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Race Horse Ownership...


In the last few years I decided to become more involved with horse racing, what has made my racing adventure quite exceptional was becoming a race horse owner for the very first time...

This blog is dedicated to my experiences as an owner since then and my advice on how anyone can get involved with the sport of kings...

All views, opinions and experiences expressed here are my own, I understand that everyone is different and if you have decided upon the joys of ownership on any level, choose what's best for you and your own situation.. follow your dreams and most importantly, have fun!

Racing is something that we have done as a family all my life, my grandparents were members at Epsom back in the 70's, my mum was always at the races, and I remember lovely days at Sandown and Kempton as a young girl...  I have very fond memories of meeting Pat Eddery and helping Daryl Holland when he dropped his weights to nearly buying a horse at auction! We enjoyed the sport as spectators for many years, then I made the best decision of my life, to actually buy into a racehorse!

I started by dipping my toes in the waters, so to speak with a small share in a colt at Andrew Baldings yard with Elite Racing Club and since then, I've never looked back, I've been involved with flat and jumps horses, and in this short time, already have incredible memories and made some lovely friends...

However, there are some important questions to ask yourself first...

Firstly, the benefits..
  • Excellent social life.
  • Owners badges when your horse runs.
  • Hospitality Race Days.
  • The chance to meet your jockey & trainer in the paddock pre-race.
  • The thrill of watching the race unfold.


  • Visiting the stables, see your horses, work on the gallops, whatever the weather!
  • Post race analysis with jockey and trainer...

  • That wonderful feeling of your horse placing and winning prize money.
  • The amazing feeling of your horse crossing the line first and entering the *winners* enclosure!  a lovely photo or trophy before being whisked off to sip champagne and re-watch your race.
winners at Sandown...

Ok, all good so far?

Here's a few things to ask yourself...
  • What am I looking to gain from owning a racehorse?
If you're thinking, making money? then you're probably in the wrong sport, don't get me wrong there is some mighty big prize money out there to be won, and if you're lucky to be able to afford a horse with a trainer like Aiden O'Brien, Willie Mullins or Paul Nicholls etc you may find yourself in profit but then again you could also end up losing money, as with anything, life is a gamble... 

However, for most of us it's about two things, the love of horses and the love of the sport.

For me, it was always about the horses and having them stabled locally was important to me, in order to be able to visit every few weeks and see them work on the local gallops, really get to know the team, who all do such an incredible job year round...


Saturday mornings on the gallops watching the horses work...

  • Flat Vs National Hunt?

In my experience they are very different.. 'The Flat is back' are my favourite words to hear! I love long days out in the spring / summer with the flat, Epsom Derby is my highlight, but I also love cold wintry days at Sandown for the Jumps.

Do you have a preference? Flat horses mainly run on turf through the spring / summer season, with the All Weather running through the Autumn and Winter months. The National Hunt season sees horses jumping large fences or smaller hurdles and in flat 'bumpers', testing the horses stamina and ability, jump horses tend to be older than flat and are much bigger, Cheltenham Festival being one of the seasons highlights.. you have different trainers and jockeys to flat...

Harry Teal on Just Call Me Blue

  • Choosing a trainer? Best yard for you? 
Really take your time, ask around, use social media to connect with trainers, follow their progress, then visit the yards, it's important to get out there and meet the trainers, see how they work, are their team and the horses happy, is it a nice environment, facilities, what can they offer regards to ownership, do they have partnerships, syndicates or sole ownership options to suit you, are they local to you, are you able to visit the yard frequently?...

enjoying a stable visit to Jamie Snowden's yard, Lambourn
A few of my personal recommendations:

  • Big Race Days, Racing Abroad or Monday night at Kempton?
When it comes to racing, what kind of experience are you looking for? Are you simply after attending the big meetings, like The Derby, Glorious Goodwood or do you want your horse to run abroad in Dubai or France for eg.. OR are you simply happy to attend smaller meetings like Kempton on a freezing November evening just to have a good time with your horse / syndicate?

Kempton Park...

  • Lease horse or outright ownership?
You can 'buy into' a horse so that you actually own a little part or the Lease options can be a great, low commitment way of racehorse ownership, no buy ins, all you have to pay is the monthly training fees which can be anything from £65+ per month.

Becky Sharp at Jim Boyles, Derby Day

  • What age of horse?
Often 2 Years Olds will cost less to run in their first year due to them not running in as many races. The thrill is that you never know what will happen!  They could run 4 times and never place or they could come out and win first time, you are taking more of a gamble with 2 yr olds, as they've never run before.  I am happy to be involved with 2 yr olds through to an 8 yr old, what I love is that every horse is unique...

then it's to decide on a Filly, Mare, Colt or Gelding.. 

wouldn't you love to own me?!

  • Club, Syndicate or Sole ownership?
Whilst sole ownership is the most expensive option, you can choose and design your own jockey silks, get your name printed in the race day booklet and have good control over where and when you want the horse to run, prize money is all yours..



However, there are many levels of ownership to suit anyone looking to get involved in racing.

The most affordable route is buying into a club membership such as Elite Racing Club or The Owners Group where shares are broken down into 0.001% making them around the £30-60 per share price bracket, with up to 10% available to buy per person.  This is an excellent starter route into ownership, without huge commitments or hidden costs.  The club also arrange stable visits and the horses are located from up north with Julie Camacho to down south with Andrew Balding or Paul Nicholls.

The next level would be to join a syndicate. These can range from a few people up to 20 partners per horse.  There are many syndicates set up in the UK based all over the country.  Syndicates normally cost around £1,000 and upwards per year depending on the horse.

Syndicates I recommend:
For the Flat:
  • Inside Track ... Inside Track Racing Club with Jim Boyle (Epsom) & Roger Teal (Great Shefford)
  • Excel Racing... Excel Racing with Marco Botti (Newmarket) Ed Walker (Lambourn) & lots more.
  • Middleham Park... Middleham Park with Richard Hannon, Clive Cox and more.
  • Dream Racing... Dream Racing with Mick Appleby.
For the Jumps:


Being an owner of any kind at the races, is always a lovely experience.  You always have an Owners and Trainers bar / area often with a food voucher for a meal, Kempton is exceptional for their meal service and Sandown is my personal favourite track.. your owners badge entitles you to visit any area on the racecourse and of course, entry to the paddock before the race and finally, the winners enclosure.


Hope I have encouraged you to take the plunge into the beautiful world of horse racing, you don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy the benefits of ownership.  I've been very lucky to have had horses run at small meetings to Ascot and even the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket, the main point is to enjoy your race days!

 Good Luck and see you at the races!

Evie xxx




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