Why should you join Ursa Major Racing? An owner speaks
In the first of a series of articles looking at why people become - and love - being owners with Ursa Major Racing, one owner describes how the experience helped him fulfil a lifetime dream - and own a winner on day one!
I first went racing when I was about nine years old.
My uncle took me on the short train journey to Chester and I was instantly gripped by the smell, sounds and speed as the horses flashed by me on the Roodee. I was instantly hooked.
It wasn’t a fleeting interest either. It became one of those things where I simply had to know all about the names in the racecard.
Jockeys, trainers – and owners. They intrigued me.
I loved the smell of race days – the horses, food, cigarette smoke. It felt like an adult taboo.
The bookies calling out ‘win or each way’ has stuck with me too, but most of all I loved the jockey’s silks.
The deep red and white sash of Cheveley Park; the pristine blue of Godolphin; the pink green and white of Khalid Abdullah.
But also the more crazy concoctions – epaulettes, crossbands and diamonds were my real favourites and I would sit designing my own colours regularly in case I ever won the lottery and bought a horse.
Because surely you need to win the lottery to own a horse don’t you? Well that’s what I always thought too.
Owning horses doesn’t happen to people like me. I grew up in a three bed semi, my dad working in a factory, my mum in a shop. I was okay in school and college, left with three A levels and got a job on a local newspaper.
As things stand I am pretty much as average as can be. I work in local government, live in a three bed semi and have four kids. That’s not someone who gets into racehorse ownership, is it?
Well that all changed when I found out about URSA Major Racing.
It was by pure chance really. I was doing the garden on Good Friday, a few hours before Lingfield’s All Weather Championship Finals card when I listened to the Nick Luck Daily podcast.
A discussion was taking place all about ownership and what equated to value for the man on the street.
A guy with a north east accent called Craig was on talking about his racing club which offered shares of anywhere from 2.5 per cent upwards, with training fees starting at £38.50 a month.
I couldn't believe my ears as even the cheapest syndicates I had seen advertised previously had been twice the price - this was less than a tenner a week to have a share in a horse?
He then mentioned my favourite subject - his silks - and how they were the famous pink and yellow quarter Battenbergs.
Bloody hell, this guy isn’t a chancer - I have seen these silks carried in races plenty of times!
I took a look at the website and there it was in black and white - a range of decent horses with really affordable prices.
I went through the list of horses that still had shares available and fired over an email.
Craig messaged back straight away and I again liked the way he operated. Quick, friendly, honest and absolutely no hard sell whatsoever. Indeed, he set out what he offers and left me to consider it for a few days.
His honesty, genuine nature and the fact he didn’t call or email to hassle while I was weighing up my options told me everything i needed to know - I decided to take my first step into ownership.
I carefully selected a 2.5 per cent share in a mid 60s rated stayer called Clifftop Heaven. He had been running some tidy looking races and won at Newcastle a few months earlier and looked ripe to score again soon after a second at Wolverhampton.
I took the plunge. £250 and £38.50 a month all in training fees. I genuinely doubt you could find anything close to that anywhere.
It sounds like a fairytale but the very same day I bought in Cliffy won at Wolverhampton under top amateur Simon Walker and I had suddenly gone from absolutely nothing to being a winning owner in about eight hours.
Despite not being on course the feeling was electric, I even took the whole family out for a curry for tea to celebrate!
This was when I really started to see what Ursa was about. A Telegram group for all owners is a hive of fun, with everyone respectful and supportive, Craig literally works morning, noon and night to bring us updates on our horses, videos of their work and pre and post race updates from our trainers and jockeys.
Just two days later I was invited to go and watch a horse running in the Battenbergs at Wolverhampton.
Cappadocia was in our (yes our!) silks for Stephen Hanlon and ran a fine fourth while I enjoyed a free meal, Racing Post and the chance to chat to the jockey and trainer in the parade ring.
For someone who had literally spent 20 years dreaming of doing this, it was absolutely incredible.
I had been an owner for three days, had a winner and a day at the track!
But better was yet to come. Clifftop took me up to Doncaster next where he ran a magnificent race in second while I enjoyed hospitality at a Group One track with one of my children. I was living the dream.
At this point I need to also speak of Clifftop’s trainer Mark Walford. As genuine and as friendly as they come, Mark has quickly made it onto my list of favourite people.
A better guy you will struggle to find. On Clifftop’s last run for us, he drove him down from his stable in Yorkshire on a Wednesday evening, stood with us in the parade ring at Wolverhampton, watched the race with us, let me hold Clifftop in the winners’ enclosure after another fine run in fourth and even took pictures.
He then joined myself and the other owners for a two course meal while politely talking about his career and went through his current string of horses, all while having a major drive in a horsebox back to Yorkshire and another pre-dawn alarm ahead of him.
But that’s not where I have even seen the best of Ursa. The genuine care Craig has for all members is humbling. If he knows you are down or struggling, he will be in touch and help you work through whatever it is. I don’t even think he knows what a top man he is. When he says Ursa is like a family to him he means it. I will be forever grateful.
Clifftop has now left us, but I am pleased to say I am still with Ursa - indeed my interest has now developed from one horse to three, with American Anthem, Ghadbaan and Moonlight Glory now in my ranks. It is going to be a hell of a 2022.
So yes, you can be an average Joe and own shares in cracking racehorses who run often for wonderful people. I have made it to the track six times in seven months - how incredible is that!
In a sport that isn’t short of dodgy characters, it has been wonderful to see that Ursa Major Racing is as good as it gets. We #dreambig - but more importantly, we are family.