For most racing fans owning a horse is nothing but a pipedream.
The cost of purchasing one and then forking out a king’s ransom on training fees, vets’ bills and other associated expenses are insurmountable financial barriers for most of us mere mortals.
But a slew of new syndicates and racing clubs seem to be appearing. The Racing Post recently ran an excellent series of features examining the pros and cons of syndication. The motives for joining a syndicate are fascinating. Are people in it to make money? Are they after a bit of fun and a good day out? The fact is that syndication is allowing a growing band of racing fans to dip their toe into the waters of ownership for a variety of reasons.
However one racing club is setting out to do things slightly differently. The Kayf Aramis Racing Club is named after the 2009 Cheltenham Festival hero now trained by Nigel Twiston Davies at his Gloucestershire yard.
Kayf Aramis winning at York for the third time under Johnny Murtagh
The 10-year-old’s owner and breeder Isobel Phipps Coltman has worked tirelessly to set up the syndicate that has Kayf Aramis as its flagship horse but also includes two promising young animals from the same family, Zayfire Aramis and Berlayf Aramis.
Membership of the non profit-making club only costs £47.75 a year, or £3.97 a month, but Isobel stresses that it is not a money-making venture. She says it is more of a fan club as Kayf Aramis has become one of the those delightful animals that racing fans have become accustomed to watching year after year.
Isobel’s club simply aims to give people an awful lot of fun. But another nice twist is that a proportion of members’ subscriptions goes to ex-racehorse charity HEROS (Homing Ex-Racehorses Organisation Scheme).
Isobel says: “I started the club after the end of the last national hunt season.
“As far as I know it is different to any other racing club. I wanted to make it affordable to everyone and to give people a taster of racehorse ownership.
Berlayf Aramis
“I’ve been very lucky with Kayf Aramis. He used to pay for himself, otherwise I could not have raced him.
“HEROS is local to me and and I wanted to support an ex-racehorse charity.”
HEROS was set up to make sure racehorses have a future when they retire from the track. It believes these animals deserve a future and aims to rehome them with the right people.
The three syndicate horses are trained by Twiston Davies’s all-conquering yard and there is also a full sister to Kayf Aramis who will hopefully race next year too.
Kayf Aramis has won seven of his 77 races and more than £150,000 in prize money. Isobel says she needs a lot of members to make the club work but there is no upper limit on member numbers. She is also seeking patrons for the club.
You won’t get rich by joining the Kayf Aramis Racing Club but you might just be in for the thrill of your life.
For more details of the Kayf Aramis Racing Club go to http://www.kayfaramisracing.com/ or email info@kayfaramisracing.com
