Becoming a jockey is on many a horse loving child’s dream job list - and some adults too! After all, how great would it be getting paid to ride a horse every day and getting a front row seat to some of the best days and tracks in racing?! But like all good things, there is much work to be done, and often elements of safety and self discipline that are tested.

Race selection can be a tricky business. So many things go into the placement of a horse including trial or jump out performance, distance, surface, track and grading. Trainers and Racing Managers want to give their horses every opportunity to win, so planning a campaign and most importantly, executing it is always top of mind.

While most of us are still tucked up in bed, and haven’t yet even contemplated that morning coffee, there is a small army at work checking on our horses wellbeing, prepping them for morning rides, water walks or recovery, washing, grooming and feeding, and of course, giving them lots of love and encouragement along the way.

Now we know that everyone who gets into racehorse ownership isn’t necessarily a horsey person who has access to a big lush paddock for their horse to live out their days. So, before you get into owning a racehorse, remember to consider their future retirement plan. It’s important to take the initiative for your horse, that gave you so much joy on the track, to source them a suitable forever home off the track. If you don’t know where to start and would like to practice responsible ownership, we’ll help you out with some suggestions below.

Watching your horse race for the first time is better than hearing your child say their first word or buying your first alcoholic beverage solo when of legal age. What they all have in common is the anticipation leading up to the event. So many hours of hard work behind the scenes go into getting a racehorse ready for their debut and lucky for you, you just get to sit back and enjoy the show! You might have gone to the races before but you’ve never been as an owner, here’s a long list of why being a racehorse owner is the best thing you’ll ever do in your life.

You can officially call yourself an owner… How exciting! Depending on your journey into ownership you may or may not know what is expected of you from your lovely trainers and syndicators who work very hard to get your horses up and running. Here’s a few hints and tips to get your ownership experience off to a good start.

Being a first-time racehorse owner is a lot of fun where one can dream of all the possibilities and potential for future success on the racetrack. If you’re a bit green in this department, read on.

There are so many different attributes a racehorse should have; we wish they could have them all! Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect horse (conformation wise!), but we’re going to give you a few hints on how to develop an eye for a racehorse.

You would have already decided what type of owner you’d like to be by now and you’ve chosen whether you want to go directly through a trainer or see what happens with a syndicator. Now for the exciting part, choosing which horse to buy into! This decision is not only going to bring you immense joy aside from lots of other emotions but it’s also going to shape your new lifestyle.

You’ve decided you want in on the racehorse game and now you got the types of ownership down pat from reading Part 1. Now to choose whether to go directly to a trainer or slide on in with a syndicator! We’ve supplied a few hints and tips to answer all those burning questions you’ve been dying to ask.

If you’ve always wanted to own a racehorse and not quite sure how to get started, or maybe you’re already a part of a syndicate but want to go out on your own and try your luck. Well, Fred’s here to help! Join us while we share the nuts and bolts of getting into ownership.

Naming a horse can be a lot of fun for owners, and often a lot of work coming up with something suitably clever that also rolls off the tongue of the race caller. But the COVID pandemic meant owners had a lot more time on their hands to get creative, and it also inspired a few 2020-inspired names that didn’t take much creativity at all!

“They say racehorse ownership is a condition only cured by death and both Richard and Amy were quickly hooked, expanding their stable and diving deeply into the world of racehorse ownership.”

The Fred app built by racehorse owners for racehorse owners is now live and ready for lovers of the sport to download from the Google Play and Apple App stores.

“Fred offers a closed network for racehorse owners and racing fans without the noise of Facebook,” said Thompson and Busso. “It provides enriched data that allows you to integrate with your personal calendar so you’ll never miss a race again.”

“If anything, COVID-19 has given us an advantage because people are at home, they’re spending more time in their phones and they’re sort of crying out for escapism from anything that’s not COVID-19. Horse racing is a great escapist kind of pursuit, and racing is still continuing, so I actually think we’re well positioned.”

The founders of Friends of Mr Ed, Fred for short, have the Fred app on fast track as part of the inaugural Sports and Event Tech Accelerator program being run by Startupbootcamp.