How did you get into racehorse ownership?

I’ve been passionate about horse racing from a young age and a few years ago created a social hashtag hour on Twitter with my good friend Diarmuid Nolan for people to discuss all things racing.

The Twitter #racehour become an extremely popular hour every Sunday night for followers to advertise, engage and talk horses. At this time we also created a racing website together with a bloggers’ network covering all aspects of the sport.

Zoe Winston, Gordon Elliott’s racing secretary, started to write a weekly blog about Gordon Elliott Racing which went viral across the social networks overnight.

I had often dreamed about the idea of creating an affordable racing club and after several weeks of discussion with Zoe, followed by a visit to Cullentra, we launched the club with the ambition to give everyone in both Ireland and Britain a chance to experience this wonderful sport.

It was an amazing experience to be given this opportunity – what surprised me most was how friendly the staff were and they really went out of their way to make me and my family feel at home.

I’m from a design background and have my own website and digital media business working with various trainers across Ireland and Britain.

I help Zoe manage the racing club in my spare time and have more recently designed Gordon’s new main website.

Zoe has been involved in racing all her life and is the daughter of trainer Ferdy Murphy, now based in France. Having previously ridden out, worked in many yards and trained her own pointers, she has now settled into life in the office at Cullentra and lives in the yard as well as keeping all her own horses. As well as general office duties, Zoe manages Gordon’s app, website and social media channels. Zoe and Olly (Murphy) also run the syndicates in the yard.

Olly is the son of trainer Anabel Murphy and bloodstock agent Aiden Murphy and has been involved in racing all his life. He started as assistant trainer to Gordon in 2012 and as well as working in the yard and office daily he has a strong interest in the bloodstock side of things and buys many of our horses.

Between the three of us we hope to give members plenty of fun as the club is still in its infancy; this is our first racing club and we hope to impress!

What was your best day at the races and why?

Our first winner for the racing club was Faraway Mountain at Perth (June 2016)

He was then an eight-year-old gelding, is by Indian Haven and was ridden by champion jockey Richard Johnson, getting the racing club off to a flyer!

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

I have always found most Irish racecourses have supported the club well; picking a personal favourite, it would be Downpatrick Racecourse.

The staff at Downpatrick have always gone totally out of their way to ensure every one of our members feels like they own the horse.

We had one of our first club events at Downpatrick and had access to a private room with food and drinks. Over 50 people attended and all members were allowed access in the parade ring and were greeted with open arm by the management team.

I have also had similar experiences at Navan, Punchestown and Fairyhouse but still believe many others are still playing catch up.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Gordon’s reputation speaks for itself; it’s by far the biggest attraction to the racing club! He always finds time to be present at the club’s open days and to say hello to members regardless of his extremely busy schedule.

The staff at the yard are the best in the country and support the club in every way; the club open days really are an experience to soak up the atmosphere with fellow racing fans and watch the horses out on the gallops.

Since we launched the club last year, it has gone from strength to strength with a huge social media following and the feedback and support from both members and the industry has been overwhelming.

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

If each racecourse were to operate at least one shared ownership group of their own or partnership with a club or syndicate this would self-help for field sizes, which drive many of the racecourses’ revenue streams.

In addition, such an initiative would provide a range of further benefits – working with local trainers, engaging with the local community enabling ownership opportunities to be promoted directly by the racecourse and any ambassadors that they install.

I have seen this develop in Britain more recently and feel it will have a huge benefit in Irish racing. It’s all about engaging people and giving them an amazing experience.

The benefits of Horse Racing Ireland’s €100 million Racecourse Capital Development Fund is starting to be seen around the country and more is to come over the next couple of years.

Downpatrick was one of the first to offer each owner with a runner a complimentary lunch and, in the last couple of years, Leopardstown, Gowran Park, Fairyhouse, Ballinrobe, Cork and other Irish racecourses have introduced similar offerings.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

Gordon and Olly purchase all the club’s horses so we are in the best hands. The club horses are aimed at being progressive and to give members plenty of fun along the way.

What horses do you currently have in training?

Dawerann is an eight-year-old son of Medicean proving to be a lovely laid-back sort; he really took his move to the yard well and settled in very quickly. He is living in the woodchip paddocks and seems to love it.

After a small break he is getting closer to an entry. He has done very well for his break and already proved to be a great addition to the club, winning earlier in the season.

Our four-year-old filly Loose Ends by Authorized has recently moved from the fields of Cullentra to Emily McMahon’s in Lambertsown Stud.

When she was first turned out at Cullentra she established herself as the boss of the pack and was thriving. However, as more horses were turned out she got put down the ranks by some of the other horses and she didn’t like it one bit so a move to Lamberstown where there are fewer horses will ensure she enjoys the remainder of her break.

Gordon will make a decision after Cheltenham on when she will return into training.

Station Closed is very straightforward and an ideal dual purpose filly, a nine-year-old mare by Kutub, a cheap purchase whom Gordon thinks we can improve.

She just needs the better ground which hopefully we will get in the coming weeks, she also may go across the water in search of good ground, which is great news for our UK members.

She could be ideal for Perth so we hope for plenty of club representatives at Gordon’s favourite track when the time comes!

Urtheoneiwant is a seven-year-old mare by Kayf Tara. Currently rated 114, she will continue to run over hurdles and then progress to chasing. There’s no rush at all with her and she will run throughout the back end of spring and the summer. She too is likely to travel for good ground.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

In addition to the added work in both the yard and the office leading up to Cheltenham it will be a quiet time for the racing club.

We run the clubs horses on a regular basis throughout the year and often refresh them with a view in mind of the season’s racing conditions. The next campaign will start when the weather improves.

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

Improving the allocation of badges with racing clubs, partnerships and syndicates and improving the lack of flexibility on racecourse policies. The current badge allocation policies should allow a larger proportion involved in shared ownership an opportunity to see their horse run without paying admission fees. It can prove very difficult, especially on the bigger race days and Saturday meetings, to obtain additional badges.

We have worked closely with Horse Racing Ireland’s initiative the Go Racing Student Society who have been made members of the club. The Go Racing Student Society builds on the growing interest in horse racing among students and create opportunities to experience the sport in greater depth, going behind the scenes at racecourses and breeding and training establishments. I believe more initiatives like this will help educate young people longterm to understand racing and will potentially attract new fowners to embrace the sport.

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

To me it’s all about clear communication from the start, we have the rules in place to help guide people in the right direction in accordance with Horse Racing Ireland guidelines.

One of our biggest club values is to ensure fun is very high on the agenda, so stable visits and social events provide great opportunities for members to socialise and network. It’s all about enjoying the experience of ownership. Clubs and syndicates offer an affordable way of dipping your toe in the water before committing to the costs of actual racehorse ownership.

The members’ page on our website is crucial to this as it allows us to give regular weekly updates on all our horses. Members have their own private Facebook group and we post regular updates on social media channels.

We are all very proud of the Gordon Elliott Racing Club and we are open to accepting new members.

No matter where you are based there is always a chance of owning and watching a Gordon Elliott runner. Come and join us.

Dean Walker was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton

The Association of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO) have secured agreement with the Association of Irish Racecourses for free admission to 107 race meetings in 2016 for owners who currently have a horse in training.