“Good owners matter so that three quarters of the time we can drown our sorrows together and a quarter of the time we can party!”
What does your Fred profile say?
For the love of the horse.
Everyone has a story about getting into racehorse ownership - what's yours?
I originally got into racehorse ownership and syndications with a group of school mates as a way of staying in touch and having a common interest. We were finding that life, young families, work commitments and career ambition was impacting on our ability to remain connected with common interests.
We saw horse ownership through a syndicate that consisted of only our small group as a way of ensuring that we remained connected, we caught up regularly and had a shared interest that excited us all. The syndicate and ownership of the horse very quickly became “our thing’.
What's been your most memorable experience as an owner so far?
Without a doubt my most memorable experience as an owner has been having a horse running in the Oaks at Flemington on Ladies Day. It was amazing to be standing in the mounting area and to look behind us and see the crowds, the stands heaving with people and “lil” old us standing in the mounting yard with captains, of industry, millionaires and sheiks! It was just brilliant.
The fact that I was able to experience this with of my dearest uncle, my cousin and some of my closest friends was just phenomenal. It is a memory that I will treasure forever. It almost didn’t matter that the horse was outclassed and ran no-where.
If you could own any horse in the world (past or present) which one would it be?
If I could have owned any horse in the world it would be the great SUPER IMPOSE. My favourite horse of all time!
I still get shivers remembering his amazing Doncaster Handicap wins in 1990 & 1991 where he came sweeping down the middle of the track from last through the field from last to win.
He’s the only horse to have won 2 Doncaster Handicaps and 2 Epsom Handicaps in succession. On top of all of that he won the most amazing Cox Plate of all time where he beat champions such as Rough Habit, Better Loosen Up, Let’s Elope, Naturalism & Burst. He went on to win 20 races, placed 32 times and won $5.4million.
In 2007 he was rightly inducted into The Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
This is the horse I would loved to have owned.
What's your ownership stable looking like now?
I try to keep my stable to five horses at any one time. Occasionally I might creep over that limit but general I stand firm. My stable currently consists of Listed winner Embracer, two-time winner White Thyme, QLD-2YO She Shall Rule as well as two unraced fillies, Redeeming Spirit and White House Girl. I easily keep track of them, as well as my mates horses I have an interest in, on the Fred App.
How do you decide which horses to get involved with?
I take into consideration a lot of factors when deciding if I’m going to be involved in a horse. These factors include the horse itself, such as breeding, family history of success, the trainer, where the horse is located but most importantly who my fellow syndicate members are. My preference is a group of people who love to party!
Anything you didn’t know at the start of your ownership journey that you wished you knew?
I have been spoilt as an owner. Especially early on where my second and third horses were sold to Hong Kong interests for a very, very handy return on investment. My 4th horse ended up winning two Group races and my 5th horse ran in an Oaks (see above). Since then, the going has been a lot tougher.
The thing I didn’t know was my experience was NOT the norm. I have come to learn that being a racehorse owner is 75% frustration and disappointment and 25% sheer exhilaration.
This is why good owners matter so that 75% of the time we can drown our sorrows together and 25% of the time we can party!
Do you want to be our next owner spotlight? Email [email protected] to get involved.
