FROM time to time racing throws up a fairytale story of a horse picked up for small money who proved to be the bargain of a lifetime.

Hewick sets the standard these days, but even he took 15 runs before he won a race. Recent Listowel winner Tell The Boys is well ahead of that schedule. She cost only €1,000, has won two of her first six races, collecting almost €20,000 in prize money and a further €12,500 in Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies Bonuses.

A black filly by Maxios, Tell The Boys was bought by her trainer Declan Queally for the minimum bid in July 2025 at Tattersalls Ireland. The story goes that it was lunchtime and the ring had gone a little quiet.

At the time, Declan was training The Big Doyen for the Money for Jam Syndicate. Another inexpensive purchase - this time by Peter Fahey - The Big Doyen had given the syndicate some great days around the country, before being retired from racing in late 2025.

Syndicate manager Rob Fuller did not want the syndicate to disperse, so when Declan mentioned he had an untried filly available for just €1,000, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“When I got the bill from Tattersalls, there was an option to nominate her for the Bonus Scheme for an extra €300,” recalls Rob. “The lads told me to go ahead and tick the box. At the time, I thought we could only win one bonus, but now we’ve won two! The great thing is that there are no deductions from the Bonus Scheme - you get the whole lot.”

Bonus

Irish-bred fillies nominated to the Bonus Scheme earn an extra €7,500 for their owners when they win a selected race, and they can still win a second and third bonus (€5,000 each time) under different codes.

Tell The Boys’ most recent win was in a Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction & Median Maiden Hurdle, also open to geldings, and was getting weight from all the other runners. Rob continued: “I would definitely recommend to owners that they should consider buying a filly to race. You’re getting 7lb from geldings, there’s the Bonus Scheme, and there are also lots of auction races these days restricted to cheaper horses. Typically, you don’t get runners from the big yards in those races.”

There are “16 or 18 lads” in the syndicate, says Rob, who is from Nurney in Co Kildare and works in finance in Dublin. “I am particular enough about who I let in. They have to understand that things can go wrong with horses. We never spend ridiculous money on a horse and we are getting great craic out of it. Some people think racehorse ownership is a rich man’s game - I wouldn’t agree with that at all. Training fees are around €1,500 a month. I know things are tight for people at the moment, but if you have at least 10 in the syndicate it’s not too much of a luxury and the memories you will make are priceless.”

Full of praise

Rob is full of praise for Declan. “He makes it very exciting for us, sending us voice notes and WhatsApp updates. I didn’t know Declan very well when we bought the filly, so when he told me she was going well at home I didn’t know what to think. He would text me things like ‘Tell the boys, she’s good’ or ‘Tell the boys, she won a schooling race by 15 lengths’, so that’s how she got her name. There’s no bull with Declan - he tells it like it is, which is very important for a small syndicate.”

Tell The Boys won a Listowel bumper by 14 lengths in May - her third start - and she was back in the Listowel winner’s enclosure last month, when winning a maiden hurdle. Bred by Stephanie Hanly, Tell The Boys is from the prolific Lucky Baloo family, which has also produced high-class chaser Oscar Whisky. She is starting to look like a valuable broodmare herself.

“That’s something I might be interested in doing when she’s finished racing,” says Rob. “National Hunt pedigrees are a bit of a lottery. I grew up next door to Aidan Sexton’s Sweep Lane Stud and have been going in there since I was a child, so I have an interest in breeding. It’s another way to get into racing.”

Whatever the future holds, the Money for Jam Syndicate have already had more than their money’s worth, and Declan Queally will no doubt keep telling the boys exactly how it is.