
Beyond the sports pages
“Remy takes us beyond the sports pages, and that is so key to us in racing,” added Swales. “For instance, that video reaching that many viewers, the large majority of those people won’t be racing fans.
“It’s another way of engaging with people and saying, ‘This is what we do. Come and join us and come and enjoy our sport with us.’ We want as many people to engage with the sport as possible because we love it so much, and we want other people to love it, too.”
Because Remy has shone so brightly in his role as York’s ambassador horse, he has also been able to reach the general public by going out into the community itself, including hospices and schools.
“The way Remy and Poppy responded to each individual person they met was incredible to witness,” said Pam Atkinson of New Beginnings following a visit to St Leonard’s Hospice.
“We are so proud of them both, with Remy being an outstanding example of the kindness of the Thoroughbred along with its versatility.”
Morning assembly
Most recently, during National Racehorse Week, Remy surprised 400 students at Clifton Green Primary School, which has a charitable partnership with the track, by joining their morning assembly. One day prior, 800 children and their families met Remy at York’s Family Sunday.
“We are extremely proud of Remy as he has been busy recently as our ambassador, and we are very grateful to New Beginnings for facilitating this special visit to mark our charitable partnership with Clifton Green Primary,” said York’s chief executive William Derby.
“Remy has connected with many people across Yorkshire this summer who may not have had the chance to meet a horse before, or through his visits to hospices and wellbeing centres where he has lifted people physically and mentally who are experiencing life-limiting or terminal illness and bereavement.
“It’s wonderful to see this former star of the racetrack benefiting so many people following his racing career whilst leading his own meaningful life.”
Remy’s gentleness while visiting both young and old throughout the community has left a lasting impression on not only those who meet him but everyone around to witness it.
“It’s been a real privilege to be a part of this,” said Swales. “There was a gentleman called John Kirk who has Parkinson’s, and he came alive when he met Remy. He was telling me how he used ride in Africa – he went there when he was newly qualified
as a doctor. He had never been on a horse before, but the villages were so remote he had to ride to them.
“I didn’t realize how poorly he was until I spoke to his wife Jan afterwards because he was so animated when we were speaking. His son has written to me as well, saying: ‘Thank you so much – it was absolutely amazing for my father.’
“There is a fit for every racehorse after their career on the track, and Remy has definitely found his niche. It’s amazing all the people who get to meet him. He knows when he needs to be especially gentle. He will flick his ears forward and be so, so gentle. We couldn’t be prouder of him.”
• Visit the New Beginnings Horses website and the York Racecourse website
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