How did you get into racehorse ownership?

A combination of various things - Desert Orchid winning the Grand National in 1990 with the weight of my £2 bet riding on him, while my parents stood in the rain trying to get on TV and we all had a good laugh at home watching them looking the wrong way; the fact my granddad (John Kelly from Cabra) was an on-course bookmaker and a greyhound owner, coupled with stories from my Dad about him being a clerk for his old man and a runner for Terry Rogers at tracks around the country from the age of 12 (in the 1950s).

Over the past few years I’ve been working with lots of international friends and clients who have been asking questions about the horse industry in Ireland. So I finally decided to get involved, partly to live the dream, but also so I could answer questions from experience rather than hearsay and educated guesses.

What was your best day at the races?

Wexford on August 29th when Santo Prince won his first race, things had not gone too well up to this point but I was very confident that he would run a very good race. Robert ‘Magic Hands’ Hennessy was massaging his problem back for a few weeks after the Galway run. I kept this confidence from Li and the girls hoping it would be a nice surprise. I think Li had lost faith but luckily Santo won. Phew - head off the block! It was a great surprise for them and it was an amazing day all round.

What is the biggest drawback about being a racehorse owner?

It has to be the costs involved. The prize money is not great when considering the costs.

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

Unfortunately and regrettably the first to spring to mind is Musselburgh. I hear a lot about this problem with Irish racecourses not doing enough for owners. I don’t personally care too much for this side of things, it’s not why I go racing, so I don’t have an overly critical stance on this. I would like to mention Fairyhouse though - mainly because of Pat behind the owners’ bar - she looked after the girls the day we went. Fairyhouse also has a fixed playground which is a bonus.

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

Jumps for sure, although Santo’s two wins on the flat have kick-started an interest and I might look for an affordable way in, if that is possible!

What qualities do you look for in a trainer?

I’ll just pull out Mr H’s psychoanalysis test results there! Seriously though, Robert (Hennessy) is spot on with everything that you would be looking for - he also has the patience of a saint to put up with me. Getting the answer you didn’t think of or expect is always a good sign. I wouldn’t want a yes man but you do want to feel your input is valued or at least welcome.

The most important thing is to have an honest trainer and feel comfortable with the trainer and his staff. I’ve been lucky as Robert and his staff in Bodeen, Ratoath are great - they are very professional but also kind and generally good people. I was also lucky to have Santo with Gordon Elliot originally and I owe him a big thank you as he found the horse for me. Robert and Gordon would be great at finding the type of horse I would be interested in (a three-year-old ex-flat horse for the NH); they have it down to an art form.

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

owners?

I don’t have a problem with how owners are treated per se but for me the facilities for children are important. Most race meetings I went to didn’t have anything for the kids, or very little, and this is a big put off. I bought a racehorse so the whole family could enjoy the day out. Fairyhouse has done well with the playground and Wexford had Giggles the clown when we had our first win but apart from that it has been a letdown.

There is nothing more annoying when having a runner and the racecourse doesn’t have a large screen in front of the grandstand. Santo was running recently and I hardly saw the race, couldn’t even see where he finished - very annoying and it will take some time before I go back to that course, if ever.

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

Great, I have no complaints. I don’t like fuss and would gladly avoid talking to people when things don’t go according to plan!

What significance do your colours hold?

Huge significance, my wife and two girls are Chinese. I lived in China previously for three years and we came back in 2011. A lot of our friends and family have a big connection to China. We go back every year and we have a big family and lots of great friends over there. We try to get involved in as many Chinese community activities as possible and the colours are a little testament to that. The girls also think the colors look beautiful.

When buying a horse, what do you look for?

My approach to date is form and attitude but not the obvious good form. I try to find positives in not so good form. I’m not in a position, nor do I want to, buy unraced horses at this stage. I need to learn a whole lot more before venturing into flat or younger NH horses.

What horses do you currently have in training?

Santo Prince.

Have you any horses to look forward to?

No, but there are plenty of sales in the next two months - wishful thinking of course!

What’s next on the agenda for Santo?

Rest for another two months and then back to training for the spring.

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

I only have one horse and not very much experience of the game. I do think flat and jumps racing are hugely different in the way you can get involved. I believe former flat three-year-old horses in training for jumping is a great way to start out. Research is a starting point, there is so much material out there. I spent endless hours watching videos over a good few years before ever getting involved, almost 10 years actually. I have an IT background so I love numbers and I created a database of every result since 2006 and designed software to analyze same, so I had a good reference point to pull up information that I thought was important. Talking to potential trainers is a great intro to how things work and everyone in the industry is so welcoming and willing to provide information as well as advice. I would also be available if anyone wanted to ask a few questions and get in touch. I don’t have much knowledge to enlighten people with but I would be more than happy to have a chat and share thoughts and possibly make some introductions to like-minded people.

Tony Kelly was in conversation with Olivia Hamilton.

AIRO has secured free admission to over 90 racedays in 2015 for registered owners with a horse in training.

UPCOMING DATES

November

Gowran Park Saturday 21st

Thurles Thursday 26th

DECEMBER

Tramore Saturday 12th

Fairyhouse Saturday 19th

Down Royal Saturday 26th

Limerick Tuesday 29th