A final salute: Tapaidh Frankie retires in style at The Jockey Club RoR National Championships 2025
The Jockey Club RoR National Championships, Great Britain’s largest equestrian competition dedicated solely to former racehorses, witnessed an emotional farewell today as 16-year-old Tapaidh Frankie, one of the most successful former racehorses in the world of RoR dressage, retired from competition with her devoted owner and rider, Tracy Thirlwall.
Frankie’s illustrious second career in dressage is a testament to patience, perseverance, and partnership. Purchased by Tracy in November 2015 from a dealer’s field in Yorkshire for just a few hundred pounds, Frankie had spent six months getting ‘fat and feral’ after her brief racing career under trainer Simon West, during which she ran five times but never placed first. Originally bought as a project to sell on, her sharpness and spirit soon made her a keeper.
Tracy recalls their rocky start, bucking fits, broken tack, and more air jacket canisters than she cares to count, but perseverance paid off. Over the past eight years, Frankie has risen through the dressage ranks, winning countless accolades including:
- RoR Scottish Regional Dressage Championships at novice and elementary
- Nine British Dressage Area Festivals at advanced medium, Prix St Georges, and Inter I
- BD Associate Championships for Thoroughbreds at advanced medium (twice)
- Multiple BD regional leagues and RoR Winter Championships
- Finalist twice in Horse & Hound’s Amateur Rider of the Year Awards
In 2024, Tracy and Frankie were crowned champions at The Jockey Club RoR National Dressage Championships, claiming the Hamilton Tarmac RoR Elite Performance Award for Dressage.
For their final appearance in the arena on Wednesday 21 August, Tracy and Frankie entered between the dressage boards wearing a blanket of their winnings to their signature freestyle music, I’ve Had the Time of My Life. After one last salute, Tracy gently dismounted the mare walking her out in front of an emotional crowd.
Tracey added “She’s my first Thoroughbred, and I’m totally hooked, Frankie has changed my life in so many ways, I really do owe it all to her. I’d be incredibly lucky to ever find another like her.”
While Frankie’s competitive days are over, she will continue to enjoy lighter work and fly the RoR flag in demonstrations, staying supple and happy without the pressure of competition.
Tracy added: “I want to thank the Retraining of Racehorses team for their incredible support, and Aintree’s dedicated crew for giving us so many magical memories. But the biggest thanks goes to the fabulous Frankie - my best friend, and the horse of a lifetime.”