How did you get into racehorse ownership?

I was always was interested in horse racing. In the mid-‘90s, together with a friend of mine Pat Brock, we had a couple of horses with Aidan O’Brien when he trained in Piltown. When Aidan moved to Ballydoyle we moved one of the horses to Ted Walsh.

What was your best day at the races and why?

It probably won’t get much better than winning the Cheltenham Champion Bumper with Relegate. We had limited expectations going into it and to win the race was really a dream come true.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

Injuries to the horses. The first horse I owned went off at 4/6 favourite in a bumper but broke his leg and had to be put down.

Since then I’ve possibly been involved with more horses that got injured than made the track.

In your experience, which racecourse in Ireland treats owners the best and why?

The new facility at Leopardstown is fantastic. The facilities at the Curragh (even in the temporary structures) are very good too for owners.

Flat or jump racing, which do you prefer and why?

National Hunt would be my first love, but being involved with Fitzwilliam Racing (a flat syndicate with Johnny Murtagh) has increased my interest in flat racing. Fitzwilliam was very successful in its first year, having four individual winners win six races.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

A straight talker that will tell me like it is rather than tell me what they think I need to hear.

Communication is hugely important, particularly where syndicates are involved. With Fitzwilliam, we have a WhatsApp group, regular conference calls, stable visits and updates from Johnny on all the horses.

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

I think they need to look at Leopardstown as a model to try to improve what they are doing.

Increasing limits on the number of tickets allocated to owners would help.

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

That’s a difficult question. If you have facilities like the Curragh and Leopardstown at least owners and perhaps their friends and families get to feel they have a good day out.

Obviously smaller tracks cannot compete to that level but it’s not great at some of the secondary race tracks where there are zero facilities for owners.

What significance do your colours hold?

I’m originally from Sligo, hence the black and white colours.

How did your syndicate get its name?

I’m not sure where Fitzwilliam got the name. We tried to make it non-specific so that we could attract a wide range of members. We currently have 16 members for the 2018 two-year-old season.

I am a member of a number of Winning Ways National Hunt syndicates that have horses with Peter Fahy. These syndicates are organised by Oran Crean and have a nice mix of members.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

For the National Hunt Colm Murphy and I try to buy reasonably well bred fillies that we believe could improve their pedigrees on the racecourse.

For the flat, Fitzwilliam try to buy early racy types that would be ready for the early season races, perhaps even Ascot.

What horses do you currently have in training?

As well as Relegate we’ve another five-year-old mare, called Queens Boulevard, with Willie Mullins, but she unfortunately got a stress fracture. She will hopefully be back shortly. We also have two four-year old fillies (both by Yeats) that have nice pedigrees and will hopefully be out later in the year.

I am involved with a few National Hunt syndicates with Peter Fahy (Court Tycoon, Wedding Photo, Tourmund).

Fitzwilliam Racing have four three-year-olds and eight two-year-olds in training with Johnny Murtagh. I also own a couple of flat horses in partnership with Johnny Murtagh.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

Relegate is likely to go to Punchestown for the Champion Bumper, once the ground there is not too firm.

The Fitzwilliam horses should start out early in the new flat season. We have some early type two-year-olds, in addition to the returning three-year-olds.

Have you any horses to look forward to? (i.e. young/unbroken horses)

I’m looking forward to seeing Too Familiar back on the track. She won two races last year before coming fourth in a Group 3 at the Curragh, won by Clemmie (Grangecon Stud Stakes). She was injured in that race and we hope she returns in good form as she could be graded class.

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

Another difficult question. Perhaps expanding the auction maiden concept from the flat to National Hunt, where moderately purchased horses could compete with each other.

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

Patience is a necessary attribute, particularly in National Hunt circles when buying young store horses.

I’d highly recommend going into National Hunt syndicates or into the likes of Fitzwilliam Racing as a great place to start out. You have the benefits of ownership but on a shared basis with like-minded individuals. Joining Fitzwilliam costs less than having a wholly owned horse and you get to have eight runners you feel connected with.

Paul McKeon was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton