When Subway Surf returned to the winner’s enclosure at Ascot on Saturday after finishing third in the closing National Hunt Flat race, among those waiting to welcome him back were Carol Vorderman and Mindy Hammond, both of whom are part of the Surf On The Turf syndicate set up by Bailey’s syndicate manager Peter Kerr.
Also part of the throng was Mindy’s husband, Richard, of Top Gear and The Grand Tour fame. But this time the cameras were all pointed firmly towards Subway Surf, who did not let any of them down, given that she was carrying a weight penalty for her debut success at Ludlow.
Bailey takes up the Subway Surf story, saying: “I bought the horse last year and Carol and Mindy were both very keen on getting involved – originally I think they were going to buy it themselves, but eventually we decided to make up a partnership.
“If you spend a long time trying to marry people up too carefully, it never seems to work, so this group came together rather randomly, but Carol was great at Ascot, chatting away with all of her fellow owners, some of whom she was meeting for the first time – of course, Ascot is a great place to take owners and they were all well looked after, which always helps.
“She hadn’t been able to get to Ludlow, but she seemed to enjoy herself, and hopefully Subway Surf will give them some nice days in the future. He won’t run over hurdles until next season, but he might run once more in another bumper.”
Vorderman’s Twitter account certainly suggested that she’d enjoyed the experience, the TV and media personality saying she was “ooh so happy” with the run.
She told the Racing Post: “It doesn’t get any better than Ascot and that was amazing. It’s the first time I’ve seen her race, and isn’t she beautiful? I’ve had interests in other horses with Kim Bailey but this one looks like she could be quite good.”
Bailey, whose excellent website gives details of how his partnerships are put together, describes taking a pro‐active approach towards encouraging groups to own shares in his horses as having been “a major success”.
“The important thing is that a person with a 10% share gets the same treatment as anyone else,” he said. “They can come down to the yard whenever they want to see their horses and it gives people the chance to get involved for a much smaller cost if they’re finding their way into ownership. We have an owner in the yard who began with one 10% share and now has five horses of their own, so it does work.
“I employ Peter to help run the syndicates so that those involved can always have a direct point of contact and he can work out exactly what is the right thing for them.”
Kerr has been involved in syndicate ownership for over 25 years, formerly working for Peter Harris – a pioneering trainer in the field – and Walter Swinburn.
“A lot of our owners will have bought a number of shares over the years, but we are always trying to find new people to get involved,” he said.
“There is a lovely set‐up here at Thorndale Farm and plenty of space for owners to roam around and not feel like they are getting in the way – they will always be made welcome and that’s important.
“Most of the partnerships are made up of 10 members – many more than that and I don’t feel that people always get the full experience as an owner when they go racing.
“There are people involved who, perhaps, have the financial means to buy and own a horse for themselves, but prefer to be part of a number of partnerships, because they get more out of sharing the experience with others.”
Whether Vorderman’s renowned head for figures will see her become involved with other future ownership ventures remains to be seen, but with her fellow Subway Surfers and Bailey looking out for her, she’s clearly in good company for now.
For all details on all forms of ownership with Kim Bailey or any queries surrounding ownership click here.
