Can you put a name and face on who is behind the club?

LECH Racing Club is run by myself Lawrence Eke (LE) and my business partner (Chris Hurley (CH).

You are based in England but why did you pick Ireland for your club with Joseph O’Brien traning?

We both spent a lot of time in Ireland, as our previous company worked with DAA at Dublin Airport, Aer Lingus and Ryanair. So we have good Irish friends and contacts, and it’s quicker to get to Dublin than Birmingham if you live in Brighton!

From a racing perspective we think Irish racing offers better prize money than British racing and the standards of training and veterinary care are the best in the world.

As a trainer Joseph shares our ethos of not rushing horses to the track and giving them time to grow and develop into mature athletes.

For communication we get video or other media each week for each horse and this helps maintain a great connection between our members and the horses in training.

Who selected the horses?

Grandmaster Flash was bought at Tattersalls in October 2017. I picked him out on pedigree and when we got to the sales Steve Hillen and Joseph Tuite gave him the run over on physical and liked him. When it came to bidding Steve was invaluable as he instinctively knew how much to bid to secure him.

He has now won his last two races and will go to Lingfield on Good Friday for the Marathon race.

Time To Burn is a three-year-old Bobby’s Kitten filly out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare. I bought the mare in foal in July 2017 and she is now at Castlehyde Stud, where Joe Hernan has fallen in love with her!

Time To Burn did her two-year-old prep with Mark Johnston and then we moved her to Joseph O’Brien just before Christmas. She has a powerful back end and on pedigree and physical looks like a six-furlong to one-mile horse.

Dirty Stopout is a three-year-old Motivator filly out of a sprinting mare. I knew the mare well as she was the first ever winner for Joseph Tuite and stayed sound throughout her racing career. Dirty Stopout has already shown she has all of the Motivator attitude and she completed her two-year-old prep with Archie Watson. We brought her over to Joseph in February this year and she is developing nicely.

Any interest in jumps?

We are primarily interested in flat racing, although as a dual-purpose trainer Joseph always has one eye on the jumps. With Grandmaster Flash, he has been schooled over hurdles already and he certainly has the stamina and pedigree to try him over hurdles if Joseph recommends it.

Can you give more detail on what clients get for their money – is it just ‘the experience’ or do they have equity in the horses?

LECH Racing Club members get a whole range of benefits; we tried to offer all the things that racing club members would expect (fees, veterinary costs, insurance etc) then some more on top.

One of the most popular things is the messenger group, where members share information, tips, stories and information about all races. We use the group to quickly disseminate video, pictures, interviews and other information. Between us we have had some nice tips come in already! When lockdown ends, the messenger group will allow us to quickly arrange and organise trips to the racecourse, stable visits and other social events.

LECH Racing Club members get a 90% share of all net prize money pro-rata, paid within 30 days of receipt. The model is a lease, rather than equity ownership, as we wanted to keep the price entry point affordable for more people.

Were you not tempted to wait until lockdown was over?

Despite the lockdown, April seemed a good time to launch. In particular because Grandmaster Flash is running in the valuable Marathon race, if he wins there will be a £1,930 payment to each member in month number 1, which will pay for the next six months fees.

Also after so long in lockdown, I think people want some enjoyment and things to look forward to in the future. So we have some nice staying handicaps in the planner for Grandmaster Flash and are looking at a race in Saratoga at the end of the summer if travel restrictions are lifted.

How did you get into racehorse ownership?

From my father Tony and grandfather Ricky.

What was your best day at the races and why?

My favourite has to be at Sandown on July 4th 2014. My first horse, Presburg, won a Class 3 handicap at 14/1 with Oisín Murphy riding out his claim. It was a lovely sunny day, with some great friends and Joseph Tuite (trainer), sipping champagne in the sun. Life doesn’t get any sweeter!

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

I’ve had great days at Leopardstown in particular, and the food at the Curragh is always superb.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Patience and love for horses.

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

I think generally owners like meeting people at the races, so any concierge or introduction service would be welcomed.

For syndicates and clubs I think where there is physical space, giving 20 badges per runner should be encouraged. I feel we should be trying to get more people racing as the more the merrier.

How do you think the current crisis will impact on racing in general and on ownership in particular?

I hope that in Ireland the industry is fairly robust and well supported, so I hope that ownership and racing in general will go on as before.

I fear that in Britain the funding model needs a radical overhaul as the industry will not survive on current prize money. It needs a 7-9% turnover levy as a minimum.

What can trainers or HRI do to encourage owners to keep horses in training at the moment?

I think maximising contact through good media collection and sharing is vital for trainers. Even the most technophobe person has been forced onto Zoom in this pandemic so there is no excuse! For HRI maintaining prize money levels is fundamental and sharing stories through their magazine keeps owners engaged.

What significance do your colours hold?

We wanted some colours easy to see in a busy race!

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

Normally we start with pedigree, then physical. However, for Baron Samedi I bought him as a foal on looks alone. I remember sitting at Tattersalls’ parade ring watching the foals go by, when one went past that looked like a yearling! He was too tall, all legs and by a really unpopular sire, so I followed him in and got him for 3,500gns. When some of the trainers saw him they christened him ‘the giraffe’, but he has now grown into his frame and is on the upgrade.

What horses do you currently have in training?

Grandmaster Flash, Time to Burn and Dirty Stopout for the LECH Racing Club and Baron Samedi we also own. We have some small shares of horses in Britain too with Joseph Tuite.

Have you any horses to look forward to? (i.e young/unbroken horses)

Apart from the racing club horses, we have a share in Shadow Angel in Britain, who is also shaping nicely.

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

I think some higher value claiming races and higher value maidens for sires with fees of less €20,000.

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

Definitely start with a syndicate or racing club first. It allows you to meet other people, get to learn about ownership and see what it is all about without a large outward investment.

My first involvement was with a 20th share and it was a great learning experience.

Lawrence Eke was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton.