Harness opportunity
Wimmera harness-racing fans have a chance to get directly involved in the sport by buying a share in a horse as part of a special one-offpayment syndicate offer.
Horsham and District Harness Racing Club is inviting people to take up shares in Horsham Pacing Syndicate for ‘promising’ four-year-old gelding Sulem Joey.
The club is offering 40 by 2.5-percent shares for a one-off payment of $400 in an effort to encourage more people to get involved in the sport.
Syndicate manager Darryl Edwards said the syndicate had leased Sulem Joey, owned by Terry Lewis and trained by internationally renowned Kerryn Manning of Great Western, for three years.
Mr Edwards said long-term harness-racing insiders such as Justin Lane, Rod Carberry and Manning had cast a critical eye over Sulem Joey, out of Elsu from Game Opera, and listed it as having ability and potential.
“The horse has been well bred and had all its critical checks and we’d expect it to be about eight weeks off racing,” he said.
“The idea is to provide a chance for the average person to get involved in harness racing in the cheapest way possible. A person can buy a share outright or it might involve two or three mates or a group sharing the cost. But the idea is to have a horse that people can watch and support.
“We’d expect it to run across western Victoria, which would allow syndicate members to support it locally. The key is to develop a social exercise from the project.”
Mr Edwards said word was spreading and there had already been 21 registrations of interest in the syndicate.
“It will be a case of first-in, best-dressed and we would like to have the shares sold within two to three weeks.”
Mr Edwards said the plan was to assess circumstances after the three-year lease when syndicate members would have an opportunity to either reinvest or walk away from the group.
People seeking further information can call Mr Edwards on 0428 500 194.