How did you first get involved with horse racing?

I always had a love for National Hunt racing, going racing and following bloodstock and we always had a horse at home. Going back 25 or 30 years, I’ve always been great friends with Bernard Crowley (trainer) and his family. We decided we’d put a syndicate together and we bought a point-to-pointer. That syndicate is the Four Counties Racing Syndicate and it’s still going in the Crowley family. We had a couple of winners along the way.

How did you get the syndicate together?

We’re all good friends, and two years ago we had a day out at our local track, Tramore. We all had a great day and someone mentioned that we should try and get a horse of our own. Two months down the line, it came up again, so they gave me the job of sourcing a horse. I looked at a few and then I spoke with Bernard. He told me about Slotty Dotty, who he had broken in.

Martin Kiely in Waterford bred her and had a few horses with Bernard at the time, so through that we purchased her. We were lucky from there, she won her point-to-point at Lisronagh first time out and we had the option to sell her. After a quick meeting with the lads, we all agreed that we should keep her. Why would we sell, when we have a horse that we can go and enjoy a bit of racing with?

From there, we’ve had some unbelievable days out at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve in 2023 and she ran in the Grade 2 mares’ bumper in Leopardstown. We went back to Leopardstown for her first hurdle race in March last year, where she finished third. After a break, then we brought her to Tramore, where she finished third again and then she went to Limerick over Christmas, which gave us some confidence going into last Monday’s race.

Tell me about the syndicate name

It comes from a saying. One of the lads involved, his son always says ‘oh my good Ghandi’, and it just took off and we all say it now. When we were naming the syndicate, one of the lads said that we should use it. We wanted to call the mare Good Ghandi, but she was already named when we bought her. It’s bad luck to change a horse’s name.

How was your day at Punchestown?

Three of us from the syndicate were in Austria skiing when she ran and, because she ran on a Monday, a few lads couldn’t make it to the races with work commitments, but Stephen Power, John O’Donnell and Martin Dempsey were there to cheer her home. We managed to get the race up on a screen at a pub while we were in Austria and I think half of the people on the slopes came in to watch it, which was very exciting. We were dancing on the tables! The lads had a great day at Punchestown, we video-called them after the race and they couldn’t believe the reception they got from the racecourse.

I’ve had a few point-to-point winners in the past, but for the syndicate, who are a great bunch of lads, it was unbelievable to have a winner on the track. It was a dream come true for everyone. There’s a lot of downs in racing, but when you hit the ups, it’s an unbelievable feeling. We’ve all been friends since we were young and we come from different walks of life.

Bernard told us he’d get her to win a point-to-point and after that we could take her to another trainer if we wanted, but we all agreed to keep her with him. He’s local to us, as we’re all from the same small village. The whole place knows Slotty Dotty. The kids going to school know who Slotty Dotty is, and they even have Slotty Dotty hats. Bernard lost his father in December, so it was great for the whole Crowley family to have a winner. He was a great man around the yard and great with people. I was delighted for them.

What’s the plan going forward?

We’ll see how she comes out of the race and Bernard will take the lead with her plans. He’s very open with us and we’re always welcome to go and see her. She’s gone up in grade and was hiked 10lb for her win, so we’ll need to have a think about it over the next few weeks. I think down the line, maybe next year, chasing will be our thing.

Were you confident in your chances at Lisronagh on her first start?

Bernard is a very, very good trainer and he’s a great man to get a horse jumping. He takes his time with the horses and brings them along slowly in their education. He has his own style. Just before the race, he told us not to be afraid to have a few pound each-way on her, so that was good enough for us! His word was all the confidence we needed. It was some of the members’ first time seeing a horse they owned winning, so there was great excitement. It’s a thrill that you can’t beat.

She’s a very honest mare. She runs her races and loves doing her bits of work. There’s a gallop in Curraghmore in Waterford and she absolutely loves going up there, she’s like a child in a sweet shop when she goes there. She needs a bit of a distance, but there’s never been an issue with her, her jumping is out of this world really.

Have you thought about what will happen when she retires from racing?

When I first saw her, I loved her breeding. She’s by Court Cave and I think he’s an outstanding stallion. He stamps toughness into his offspring. Her dam, Queen Meave, is by Presenting so there’s nice breeding there. It would be nice down the line to keep her as a broodmare, I know some of the lads are interested in that as well. I don’t think we’d ever sell her.

What advice would you give someone wanting to get into ownership?

We were very lucky for her to win a point-to-point first time out, because that can take years for some people. Even getting a horse to the track can be hard. My advice would be to sit down and go through everything, so that anyone involved understands what can go wrong in racing and with a horse. You have to weigh up the pros and cons and everyone needs to understand that horses aren’t machines. They get injuries and there are expenses that you don’t see coming. Trusting the trainer is another important thing as well. We’re lucky to have a trainer like Bernard, who we trust to do right by us and the horse. His niece does the plaiting and gets his horses ready for racing, and his brother leads the horses out, so it’s a real family affair, which is wonderful to be a part of. I can’t thank them enough.