How did you get into racehorse ownership?

I have had a keen interest in racing from a young age, regularly attending the local Kilbeggan races with my father and following jockey Bobby Coonan as other youngsters might follow a soccer team or a pop star.

Working in Good Counsel College, I’ve known a lot of students who have gone on to work successfully in racing. Our racing alumni include Aidan O’Brien, Enda Bolger, current jockeys Sean Flanagan, Jonathan Moore, Tom O’Brien, Daniel Holden, Dean Sinnott, Shane Foley, Donagh O’Connor, Danny and Mikey Sheehy, Stefan Kirwan, Adam Williams and former jockeys Tom Doyle, Matthew O’Connor, Padge Whelan, Ned Buckley, Robert Hennessey and Michael Doyle among others.

Other former pupils involved in the industry include such as Ritchie Galway in Punchestown, Neil Walsh in Tattersalls, Michael Shefflin, Declan Phelan, Robert Tector, a few Flying Start graduates, Sam Harte and Stephen O’Connor, racing journalists Donal and Eamon Murphy, James Mordaunt plus others working in yards and stud farms.

Retired soccer international, Kevin Doyle, has also become involved in the industry through his Slaney View stud.

Given such association with racing, it seemed logical to try to establish a syndicate of past pupils.

What was your best day at the races?

From the syndicate’s perspective it has to be when Cerberus won the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle in Fairyhouse in early December 2019. To win a graded race with your first syndicate horse on Hatton’s Grace day was the stuff of dreams.

What is the biggest drawback about being an owner?

Our experience has to date been positive but it’s not hard to imagine how difficult it is being the owner of a horse who picks up an injury or who experiences little luck on the racetrack.

Keeping a racehorse in training is expensive and there are plenty of costs which new owners may not initially be aware of. Getting good advice from HRI or from other owners means you can budget accurately.

Which racecourse in Ireland treats owners the best?

With Cerberus winning twice in Fairyhouse, Peter Roe and his staff could have banished us to the car park with water and bread and we still would have come away smiling! Punchestown and Galway also look after owners well in our experience.

Flat or jumps which do you prefer?

Jump racing, probably because it resonates more closely with my rural background and my earliest racing experiences but I have a huge interest in the flat also. My uncle Tony took me to the Irish Derby as a boy in 1975 where I saw Grundy win under Pat Eddery, another seminal moment for me.

I’m fairly sure our syndicate members would lean more to the National Hunt side also as I know many of them have been to Aintree and Cheltenham over the years.

What do you look for in a trainer?

Being involved in owning a racehorse has got to be more than simply seeing it run for a few minutes on the racecourse. I think the most important thing is that the trainer makes an effort to communicate with the owners.

We have been very fortunate with Joseph O’Brien who has been very accommodating and I think we reciprocate by not being too demanding. Owners need to have trust in the competence, honesty and integrity of the trainer and be prepared to let the professional get on with the job.

What improvements would you like to see tracks in Ireland do for owners?

Running a syndicate, there seems to be some inconsistency in how race day tickets are administered. It would make it simpler if, like Leopardstown recently, tickets were emailed in PDF format and these can then be forwarded to members.

Again from a syndicate perspective, I would forego the limited number of meal vouchers for a coffee and scone voucher for all members. Very small touches, at little cost, can mean a lot. Even ensuring each syndicate member is issued with a badge and a racecard when their horse runs should happen at all tracks.

How do you feel owners are treated when not having a winner?

If your horse doesn’t win you simply move along. With the next race only ever 30 mins away, it is difficult for tracks to devote time to connections of all horses.

What significance do your colours hold?

Our colours, blue and white stripes, are the school colours which anyone with an interest in colleges’ sport, GAA in particular, will be familiar with.

How did your syndicate get its name?

All in the syndicate are associated with the school, Good Counsel College in New Ross, most as past pupils, a few as staff members.

What horses do you have in training?

Cerberus was bought by J.P. McManus after his Grade 3 win and ran in his colours at Chepstow over the Christmas. We have since acquired another three-year-old, Millswyn, who ran at Leopardstown last week. We were satisfied with how he went on his first run over hurdles. We may also look to add another horse for the flat season.

What’s next on the agenda?

Milllswyn will go for another maiden hurdle. He’s rated 88 on the flat and is not without ability so with improvement from his first run we are hopeful he can be competitive.

What would make Irish racing more competitive for the smaller owner/trainer?

The smaller owner has to accept the reality that if a few large owners are dominating, it is because they have invested accordingly. If they are winning most of the big prizes in NH racing, they have obviously paid for the privilege of owning such horses and the breeder, the pinhooker or the point-to-point handler has benefitted from this.

In saying this, the HRI initiative last year to hold three valuable handicap hurdles restricted to horses owned by syndicates was very welcome.

The fate of the small trainer is of greater concern because it is important to retain a broad base of skilled trainers in this country renowned for its horsemen and not to see this wealth of knowledge and experience shrink. The racing calendar can make provision for this by providing specific opportunities for yards of smaller size.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an owner?

If forming a syndicate it is important that the dynamic of the group is good, that members understand all that is involved especially financially, and that they are kept well informed so that they can learn more about racing, whether it is how the handicap works, their HRI account is managed or how a racing stable operates. It is important to have a good relationship with the trainer because it is the trainer who will make virtually all the key decisions with regards the horse ... at least where most owners are concerned!