Frodon paid a special visit to spinal injury patients, families and staff at Salisbury District Hospital, to celebrate the launch of Horatio’s Garden as the official Charity Partner of Wincanton Racecourse for the upcoming 2025/26 racing season.
This partnership will shine a spotlight on the transformative work of Horatio’s Garden, a national charity that creates and looks after beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres across the UK.
The first garden created by Horatio’s Garden opened in 2012 and is located in the heart of the spinal centre at Salisbury District Hospital, just 30 miles from the Wincanton Racecourse. With both organisations rooted in the heart of the community, the collaboration aims to raise both awareness and vital funds to support Horatio’s Garden’s gardening, workshops and event programme and care for the garden which offers a place for adjustment, privacy, solace, joy and companionship for everyone who needs it.
At an event to mark the launch of the partnership, patients and their families along with those from the racecourse, hospital and Horatio’s Garden were joined bythe 2022 Badger Beer Chase winner - the first time a horse has entered the garden.
Now aged 13, Frodon was one of the most popular National Hunt horses during his career, winning 19 of his 52 races, including the King George VI Chase and Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, on the way to securing £1.2 million in total prize money.
He also helped his jockey Bryony Frost become the first female jockey to win a race over fences at the Cheltenham Festival, before his retirement nearly two years ago.
Attending the launch event at Salisbury District Hospital was Champion Hurdle winning trainer Jeremy Scott and his daughter Laura. Laura was a patient at The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital for three months in 2017 following a riding accident that left her with a broken neck in two places which went into her spinal cord and two bones in her lower back, leaving her initially paralysed from the neck down.
Speaking during the event, Laura Scott said: “The garden is just amazing. As a patient you spend so long shut between the walls of a hospital ward, so to have the opportunity to come outside and enjoy the fresh air and feel a little bit normal for a few hours is really important.
“It is important for visitors to be able to come to see you and not feel like they are visiting you in a hospital and you just feel like you’re at home or in another garden elsewhere.”
Reflecting on how the visit from Ryanair Chase winner Frodon will impact the patients, Laura continued: “These guys are going to be on such a high for a few days now. You don’t get this sort of thing in a hospital normally, so they’re going to be buzzing for a while now.
“Unless you’ve experienced having a spinal injury or know someone who has had one, you probably don’t really know that these gardens are here, and I think it is really important to showcase that to everyone and explain how important the funding is to keep them going and hopefully get more around the country.”
Blaithin Murphy, General Manager at Wincanton Racecourse, added: “We are absolutely delighted that Horatio’s Garden will be our Charity Partner of the Season. Their work has a profound impact on the lives of thousands of people going through incredibly difficult times.
“To be able to bring Frodon into Horatio’s Garden today to bring a little bit of joy to the patients and the staff here has been really special. Frodon has been an absolute star and enjoyed plenty of apples that are grown here in the garden. We’d like to thank Jimmy Frost and his team for bringing him up for the morning - we know a lot of people won’t forget today.
“As a sport, we know that there are risks involved every time a jockey gets up on a horse and charities such as Horatio’s Garden have been vital in supporting them in their recovery. We look forward to working together to raise awareness and funds for such an inspiring cause, while offering our visitors the chance to engage with a charity that makes a real difference.”
Katie Tait, CEO at Horatio’s Garden, said: “We are proud to partner with Wincanton Racecourse and so look forward to working together throughout the year. We hope to see as many supporters as possible at the special raceday on October 26th, where all money raised will make real difference. It’s with the support of organisations like Wincanton Racecourse that we can continue our vital work to support people with lifechanging spinal injuries in our beautiful gardens.”
Throughout the season, Wincanton Racecourse will host a range of fundraising initiatives, including the Charity Raceday on Sunday 26th October, all in aid of Horatio’s Garden. The partnership offers racegoers the chance to learn more about the charity’s mission and to contribute to its critical role in support rehabilitation for patients and their families during long and challenging stays in spinal centres.
