Seamus Ring purchased Pairofbrowneyes as a foal and offered Leonard Fitzgerald, Leonard’s son and syndicate spokesman Dave Fitzgerald, and Evan Ryan the chance to get involved with the horse. They are all keen racegoers from Cork.
What was your best day at the races and why?
My dad, Leonard Fitzgerald, and Seamus Ring were members of the syndicate which owned Slim Pickings, who placed twice in the Aintree Grand National. Both those races were fantastic days out.
For the Fibbage Syndicate, the day Pairofbrowneyes won his maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse was amazing.
We met a man afterwards who had owned horses for some 30 years yet never had a winner. It made Evan and I realise just how lucky and privileged we were winning our maiden hurdle.
What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?
As a National Hunt fan, it’s definitely the summer months. I’d study form for a few hours every week, but there’s a big void to fill during the summer months.
Flat or jump racing, which do you prefer and why?
Jump racing. The excitement is unrivalled, especially when your own is involved. The tension and nervous energy at every jump is palpable and the sense of relief on landing is short lived as you know there are 10 more to jump. When your horse is travelling well and is in contention, it is a thousand times worse.
What improvements could be made to racing in Ireland?
The lack of young faces around the parade ring at Irish race meetings is worrying. It is an expensive game to get into but we were lucky that owning Pairofbrowneyes was structured so it was affordable to us.
More could be done to educate younger people about the rewards that come with owning a horse.
In particular, the craic we have on the days leading up to our race, travelling to the track on raceday, and celebrating afterwards, is fantastic. It seems young people aren’t aware that owning a horse is not just about the race and the day out, there is loads more to it.
What significance do your colours hold?
Our present colours were formerly Slim Pickings’ colours. We felt they were lucky in the past, and so far they have been lucky for us too.
How did your syndicate gets its name?
One member of the Fibbage Syndicate is prone to telling a few white lies, but there is confusion as to who it actually is, so unfortunately we’ve all been tarred with the same brush!
When buying a horse, what do you look for?
Noel Hanley is a brilliant judge of a horse and is always our first port of call. He has a great habit of picking up good horses at bargain prices. At our stage and level, that’s very important to us. Noel looked at Pairofbrowneyes for us before we got involved, and has spotted other good horses like Camden Tanner and Slim Pickings too.
What horses do you currently have in training?
The Fibbage Syndicate only have Pairofbrowneyes in training. But Seamus picked up a half-brother to Pairofbrowneyes. Seamus: you have our numbers and we’d love to get a call!
What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a racehorse owner?
Just because you can afford to own a horse on your own, doesn’t mean you have to. I don’t think I’d ever own a horse on my own given the fun I’ve had as part of a syndicate. Your fellow syndicate members are the first people you run to after your race (we all watch the race on our own!), and you never stop chatting about the horse.
Dave Fitzgerald was in conversation with Joe Finegan.