How did Hot To Trot Racing originally come about? What was the inspiration behind its creation?

The idea first came about in 2010 when Luke Lillingston approached me and put forward the idea of starting a racing club together, the basis of which was to combine leasing of well-bred fillies, and finding an optimum price point which allowed at least five horses to be trained, while offering value for money.

I had always wanted to set up my own business in racing and something people-facing like this seemed a good plan. We wanted it to be an affordable racing club with a view to try to get more people into racing at a reasonably priced level. We launched Hot To Trot in the summer of 2011 and our first runners hit the track in the spring of 2012.

Can you tell us a bit about your own background in racing and how that fed into starting the syndicate?

I used to go racing with my father from a very young age. I would say a key moment was when my grandmother owned a horse with a friend with Martin Pipe in the mid-90s which won 16 races. I was about 11 at the time and leading the horse into the winner’s enclosure quickly gave me the bug! My great uncle was Martin Tate who was a shrewd and successful dual-purpose trainer in his day, so I guess you can say it was in the blood!

What does a typical week look like for you in terms of managing Hot To Trot?

Every week is different for me but the core part of the season is a good mixture of hosting trainer visits, communicating with our members, organising racedays and other events and viewing potential horses for the future as well as a lot of admin! During the autumn we spend a lot of time at the sales where Luke and I buy for Kennet Valley Syndicates (which we also run).

How do you select trainers and horses for the syndicate? What’s the process behind those decisions?

Luke and I view a lot of horses at studs during the year and luckily the Hot To Trot name has got out there over the years which thankfully means plenty think of HTT when considering their options.

In terms of the selection process, ultimately we are looking for a nice horse and consider how far away from a run we perceive the horse to be. Other factors do come into play like precocity as we are looking to give our members racecourse action.

Trainer-wise, we try to spread our horses out throughout the UK and often the pedigree plays a part as well (i.e. if a trainer has trained a talented sibling etc.). Two very important factors when it comes to a trainer is communication and hospitality when our members visit. All trainers are selected in consultation with breeders and never forced on them.

What are the biggest challenges in running a racing syndicate of this kind?

I think managing expectations can be a challenge whilst ensuring our members feel engaged and involved in what we do as we find those members that come along to a lot of events are more likely to continue being involved long term.

How do you keep syndicate members engaged and feeling like active owners?

Communication is a huge part of what we do and it is crucial that we communicate very well with our members. Sometimes it is not easy getting information out of trainers but our job is to keep pushing and nag them when it is not forthcoming! Getting our members involved with our wide range of events is crucial too.

Hot To Trot has had some notable success on the track. What moments stand out most for you personally?

The obvious starting point is Heartache winning the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2017, which was an incredible moment and propelled Hot To Trot into a different sphere. Other great moments include Kurious’ victory in the 2019 Coral Charge (Group 3) and Get Ahead’s narrow miss in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in 2023. Rage Of Bamby winning the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury last Saturday is right up there now too!

Is there a horse that really helped put the club on the map, or has sentimental value for the team?

Heartache’s win in the 2017 Queen Mary has to be the one. She is now based at Coolmore and is doing great things as a broodmare. We are loving following her progeny now on the racetrack.

What kind of feedback do you get from syndicate members, and how has the club grown over the years?

We are lucky to receive a lot of positive feedback from our members and that is crucial because word of mouth is our best way of bringing in new members.

What are your main ambitions for Hot To Trot over the next few years?

Our priority is to carry on giving our members the best possible experience. But on the track our top aim has got to be to give the members a Group or Grade 1 winner.

Do you see Hot To Trot playing a role in getting younger or more diverse audiences into ownership and racing?

We love to do our bit to bring new people in to racing and certainly Hot To Trot is very much all-inclusive. In terms of bringing in a younger audience, we have discussed this frequently in the past and while this is not easy, we are always looking at new ways to do this.

What’s been the most surprising lesson you’ve learned since starting the syndicate?

I learned my most valuable lesson in 2016 when we endured our most torrid season on the track and I expected a lot of members to leave us. However I soon realised that HTT had become much more than just a syndicate and the strong social dynamic and great friendships that had built up have given our members a real sense of loyalty and goodwill towards Hot To Trot, for which we were, and remain, very grateful.

If you could go back to day one of Hot To Trot, is there anything you’d do differently?

We have learned many lessons on the way but ultimately we got the most important things right. Certainly the leasing element was one of those as it managed to keep costs down but, thankfully, quality high, due to our commitment to racing these horses with leading trainers.

Finally, for someone thinking about joining a syndicate like Hot To Trot, what would you say to them?

I would say come and get involved and enjoy all our wonderful sport has to offer!

Web: hottotrotracing.com