Win a share in racehorse He's A Knowall in Herald competition with Old Gold Racing
IF you thought you had to be wealthy to own a racehorse, think again.
Under a scheme launched by Shipston-based company Old Gold Racing, you can part-own a racehorse for just £60.
What's more, OGR are offering Herald readers the chance to win one of six shares.
The business launched in December last year having raised £270,000 in a crowd-funding campaign and, despite Covid-19 and racing only being able to carry on behind closed doors, it has thrived.
CEO of OGR Ed Seyfried explained how it works. “We deliver the experience of owning real racehorses for a fraction of the normal price by syndicating very small shares to a wide audience. Typically an OGR horse will have around 2,000 owners paying £60 a year but with each owner feeling involved in their horse.”
Owners are given a welcome pack, digital updates via an app and can watch their horse race or visit them at their stables. As an owner you also share in the profits, with one of OGR’s horses, Darling Maltaix, having already made £17,000 in wins.
Starting with just one horse in training at the beginning of lockdown there are now six horses being made race ready of which Braqueur d’Or (Braq for short), Lady De Vega and latest addition He’s A Knowall are trained by local trainer Paul Webber at his stable, Cropredy Lawn, on the Warwickshire border just outside Cropredy.
Horses are very much in Ed Seyfried’s blood. His great-grandfather, Ronnie Holbech, owned horse Paladin which came third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1945. Ronnie was left ruing fate as the preceding two Gold Cups – when Paladin was in his prime – were called off because of war.
Speaking to the Herald, Ed joked: “Now I want to make good a historical injustice and have dreams of winning the Gold Cup.”
He continued: “After a friend gave me a share in a horse I realised you don’t have to have much to call a horse ‘mine’; there’s a real visceral, guttural feeling in owning a horse rather than just having a punt on one, and if it’s yours you’re really behind it.
“And that’s what OGR is about – we show everything that is going on behind the scenes. You’re paying £60 a year rather than £60,000 but you’re probably better informed than more wealthy owners who might get a call from the stables once a fortnight to say how their horses are doing. Through your smartphone we can make the racing experience dynamic for a fraction of the price. We can build a community of people who become racing buddies.”
Brand ambassador for Old Gold and ITV racing presenter Francesca Cumani thinks share ownership is a great way of debunking the elitism of the sport. She said: “There’s a perception that horse racing and ownership is for the extremely wealthy whereas this gives you a very affordable slice of the action. You can get involved and see the horses running and, in a normal year, visit the stables and see them run.
“For £60 a year it’s honestly a no brainer,” she added.
See the Herald printed edition for a chance to enter our competition to win a OGR share in He's A Knowall. Competition is open until 5th March.
About the horse
He’s A Knowall won effortlessly in his first and only race; a point-to-point bumper at Barbury Castle on good to soft conditions last December. The six-year-old is now the charge of Old Gold Racing and Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot winning trainer, Paul Webber.
Described as having ‘a real engine’ the impressive 16.3hh gelding is built for chasing and the plan is to see him make his official racing debut this spring.
He’s A Knowall’s relatives include Cheltenham Festival winners Paisley Park and Lord Windemere. Here’s hoping that one day, a Stratford Herald reader will be cheering home their very own Festival fancy!
