How did you get into racehorse ownership?

I have been into horses from a very young age and have always wanted to own a few myself.

A few friends and I decided to set up a syndicate around eight months ago.

I’m Wicklow-based and two of the guys in the syndicate are in New Jersey.

What was your best day at the races and why?

Watching Astrophysicist win at Gowran Park a few weeks ago (October 18th). It was our first winner as owners.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

I organise the finances and liaise with the trainers. It’s all fairly handy as we split costs and everyone pays their share.

One thing that bugs me are the Curragh fees. If you have your horse working on the Curragh for a month, you are effectively paying for three months as you are billed quarterly. It’s not that it’s a huge amount, but why can’t owners only be charged for the amount of time their horses use the facility?

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

Leopardstown – it’s my local track and have always been very well looked after there.

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

I prefer jumps racing but if I was to have a gamble it would be on the flat as there are fewer obstacles in the way.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Astrophysicist has been with Gearoid Brouder since we got him from the Ger Lyons yard in March this year. He is now registered in training with James Nash as Gearoid was trying to go over to the States to work and see how they operate over there.

However, there have been difficulties entering the US because of Covid restrictions so Gearoid hasn’t gone yet and we have an arrangement with James Nash that Astrophysicist will go back to Gearoid who I get on with really well.

Stickyourneckout has gone to Jimmy Coogan and he will stay in training there.

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

We have always been well treated as owners. At Fairyhouse the food was good and the owners and trainers facilities fine.

Gowran was not bad. It’s a different kind of track but we were well looked after.

Ticket allocation is not an issue. We have plenty with our four and a friend went with a group of 20 to Wexford and got extra tickets at discounted rates.

How do you think the current crisis will impact on racing in general and on ownership in particular?

From what I heard most owners stuck with their trainers.

What can trainers or HRI do to encourage owners to keep horses in training at the moment?

I can’t complain about Gearoid – we talk every day!

We were working out all the registrations and race entry systems that go hand-in-hand with racing. All that is part of the learning curve.

Dundalk has a good schedule in winter – keeps everything going.

Astrophysicist is a three-year-old hurdler and we’re finding it hard to place him in a race before Christmas. He’s very young and there isn’t a great programme for those horses. I suppose it’s difficult enough for HRI and the tracks to get sponsorship for them.

What significance do your colours hold?

We hold the colours of Seton Hall Basketball. It’s a college in America where two of our guys went.

We looked for the home colours (Wicklow) but they are very similar to Godolphin and unfortunately they were not accepted so we stuck to the away gear.

How did your syndicate get its name?

I chose the name of our first horse in the syndicate called Stickyourneckout so I asked the two boys from America what they would like to call the syndicate and they choose the college they went to.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

The page is always a good starting point for me. I would then focus on how the horse walked and trotted and try and see is there any little issues that might occur. I would then always have a feel of the horses’ legs and back and let my eyes focus on whether I like the shape or the horse or not.

After that, I have a figure in my head and just go with my gut.

What horses do you currently have in training?

We have two in training at the moment. One is called Stickyourneckout who didn’t disgrace himself in some good two-year-old races this year and ran well.

Astrophysicist took Gearoid Brouder a while to figure out as we thought he always wanted soft ground. He got that ground at Gowran Park for the first time and did the business.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

Stickyourneckout will go race at Dundalk over the winter.

Astrophysicist will go down the three-year-old hurdle route over the next few weeks. He had a really promising run at Fairyhouse early this month finishing sixth.

The messing around at the start didn’t do him any favours. He just didn’t quite settle at all in the race for Gavin Brouder, the ground was a little on the firm side for him he is still a big baby with a lot of learning to do.

Hopefully he can keep improving into a really nice type over jumps as we know he has ability on the flat. He was an expensive yearling bought out of England and never made the track for Ger Lyons but is finally starting to show he has real potential.

What do you do with your racehorses when their racing days are over?

Well we’ve only just started in ownership but you can be sure they will be well looked after.

I have a friend with some land up the road and he looks after a previously successful racehorse for some English clients.

We will make an arrangement similar to that.

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

To be fair, the 45-65 rated and the 70 plus are well catered for – there are plenty of races for them. In general there are plenty of opportunities for horses of that calibre and you don’t have to come up against Aidan O’Brien.

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

I have gone into it after a long time thinking about owning horses. I enjoy watching them work down at the Curragh. You would see about 15 trainers working their horses and it’s a great place to be.

If you can afford it, go for it.

Barry Davis was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton