Walter back in business

FoRMER trainer Walter Swinburn is making a comeback to front-line racing with the launch of his own londonbased ownership initiative. The three-time Derby-winning jockey already has West Ham united owner David Sullivan on board and feels there remains ‘untapped potential’ among prospective owners in the capital.

The new venture has made a successful start with Marco Botti-trained two-year- old Miss atomic Bomb, bought by Swinburn and running in Sullivan’s Roldvale colours, winning at Wolverhampton last week.

Swinburn, who now lives in london and has assembled a team of experts to work with him, will be bidding for more horses at Tattersalls Sales in Newmarket next week.

Swinburn (below), who rode Risky to win the 1993 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal ascot for Sullivan, said: ‘This new venture is the culmination of a long-term plan. I was even thinking about it before I finished training at the end of 2011.

‘I have met a number of people who are keen to get involved. all syndicates will be small and restricted to only four people and, as a gesture to show goodwill, I will retain a quarter share in the first six horses we buy. That is the case with Miss atomic Bomb. David has half, a Malaysian businessman and myself a quarter each.

‘owners will name the horse and choose the colours but I also really want to introduce them to the real racing experience — starting with the theatre of the sales ring.

‘I want to keep the syndicates small because I have seen how they can become too unwieldy when they are larger.’

Swinburn says Newmarket-based Botti will be the trainer of all the horses he sources for the new venture.

The former jockey quit training in Hertfordshire after his former fatherin-law and major owner Peter Harris dispersed his entire racing stock.

Swinburn added: ‘ I have kept involved with the sport through my family’s Genesis Green Stud. Now I am ready to throw myself i nto this project and I am very excited by it.’ SI R Mark Prescott’s Pallasator is i nto 8-1 co-favourite with Coral for tomorrow’s Cesarewitch at Newmarket after being handed a favourable draw position in stall seven. He is bracketed with both Domination and Tiger Cliff, whose odds have eased after being allocated less

favourable stalls.