How did you get into racehorse ownership?

Previously I was in a small syndicate which had an unsuccessful horse and that put me off for a while but then my father-in-law, Sean Conlon, pulled together the Acorn Syndicate and we got Paper Lantern through Karl Thornton. Honestly the success we have had with him in such a short period has been amazing, but I am not naive enough to think it is always like this; there are plenty of owners out there that don’t even get three runs never mind three wins in the time it has taken Paper to win his races this year.

The syndicate is made up of 20 members, mainly based in the Armagh area. I am from Down and there’s a couple of boys from Tyrone and one from Louth. As with a lot of syndicates there’s a bar owner involved; the bar is Mc Kenna’s Bar in the Shambles in Armagh run by Frankie Mc Kenna, there’s been a right few meetings and celebrations there.

There are a few family members in it and the rest are friends of ours and friends of theirs.

Most of the syndicate are racing fans but some are just in it for the fun. There’s a few of us that are regular racegoers, myself and two others have been going to Cheltenham for 13 or 14 years and are regulars at Leopardstown and Punchestown also. There’s also regular Fairyhouse goers, all mainly National Hunt.

What was your best day at the races and why?

I don’t have a single best day there are perhaps a few. Obviously the first race that Paper won for us in Fairyhouse on February 4th this year was a great day, especially as, if truth be told be told, we thought he was really up against it that day.

Otherwise I particularly enjoyed being at Cheltenham for Kauto Star winning the 2009 Gold Cup and Hurricane Fly winning the 2013 Champion Hurdle; both were returning with questions to answer and they both answered them magnificently.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

To be honest I haven’t experienced a lot of drawbacks so far with being an owner. I have to say we are enjoying the time.

In your experience, which racecourse in Ireland treats owners the best and why?

Fairyhouse has excellent facilities as does Leopardstown and it’s hard to separate those two, but then they have the resources to treat owners well.

Flat or jump racing, which do you prefer and why?

Definitely jump racing. The main reason is probably that you can grow to have a connection with horses. You know that, with fitness on their side, you will see a horse on a track for four, five maybe more years. With flat racing a lot of the more successful horses are sent to stud after one or two years.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

That they can win races. We looked at a few different trainers and Karl was up there with the best of them for the number of winners per run and per horse. He does a fantastic job with the small number of horses that he has in training. As we were a new syndicate we also wanted a smaller yard so that we wouldn’t get lost among the larger owners. Karl gives you the time and advice that you need. You also get the biscuits and tea around the kitchen table!

What improvements would you like to see racecourses in Ireland do for owners?

A lot of the racecourses could provide better facilities for light snacks or refreshments for owners, especially those that travel quite a distance. In Britain I have been told that a lot of the racecourses treat owners significantly better than here in Ireland, some even offering overnight accommodation for owners and trainers.

How do you feel owners are treated when not having a winner?

I think owners are treated fine when not having a winner. I don’t really see what losing owners should expect; you’ve lost the race, would a representative from the racecourse saying hard luck and giving you a hug help? I don’t think so.

What significance do your colours hold?

There’s no real significance with the colours. We just wanted to pick something that would be easily recognised on the course.

How did your syndicate get its name?

The name came about from our hope that great oaks come from acorns, so hopefully our syndicate with be able to grow into an oak in the sense that we have more success and in time possibly more horses.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

We don’t. We in the syndicate know that while we have a love for racing we don’t have a real eye for a good racehorse. We leave that to the professionals.

What horses do you currently have in training?

At the minute we have Paper Lantern. The way he has been performing he has been keeping us busy so he will do us for a while.

What’s next on the agenda for your horse?

We would like to get another run into Paper Lantern before the ground turns. He loves soft ground so if we could get the ground at Fairyhouse at Easter we will run him, if not we will let him rest up for the summer.

What would help to make Irish racing more competitive for the smaller owner/trainer?

The new initiatives from HRI should help the smaller trainer/owner by providing more races with increased prize money for lower to middle grade horses but the flip side to this is that this might encourage more of the owners from the UK over, as we’ve seen with the increased prize fund for the Irish Grand National this year. This isn’t an entirely bad thing but it makes it harder for the small yards to get a big success, but, at the end of the day, if the horses in the yard are good enough they will get their wins.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a racehorse owner?

Be in it for the fun, don’t expect to get winners and make money. We have been extremely lucky, as well as with all Karl’s hard work, that Paper Lantern has performed so well for us and has remained injury free and long may it continue.

Paul Byrne was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton