WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING PARTNERSHIP & SYNDICATE FRIENDLY
Increasingly, many owners want to link up with others and own horses in partnerships or syndicates. The formal definitions of these can be found on the BHA’s web site, www.britishhorseracing.com, but essentially they are very similar, with the main difference being whether the members of the group are registered owners or not. Don’t worry, we can guide you through the formalities of registration and setting up these shared ownership structures. Rest assured, once the partnership is up and running, you and your co-owners can look forward to a really enjoyable time visiting the yard and the racecourse to follow the horse’s progress and share the pleasure and excitement of ownership. You’ll soon find that your co-owners become good friends, with a shared passion for the sport. If you don’t want to organise your own partnership or syndicate yourself, join one of our Martin Keighley Racing Partnerships or those of the professional syndicators, several of whom are supporters of the yard.
“I’ve been involved in about 100 horses during the last 12 years across all the different ownership structures, including sole, partnerships, syndicates and racing clubs. A friend of mine says that it is ‘an addiction with no known cure’, and he’s probably right. I couldn’t afford this level of involvement without linking up with co-owners, but just as importantly, I really enjoy active involvement with racing enthusiasts from all walks of life. There’s a great cameraderie in owning, and it’s splendid to find a family such as the Keighleys, who ensure that all owners gain the greatest possible pleasure from the sport. It’s essential to have complete openness and transparency so that everyone knows exactly what’s happening, particularly with costs, prize-money and the potential of the horse. It helps enormously that Martin and Belinda share these values and do everything they can to keep owners fully informed.”
Jon Hughes, Owners for Owners.
Taking the first step into racehorse ownership can initially appear quite daunting, and we genuinely believe that the role of the trainer in facilitating it is an important one. We set up the Martin Keighley Racing Club to help people take the first step on to the ownership ladder and it’s been very pleasing that a number of Club members have gone on to partnerships or syndicates. Every year we set up a number of Martin Keighley Racing Partnerships, usually with between five and ten members, with all the administration and day-to-day communication taken care of by one of our team. We believe we offer excellent value for money as well as an enjoyable ownership experience through an open access policy where our partnership and syndicate owners can visit the yard at any time to see their horses.
“All our family are keen National Hunt fans, so it was a great day for us when Martin and Belinda set up the Racing Club. We love the thrill of being up close and personal with the horses in the pre-parade ring and paddock, superceded only by the thrill of being in the winner’s enclosure! Via the Club we had the opportunity of becoming full owners and we have lived the dream with a roller-coaster of emotions, following Buckle Street from his great win in the Charity Race at York, to many other successes, to seeing our colours appear on various racetracks up and down the country and worn by the Champion Jockey, Richard Johnson. It’s not an over-statement to say that this has changed our lives. What a fantastic experience – we love the sport as owners and being with the Keighleys.”
Fiona Gamble, Hilz Long and Sheila Lindsay of The Condicote Clan.
Syndicates are the fastest growing ownership type, and we’re fortunate to have a number of the country’s “top ten” commercial syndicators involved with us in the yard. Several of our owners are active in the Racehorse Syndicates Association, with one on the committee and another the Chairman. They are striving to promote syndication and improve the overall professionalism of syndicators. We go out of our way to welcome syndicate managers and their owners, and work hard to ensure that they have regular communication through telephone calls, emails, photos, videos and social media groups such as What’s App. It’s important to keep everyone closely involved and fully up to date with everything that’s going on in the yard, as well as ensuring that the raceday experience is as good as it can be.
“Foxtrot have had a splendid run with their various horses and trainers recently, with lots of wins and a high strike-rate. It’s been great to maintain this momentum with our first horse at Martin’s. Solstice Star has won three out of his first four races for us, under the maestro that is Champion Jockey Richard Johnson. We have found the Keighley yard very syndicate-friendly, and have already had several well-attended visits. All my owners have enjoyed the experience visiting the beautiful and historic yard and excellent gallops and schooling facilities at Condicote. It’s been a great start, and long may it continue.”
Dan Abraham, Foxtrot Racing.
