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Introduction
For many years, racehorse ownership was the preserve of
those sufficiently wealthy to afford the cost of buying a thoroughbred
racehorse, in the first place and keeping it in training. However, owning a
racehorse need not be such an expensive business if you join a racing syndicate
to share the costs. A horseracing syndicate is any group of people who enjoy an
interest in a racehorse by taking a small share and hence share the initial
purchase cost, training and veterinary fees and, of course, any prize money,
amongst them. In this way, each person experiences the fun and excitement of
owning a racehorse at a fraction of the cost of buying a horse outright and all
expenses, including veterinary fees, are included in the price of a
share.
Horseracing Syndicates
There are, quite literally, hundreds of successful horseracing
syndicates in operation, catering for people in all walks of life and budgets
ranging from £80 for a 0.25% share in an ordinary animal for a season, to
£10,000 for a 5% share in a top-class animal outright.
Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, for example, is the most successful horseracing
syndicate company in Europe, nowadays, but was founded in 1992 with 20 shares
in just four horses. Highclere was the brainchild of Harry Herbert, son of the
Earl of Caernarvon, racing manager to the Queen, who imported the concept of
racehorse syndication on his return from America in the late Eighties.
Highclere buys horses at a cost of £80,000, on average and syndicates them for
between £3,000 and £10,000 per 5% share, with a maximum of 20 members per
syndicate. This is, of course, at the high end of the price range for racehorse
syndication, but the money appears to have been well spent. Highclere has
accrued £2.6 million in prize money and made a profit of £4.9 million from
bloodstock investment. Highlights include the filly Petrushka, who was bought
for 110,000 guineas, but went on to win the Irish Oaks, in so doing becoming
the first Classic winner to be owned by a syndicate and was sold in 2002 for
$5.25 million.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are
numerous other successful horseracing syndicates that are more realistically
within reach of the average horseracing enthusiast. WRB, for example, had its
first winner in April, 1989, with a horse called Rothko, which went on to win
the Philip Cornes Saddle of Gold Final in 1992 and since then has had runners
at 59 races across the length and breadth of the U.K.. Highlights include
Kylkenny, the winner of 24 races in total and 7 in 2005, alone and Gulf Shaadi,
the winner of 14 races and £140,000 in prize money for his syndicate owners.
WRB, nowadays, is a nationwide operation, with horses in training with 10
different trainers across the country. Ownaracehorse is another well-patronised
syndication service, specialising in small share syndication. Ownaracehorse
typically has at least 20 horses in training at any one time and offers small
shares, starting at around £80 for a season, which can be bought singly, or in
groups, to create or extend a syndicate. Owners` badges, yard visits and horse
betting tips are included in the price of a share.
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Successful Racing Syndicates
