New syndicate based at Claire Hart Equine, near Blockley and Moreton-in-Marsh, hopes to attract more owners to point-to-point racing

THE 360 Racing Club is a syndicate with a difference. As well as having runners in points, it is involved under rules, with breeding (the mare Rosemary Russet is currently in foal to Planteur) and the Retraining of Racehorses, with Leith Hill Lad, part of a Mollington treble for Hart in 2015 and subsequently successful under rules, now involved in dressage and eventing.

Hart moved to her new yard at Hailstone Farm in the summer and her facilities include an outdoor school, where she takes five-year-old Myfanwy’s Magic through his paces. “He’s by (the Medician stallion) Mr Medici as Lady Myfanwy’s owner, the late Paul Miles, also had Findlay’s Find, who was by Medician,” she said.

“Paul’s wife, also named Myfanwy, sent him to us as a lovely big baby during lockdown to be broken in. He was for sale, but in lockdown, so he stayed and stayed. We all thought a lot of him, so I talked to Myfanwy Miles one day and at the end of the call, we’d bought a horse. He’ll start off under rules with Martin Keighley and hopefully go back and forth between that and pointing, as you can nowadays.”

The 360 Racing Club’s second pointer is Nickolson, trained by Julie Wadland. “She’s a good trainer, who produces a lot of winners,” said Miller. “Nickolson won a bumper and a hurdle for Olly Murphy.” But as Kate is keen to point out, the 360 Racing Club is not just about watching horses run. “It’s about the overall experience,” she says of the syndicate’s raison d’etre.

“From seeing the foals born, then being broken in as youngsters, watching them race, then staying with them in their new career when they retire from racing. We want to take people on the whole journey, be accessible, get as many involved as possible and see things they wouldn’t normally, all year round. We plan to have as many horses in training as membership allows, with a minimum of two in training at any time.”

So how exactly did the idea to launch the 360 Racing Club at Claire Hart Equine come about?

“We’d just bought Myfanwy’s Magic, had been doing some retraining and rehoming of racehorses who’d been with the likes of David Bridgewater and Neil Mulholland and were talking about syndicates,” said Miller.

Hart interjected at this point adding: “After retiring from riding, I wanted to stay involved, but do something different, not just the breaking-in, pre-training and training pointers I already offered, but breeding and rehabilitating ex-racehorses.

“We also want to make it inclusive for people who can’t afford a horse of their own or be involved in a smaller syndicate, and we want to educate people on the effort it takes to get horses to run. Myfanwy’s Magic is a perfect example of this – he’s not the most straightforward of horses, a bit of a character, and we want the club members to see that.

“Most people have never seen a racehorse being backed, long-reined or going through the stages of their education. It’s not all about race day – we’ll do different things, from yard visits and stable tours, to stud visits and schooling and training demonstrations.”

The 360 Racing Club costs £35 per month – people sign-up online at 360racingclub.co.uk and they get a month free if they pay for a year upfront. “It’s difficult to price,” admitted Miller, “but it’s effectively £1 per day, which makes it affordable, for a load of fun. We want to introduce our idea to a lot of people, so are looking to keep membership numbers fairly low, and it’s a not-for-profit club – all prize money will go back into the club pot and the more money we have, the more horses. I want people to be happy with what they pay because of the experience we offer.”

“If I phone Claire on a Friday and ask if five people want to come on Sunday to see Myfanwy’s Magic schooling, she’ll say yes – you can’t do that in a syndicate under rules. We want to keep group events small, so members get treated like owners and are given a premium experience.”

“For the fee, club members will get lots of online content,” added Hart, “Videos, classes, workshops – I’ve got plenty of ideas. There will obviously be regular e-newsletters and a dedicated members area on the website.

“And, as well as yard visits, all members will get free entry to the point-to-points where we have a runner – we’ll fund it ourselves if necessary. It’s terrible that pointing owners get nothing and have to pay to get in, then pay for a race card.”

She cites an example of when the Hart-trained Melekhov ran for a syndicate of ten, who also have horses under rules, at Cocklebarrow last season. “It’s got a heated marquee, which is one of the reasons so many people go, and it must pay for itself, but there was nothing for the owners, who couldn’t believe they had to pay for everything. Point-to-points need an owners’ area,” she said.

“The big thing is the experience on the day for owners,” Miller continued. “Prize money is less important – there’s not much difference between winning £250 and £350.” Hart agreed. “If I could, I’d just let my owners drive-in for free – it would be a good start to their day. I’d have a marquee with free drinks and snacks – I’d make the sandwiches myself if necessary. Something like that shouldn’t cost a sponsor more than about £1,000. We need to give them something better than standing in a muddy field,” she said.

Another factor that Hart and Miller believe is discouraging more owners from sending horses pointing is that there are too many opportunities for moderate horses in National Hunt racing.

Hart explained: “Horses that wouldn’t be able to go through the grades in points can make money in 0-100 races under rules. Nowadays, you need a 110-rated horse to win a Maiden and a 130-rated one to win an Open.

“We should grade some Conditions and Open races in point-to-points, for example for horses that have never reached a mark of 120 under rules. Horses running in points are often better than those at midweek National Hunt meetings.”

Having talked about the future, Hart reflected on the past. Her riding career lasted from 2001 to 2021, when she signed-off a few weeks after riding a final winner, at Charing on Midnight Chill following the resumption of pointing after lockdown.

When asked why she retired, Hart said: “I’d had an amazing weekend, riding at Aldington, Chaddesley Corbett and Edgcote – the most rides I’d had for ages. In my head, I’d already had enough – I didn’t want to get hurt any more. Plus, I had a business to run – I’d become a grown-up.”

When asked what she misses the most – and least – about being in the saddle, Hart said: “Most, the girls, the banter and the winning. I don’t miss the falls and the injuries.”

Her career highlight? “My hundredth career winner on Western Diva, owned by a family syndicate – it was very special and a milestone only I could have dreamt of,” she said.