I AM self-employed running a 24-hour recovery service and small car sales business in Lombardstown, just outside Mallow Co Cork. I left school at a young age and went to RACE on the Curragh in order to complete the trainee jockey course.

I have always had a massive interest in horses from a young age and it’s great to be so involved again through ownership.

How did you get into racehorse ownership?

It all started last Christmas when we were in our local pub, The Gortroe Inn. I began conversing with a neighbor and my good friend Tony O’Shea about the prospect of organising a bus to take a big group of us to some of the feature race meetings in 2022. From here, the idea grew and we decided to go one step further, to get a horse and set up a local syndicate.

We met up with local trainer Eugene O’Sullivan and the Gortroe Racing Club soon found it’s feet. The Club is lucky to have 25 stakeholders and we all just have great craic. There is never a dull moment when we all get together. A few of us in the group have young kids and they also come along and enjoy the racing days out.

What has been your best day at the races and why?

I suppose it has to be our day at Thurles on October 20th, when we won the handicap chase with King Ferdinand (and he has won again twice this summer).

It was only our second day out with the horse and we were lucky to have Michael O’ Sullivan (Eugene’s nephew) on board who gave him a peach of a ride.

They say a picture paints a thousand words and you can definitely see the joy and excitement from us all in the photos. The feeling was like no other and it’s safe to say The Gortroe Inn was rocking that night.

How did your syndicate get its name?

The name came easy to us, The Gortroe Racing Club, as I mentioned above is based on our local pub, The Gortroe Inn.

It was here that the very first conversation started about getting a horse and it has always been an easy meeting point for all of our club members.

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

We have only been to three racecourses in Ireland as owners so far and we have had great experiences at all of them.

As a club with a lot of members, the only downfall of ownership I can say that we’ve really experienced is often being short on passes to get into the courses. I think this is something that can be looked at.

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

As a club, our collective preference would be jump racing. I think there is a bit more excitement in it for us.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Our choice of trainer was never questionable. It was always going to be Eugene O’ Sullivan for the job.

We would meet the Eugene M O’Sullivan racing team on a daily basis as his string passed through Gortroe cross on their way to the gallops. You would always be greeted with a friendly smile from the gang, whether it be in hail, rain, or snow. Nothing would stop them from doing what they do best.

They have a fantastic set up in Currabower and the care they provide for each indiviual horse is second to none. We are always welcome to call up and see our horse King Ferdinand and in doing so we get a first-hand glimpse of the teams hardworking nature.

There is always a great atmopsphere on the yard and they are superb in keeping us all up to date on the horse. Eugene’s daughter Maxine is brilliant at sending weekly videos or photos and they are enjoyed by members on our WhatsApp group!

Maxine has also been a massive help and has been extremely supportive of all of us on our ownership journey so far.

What significance do your colours hold?

Our colours hold a massive significance to our local community. They were originally used in 1991 by the Kilshannig Racing Syndicate, set up by local man the late Tom O’ Sullivan.

Tom was highly involved in the Kilshannig juvenile team and it was this involvement that inspired him to use the Red and yellow colours of the local GAA club. His daughter Anne O’ Sullivan has continued on his interests and is now one of the members of the Gortroe Racing Club.

The Kilshannig Racing Syndicate had fantastic success with these colours and their first horse, Another Excuse, won 16 races in total, with the highlight being the 1996 Midlands National in Uttoxeter.

When setting up our own racing club we knew we wanted to continue on using the Kilshannig colours but we did have to make a slight change to the hat by adding a red star as we were running under a different name. These colours have already proven to be lucky for us and hopefully they will bring us many more great days out.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

We met with our known trainer Eugene and asked him what attributes to look for when picking a horse.

As it was our first horse, Eugene liked the prospect of buying one that already had a few runs under its belt to minimise the delay between the sales ring and the track. We didn’t even have the club fully set up and Eugene had already got the horse on its way to us from the Goffs Spring sale last May. That horse was King Ferdinand and what a mighty horse he has proven to be for us.

What horses do you currently have in training?

We just have the one horse, King Ferdinand for now! As time goes on we are hoping to get another one or two to join the clan.

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

I would say just go for it! We were so lucky to have Eugene O’Sullivan to guide us through the process and to answer any of our questions. We never felt under pressure with anything.

Being part of a racing club definitely makes it easier financially and it has given us friends for life.

Try and find someone like Eugene O’Sullivan who can help make stepping onto the ownership scene just as easy for you.

We can’t wait to see what the future brings with our horse King Ferdinand – UP THE KING!.

Vinny Grimes from the Gortroe Racing Club was in conversation with Sophie Mellett.