A day out at the races is always exciting! But imagine how much more exciting it would be if you owned the racehorse that made it through the finishing posts first! There are actually a number of straightforward ways that people can get involved with racehorse ownership. Depending upon the depth of their pockets and how much they want to be involved with the training / decision making. In our latest blog, we highlight the different options for race horse racing syndicates available and the benefits of each…

Stamp Duty wins Wolverhampton - Aaron James

Racing Clubs

The very first Racing Club that allowed ‘ordinary’ people to be involved in Racehorse ownership was the Full Circle Racing Club which was started in the 1980s.  Since then clubs and horse racing syndicates have flourished. With over 60% of racehorses in the UK now being owned in some form of joint ownership!

A horse racing syndicate involves all members owning a small part of the horse or horses. They then share the cost of purchase and all of the associated training fees. Allowing them to enjoy all the benefits of ownership at a much smaller cost.

In Racing Clubs, however, the members still get all of the benefits of racehorse ownership. Without having to worry about having large training fees to pay.  The benefits include:

• Visits to the stables to chat with the trainer and see your horse working on the gallops
• Going to the races when the horse runs
• Hopefully being in the winner’s enclosure when your horse wins!

Some racing clubs have as many as 100 horses trained all over the country. One of the best known is the Elite Racing Club who last year sold one of their horses, Lady Marsha who was trained by Sir Mark Prescott, for a record 6,000,000 gns at Newmarket Sales!

Some people prefer to become part of a smaller group, which is where Partnerships come in.  This is simply a small group of people (often friends) who get together to share the cost of owning a horse. This is useful as they otherwise may not be able to afford to do this themselves.

A great example of this is the Newstart Partnership which was founded by Suzzanne France in 2011.  The partnership has a choice of 4 horses, and each member pays an all-inclusive fee for a minimum of 6 months. This then gives them all of the benefits of owning their own horse such as:

• Owners Badges for the races
• Visits to the yard
• A monthly newsletter
• A share of any prize money won by their horse!

Because the partnership is fairly small, all of the members become friends, and more importantly get to know ‘their’ horses really well. Watching them develop from when they arrive as Yearlings or 2 year olds, and learning all of their likes and dislikes.  Most owners will come armed with packets of mints to feed their horses. But the owners of Stamp Duty know to bring him his favourite treat of strawberries instead!

All Newstart Racing partners are made to feel part of the yard. Chatting to the trainer regularly, coming to the annual coffee morning, and cheering on each other’s horses as well as their own. As all of the horses currently in the partnership have either won or been placed they have had plenty of opportunity for cheering!

As you can see, whatever sort of Syndicate, Club, or Partnership you choose, they really are a way for everybody, not just the wealthy, to become involved in Racehorse Ownership.

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Mountain of Stars - Aaron James