The syndicate had success at the November Cheltenham meeting when their horse Hascoeur Clermont saw off a competitive field, which included the subsequent Becher Chase winner Chambard, to win an amateur jockeys’ handicap chase.

How did you get interested in racing and in ownership?

I always used to go racing when I was younger, whether it was Fairyhouse or Navan. You would always think that you might get a horse somewhere along the line. We got a gang of local lads together that all had a similar interest in getting a horse and that was the start of it, really.

So, tell us about Hascoeur Clermont. How did the syndicate come to buy him?

We originally had a horse named Echo Gate with Gavin Cromwell. Now, he wasn’t great so we moved him on. Gavin said there was another horse in the yard if we were interested. A couple of lads didn’t stay on, but we made up the numbers and took a chance on him. It wasn’t as if he was an old horse and his form wasn’t too bad either, so we took a chance on him and we have been lucky enough with him.

He won in Galway on the October bank holiday weekend. You all must have been delighted with that.

Well, the way he was running before that, you would be thinking if we won once with this lad we would be delighted. But he liked the ground that day and Keith was brilliant on him. To win in Galway was great. If we never won another race after that we would have still been happy..

Then it was decided to head to Cheltenham in November. What were the confidence levels heading over there?

Yeah, there weren’t many races for him at that stage at home so Gavin decided to have a cut at that race in Cheltenham with him. The conditions of the race and the trip suited him so we were happy to have a go at it. He got into the race on the Thursday and Gavin thought that the horse was going very well.

How did you think the race panned out?

I thought he would be placed but to win was incredible. The way he won in Galway was impressive but Cheltenham is something else. With a circuit to go, we were unsure if he was going to be able to keep at it. But he did. Even after jumping the last, he was never headed. Fair play to him, he showed great battle and toughness to keep going.

He had a Kim Muir winner behind him in Chambard, who has since come out and won very well over the Grand National fences. If you finish ahead of him, regardless of weight or whatever, you know you must have a decent horse.

He could be a horse that has the quality to go to some of the bigger spring festivals, is that fair to say?

Yeah, for a horse who was racing off 105 just a few months ago, the improvement he has shown has been amazing. It’s like he’s after figuring it out and the penny has dropped. To improve so much and to win like he did in Cheltenham, it was incredible.

Tell us about Gavin Cromwell, He is a man who earned his seat at the top table among Irish trainers and is now well-established among them.

Ah, he is incredible. There is no nonsense at all with him. He is very straightforward. He is thinking ahead the whole time. His staff are incredible. If you can train a horse to win at Royal Ascot and a horse to win the Stayers’ Hurdle, that takes some doing. His communication is brilliant as well. Any time you need a question answered or need to pop into the yard, he is more than accommodating.

It is no surprise he has gone from what he had a few years ago to what he has now. It’s such a professional outfit. What he can do with a horse that didn’t cost that much is incredible. Look at all the winners he has for syndicates. The Flooring Porter story, for example, it’s just incredible. Anyone can win races with expensive horses but Gavin can win races with these horses that only cost him a couple of thousand. I suppose he just has an eye for it.

Are there any plans at the moment to go again in terms of buying another horse?

It’s a very tight-knit group. I think that group will stick together and we will probably always have a horse. Hascoeur Clermont is only turning seven now so he isn’t that old. I think we are happy enough with him at the moment. We will probably get another horse at some stage but will we get another one as good as him? I’m not too sure.

How have you found the race day experience as an owner? Is there anything that can be improved upon?

No, we are quite happy. When we went to Cheltenham, that was just on a different level in terms of hospitality and getting around the place and all that. It was just brilliant.

There is probably a gulf between the top tracks and the smaller ones. Overall, the facilities are good. Some of the tracks could be improved upon but that just takes a bit of investment. You know, the money that is behind Cheltenham is incomparable with some of the smaller tracks here. But they’re all great spots when you have a winner at them!

What advice would you have for someone who is looking to get involved in ownership?

I suppose a lot of it is about luck and being in the right place at the right time. You know, if Echo Gate was any good we probably wouldn’t have bought this lad. It worked out well for us. Also, try to talk to someone who is heavily involved in racing and get as much advice as you can.

We thought initially we could do it all ourselves, but you really need someone sharp to help you out. If you can get a trainer and tell them your budget, they’ll give you the best advice that you can get. They deal with horse and owners every day so they know what kind of horse you can get and they will help you out.