Successful in the JCB Triumph Hurdle on just the second public appearance of his life over obstacles, the Nicky Henderson‐trained four‐year‐old may not have been the choice of most punters as he scored at 20‐1, but the son of Derby hero Motivator showed plenty of mettle as he overcame a bad mistake at the first flight to work his way back into contention and on to victory.
Pentland Hills, bought out of the Newmarket yard of Chris Wall after a successful career on the Flat, is the 31st horse to run in the colours of the Owners Group, a project set up five years ago by the same organisation behind the successful Elite Racing Club and Axom syndicates.
The idea behind the Owners Group is to offer genuine ownership at the lowest possible cost level, hence the big number of shareholders, each of whom paid £57 to cover the initial purchase and for a year’s training costs.
Clearly, none of those involved can expect to return a big profit upon their investment, even with that Triumph Hurdle success in the bank, but each of those 3000 owners will now at least get a decent portion of their 2020 costs covered, as well as having experienced the excitement of being able to genuinely say ‘I own that horse’ at an iconic sporting event.
“Clearly the Elite Racing Club has been a huge success and continues to prove very popular, but it is a racing club rather than offering actual ownership,” explained racing manager Dan Downie.
“We sat down and tried to come up with something that would enable people to be real owners at as low a cost as possible and our first horse was Sound Investment, who won the Grade 3 Greatwood Gold Cup in his first season in our ownership, so that was a really good start.
“Since then we’ve had a number of really successful performers in the Owners Group colours, but Pentland Hills was our first Grade 1 winner.
“Obviously we were able to have some of the owners with us in the winner’s enclosure, but as soon as the entry was made for the Triumph Hurdle at the end of January, some others stepped in to buy tickets just in case, so there was a good number of happy owners all around the course.
“The main thing is getting the communication right – sending everyone email and video updates and giving all of the owners as much information as possible.
“A weekly email goes out with all of the news, along with a monthly print newsletter full of photos; text messages whenever their horse gets an entry; videos and anything else, as well as the chance to visit the stables.”
The make‐up of the Owners Group is understandably different to other similar groups, and Downie sees it as an opportunity to help those involved who might follow racing, but not fully understand the sport.
“We are a diverse group and we have learnt a little as we have gone along, but the main thing is to make the experience as enjoyable and stress‐free for the owners,” he says.
“I think if maybe you follow racing, but aren’t involved in it, you possibly don’t realise the number of horses who never even make it to the track. The key is just to be totally honest and upfront and keep everyone informed. The triumphs are even better if you understand the potential pitfalls that have to be navigated in order to get there.”
As for Pentland Hills himself, Aintree’s Grand National meeting could be the next target, once trainer Nicky Henderson has seen how he has come out of his Cheltenham exertions.
“He had a touch of ringworm and was a little late going to Nicky’s in the winter, so it took a little while to get going with him, but it has certainly been worth the wait,” adds Downie. “We’ll see what everyone thinks and have a chat with the trainer next week but the main thing is to do what’s right for the horse.
