How did you get into racehorse ownership?

It all started with off my father Francis who has had horses in training himself and also in partnerships when I was younger and always had a notion of breeding a winner himself. He managed to win with a filly he had bred, Some Fiddle, which was a great thrill and achievement in itself! That was the point where I really caught the bug for racehorses and ventured into ownership myself.

Over the years I would have family and friends asking how they can get involved in ownership. Through networking in racing and also having some success of buying and selling racehorses as pointers, the idea of Pioneer was formed with the main purpose being to have syndicates that could allow people to get involved no matter how big or small your budget is and enjoy racehorse ownership and a chance of competing and winning against some of the big owners with luck.

What was your best day at the races and why?

We have had so many good days it’s hard to narrow down to just one but when Everybreathyoutake won the feature race at Roscommon by 12 lengths (July 2019) following on from his 12-length maiden hurdle win it was very special for everyone who is part of the Pioneer Racing team.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

Sometimes things don’t always go to plan, horses can have small setbacks or worse get injured.

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

There have been a lot of improvements across all racecourses over recent years, but owners at Pioneer Racing have found Downpatrick and Fairyhouse to go the extra mile when dealing with owners, especially when we have winners there!

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

I’ve always had a preference for jumps racing and we find the majority of our owners prefer the jumps. I guess the extra excitement of longer trips and obstacles makes winning even better.

However, I do also enjoy flat racing and it is something Pioneer Racing is branching more into, given increased interest from our owners as we have expanded.

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

Good communication is important first and foremost. We look for someone who is a good judge of a horse, honest and as motivated to get winners as we are, while of course putting the welfare of our horses to the fore.

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

Owners are the life blood of the sport, some tracks have owners’ facilities where you can’t even view the racecourse or the parade ring.

I think that should be addressed and would greatly improve the overall experience for owners at the track.

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

I think people will return to the sport in particular to get involved with syndicates as the lock down measures start to lift.

At Pioneer Racing we have seen a rise in the number of people getting involved at all levels this summer which is encouraging for the continued growth and future of horse racing.

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

HRI has already been hands on in relation to this, providing extra races, in particular the auction race series and fillies-only races are great to give owners on a budget the opportunity to be competitive and have a winner.

The recent addition of the IRE incentive races with the €10,000 sales voucher is also a great idea and has to be applauded.

What significance do your colours hold?

It was a case of wanting colours and a pattern that were easy on the eye which the black and mauve is, and also a colour combination which was neutral and not readily associated with any major sports team, which means any shareholder can get behind them without a guilty conscience!

How did your syndicate get its name? The word pioneer is all about exploring. Racehorse ownership is a great way of exploring the sport we love further and a chance for people to see behind the scenes and the amount of work it takes to get the horses to the track. It was a natural fit!

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

We look for a horse with a lovely walk and a trot to match, it’s very important that they have a nice conformation also.

We are lucky to have the expertise of Mouse O’Ryan on hand whenever required and whose reputation in the industry speaks for itself.

The trainers we use would all be proven judges of a horse.

What horses do you currently have in training?

Some of the horses Pioneer Racing has in training include some very exciting types such as Off Your Rocco, Calagogo, Wicklow Flyer, Mars Harper, See A Stride, Devils Cut, Everybreathyoutake, Hurricane Georgie, Alice Kitty among others.

At Killarney recently, Calagogo brought up a third win in a row – pretty exciting for us all.

What’s next on the agenda for your horses?

It’s all systems go at the moment as we have plenty that are in full training who are running regularly. We are hopeful to have some nice types running at Listowel and through the winter and we also have some younger horses who will be starting out.

Have you any young horses to look forward to?

We have a lot of lovely young horses coming through for the future, including one we are very excited about, a filly called See A Stride. She won a four-year-old point on her debut against geldings impressively and is pleasing the team at Cullentra since joining them there.

We also have a lovely Presenting filly called Burlington Belle who hopefully will debut in a bumper in the coming weeks and also several young store horses not named yet by top sires such as Flemensfirth, Walk In The Park, Sholokhov and Shirocco.

One of our Flemensfirth geldings is out of none other than the two-time Grade 1-winning mare Petite Parisienne.

What do you do with your racehorses when their racing days are over?

Once our horses have reached the end of their racing career we find them suitable homes.

Some have returned to their original breeders, some have gone on to compete in the classes for retired racehorses, others have gone abroad to begin a career as show jumpers, some have kept going hunting and some have even gone on to become riding school horses.

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

I think races for trainers who have won less than a certain number of races within the previous 12 months would be a great incentive to help keep smaller training yards going.

The auction race series is already helping smaller owners to be more competitive at the track.

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

I would advise them to be aware before getting involved that with the good days come some disappointments but thankfully those are easily forgotten when your horse crosses the line in first place.

Whatever your budget you are welcome to join the party!

Check out pioneerhorseracing.com

Chris Donnelly was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton