Diary of a Novice Racehorse Owner - Part 1

She's got a lovely head, hasn't she? The trainer Jamie says, I assume rhetorically.

I squint at the mare in front of me, poking its head out of the stable ruminating thoughtfully, put my head on one side, and think of a few adjectives I would use to describe it. Brown? Furry? 

Certainly, there's an air about the animal that she knows more than me… in the area of making aesthetic judgements over equine body parts, she almost certainly does. 

I'm assuming that this is one of the many things I will learn somewhere along the way on my first journey into racehorse ownership.

Maybe it's happening quicker than I thought as when, on the stable tour, we get round to the stable which contains Our Reward.

This is the beast I am now the proud owner of a tiny fraction of (people say they have a “leg in a horse” if they have a quarter don't they? If that's the case I possibly have an ear of one).

I can't help but notice a certain set to the jaw, a disdain for rivals in his fringe perhaps? 

A thousand-yard gaze that tells of the supreme ability, skill, and guts that he will be putting in to win his races. I hope it does anyway.

There's no way to tell though, because at the moment he is untried on a racecourse under the rules of racing. 

Apart from two outings in the provincial rural surroundings of the Irish point-to-point scene (where he acquitted himself well by all accounts), he has yet to face down a rival. 

He's an unopened Schroedinger's Box, he could equally be nothing or anything, future Cheltenham Gold Cup winner or selling plater at Catterick or anywhere in between. 

That is something I was definitely looking for in this foray into pouring money into what is, essentially, a huge indulgence. 

I wanted to at least be able to dream about the best races for a while.

Huge indulgence it most certainly is.

I'm not rich enough to throw money at things without serious thought and the money for getting involved has been set aside for some time waiting for the right opportunity.

But it is still somewhat galling to think that the up-front payment and monthly fees for (what is hopefully) a successful 5(ish) year career amount to about the same as a new small car. 

Well, my car is second hand but my horse is shiny and new. I have my priorities spot on here, don't I?

The right opportunity came along via EPDS racing, a syndicate run by John Powell in his spare time. 

Well, I say run in his spare time, from my dealings with him it appears that he does his day job in his spare time as the organisation required to run 17 (at current count) individual partnerships in racehorses and successfully look after a 2-month-old baby seem to be 2 full time jobs already! 

The partnerships seem to be predominantly made up of people like me, with a small amount of spare cash but a huge amount of passion for racing. 

It's a good set up and it really suits me.

Our Reward eyeing me with some suspicion. Thousand-yard gaze in evidence.

So, what of the horse? He's in training with Jamie Snowden, ex-assistant to Nicky Henderson no less, who is only a few seasons into his career but has already had his first Cheltenham Festival winner with Present View. 

Jamie is incredibly personable and the yard is welcoming and homely (and seem to have good coffee on the go constantly judging by my two visits so far… essential fuel for me), and they are building up a bit of an operation quietly in the heart of National Hunt training AKA the Valley of the Racehorse AKA Lambourn in West Berkshire. 

Thus far Our Reward does “everything asked of him”, that sounds promising to me. I assume he is mainly asked to run up the Lambourn gallops and jump a few training hurdles rather than advanced algebra, but I will confirm this on subsequent visits.

He will have his debut in the next few weeks in a National Hunt Flat race somewhere… which will hopefully tell us a lot more about the level of ability he has.

I haven't a clue what to expect from this experience, but whatever happens, I plan to keep this blog updated with news as and when it happens.

It's all very exciting.