Making a syndicate
If, like me, you’ve never been to a racing yard before, it can be difficult to imagine how it feels to be the owner of a racehorse. “That’s exactly why I wanted to launch this syndicate,” says syndicate director Ian Fogg (Foggy to his friends). “Not everyone can experience how it feels to own a racehorse, but I wanted to create this programme to give more people the opportunity to do just that.” Paul agrees. “We’re hoping that Ditcheat Thoroughbreds is an affordable way for people to become involved in racing,” he says. “Foggy’s been wanting to do this for a while. It was just by chance that some horses came up for sale in the summer that I thought would be ideal and it’s gone from there.” Shares in the Ditcheat Thoroughbreds syndicate start at £6,450 (and a payment of £3,500 per share for the second season) – a snip of the price when you consider that a horse may fetch over £100,000 in a sale ring – and include entry to race meets, access to the paddock and, perhaps most importantly, being able to see the horse at Paul’s yard. The 10 syndicate horses are dotted around Paul’s stables (where Clifford Baker is head lad and Harry Derham is assistant trainer), and are all incredibly friendly. A bay gelding called Orbasa belonging to the syndicate pokes his nose over his stable door and immediately starts nuzzling into my coat. I can see why people might be tempted. “There’s always such a good atmosphere,” says Nick Scholfield, one of Paul’s top jockeys. “The Ditcheat Thoroughbreds syndicate has done really well already and they always seem to have fun, whatever the result. “I’ve been fortunate to ride a couple of winners for them already and it was such a thrill.”