Why racehorse ownership doesn’t have to be a dream
THERE are few better feelings than watching the horse you own run at the races. Racehorse ownership
has often been regarded as a pursuit of the mega rich yet there are now a number of opportunities available to share the cost of owning a horse with friends, family, colleagues, or even strangers, but still enjoy the experience and the winning.
Epsom’s thriving Thirty Acre Barn, owned by European Wealth Management Group founder John Morton, is one such venue where horseracing fans can enjoy the thrill of racehorse ownership at many different levels.
Whilst Sole Ownership allows you to be the exclusive owner of the horse with all costs and profit being yours alone, there are a variety of co-ownership opportunities where these are split.
With Company Ownership the horse is owned by the company’s shareholders providing a unique opportunity to promote your business.
Joint Ownership allows between two and 12 individuals to have a share in the horse, where it can run in either a joint ownership name or the name of one owner.
For those not wanting the capital outlay of purchasing a horse, you can lease a racehorse for a set period of time or join a Racing Club, thereby allowing for ‘leasing of an ownership interest’.
The Club itself may own any number of horses, which will run in the colours of the Club. To join a Racing Club you need to pay a joining and/or a membership fee for a specific period.
For those wanting to avoid the administration hassles then a Racing Partnership may be best.
Consisting of between two and 20 individuals, Trainer Managed Partnerships or Social Partnerships are run and set up by the trainer or a member of the partnership respectively, thus providing ‘hassle free’ ownership for other members.
The picturesque yard itself was first established as a racing stable in the 1930s with Cecil Langlands followed by Staff Ingham and Geoff Lewis through to the late 1990s, becoming one of Epsom’s most successful yards.
In 2005 the property was bought by John Morton who teamed up with Roger Teal, the trainer, in 2007.
Commenting on the first four seasons, Morton said: “We always intended to use the first four to five years to build a foundation and reputation for excellence. Roger and I are now hoping to maximise the close proximity of Thirty Acre Barn to London to attract City professionals to get more involved in racing.” Roger Teal, the trainer at Thirty Acre Barn, is proud of what has been achieved in a short space of time.
He says: “We are a small yard with 20 horses in training, but we’ve had some tremendous winners over the past few years and it’s a beautiful and tranquil setting that is perfect for training horses.
“We’re a 30 minute walk from the gallops which is fantastic for the health of the horses. Just like human athletes, horses need to warm up before exercising and cool down afterwards.”
He adds: “We follow the traditional training methods where the horse tells you what they want to do and that has been key to our success, allowing us to get the very best out of the horses that we train.”
Roger Teal and the bloodstock team at Thirty Acre Barn have had great success over the past four years with the seven-time winning Highly Regal, owned by a City-based syndicate, a particular highlight and bought for just 25,000 guineas. Cochabamba cost 9,000 guineas and went on to win over £38,000 in her first season, while the top class Steele Tango was bought for 30,000 guineas and has won just under £330,000 both in the UK and Dubai earlier in 2011.
The most recent two-year-old runners to raise the eyes of the industry were Red Larkspur, who was purchased for 4,000 guineas and won on her second start earlier in May, while Charlotte Rosina could be Royal Ascot-bound after winning a decent looking maiden at Sandown on her first start a few weeks ago.
Roger and the bloodstock team would be pleased to help where they can on purchasing or discussing the syndicates which are available with some of the current horses in training.
More information can be found at www.thirtyacre.co.uk and the team can be contacted on [email protected]