The horse I'm talking about is a two-year-old filly I own in partnership, some of which are mates that have never had a winner before and the joy it brought to them was a great reminder of what racehorse ownership can offer – there is nothing like the feeling I can assure you.
The filly, her name is Etheridge and she's not bred to be winning as a
juvenile, being a stoutly-bred type by Australian Derby winner Roman
Emperor out of a Zabeel mare Miss Meliss, that only won the one race but she
placed in a SAAB Quality and ran 10th in aMelbourne Cup.She's the sister to Richard Freedman's smart staying prospectRoman Son.
I purchased the filly as an early season yearling with well-known racing vet Dr (Doc) Chris Lawlor.
A year prior Doc had bought her and Roman Son's brother, now known as Britannicus and, at the Scone Cup Calcuttathat year I found myself with a small share in Britannicus so when this filly came up for sale on Bloodstock Auction she caught our attention.
It was a Tuesday night on October 4, 2016 when I sat down behind my computer and, at about 8.30pm I'd forked out $7700 for this November 4, 2015 foaled filly.
A year later we syndicated her, Doc split his half up with friends, some of which are also in Britannicus, while I got some mates together that had over time expressed interest in racing a horse and the Etheridge syndicate was formed.
Doc decided she'd be called Etheridge, after the famous American singer Melissa Etheridge, and off we go.
Being a filly that is bred to be better with time, nothing had been rushed and trainer John Thompson has allowed Etheridge to tell us how far we got and on Sunday that was her first start.
It wasn't a strong race, the form student in me said it was probably more a country standard maiden than its provincial grade but under the guidance ofJason Collett, ourimmature filly was able to get the job done.
On Monday I got an email from Joe Dingham, the husband of one of Doc's owners Meegan and it summed up what makes owning a horse so special.
"We have won a couple with other horses and were delighted with the result and
are looking forward to watching Etheridge grow into one we might have a fair
bit of fun with," he said."What really hit home, and the reason for my email is what we kind of take for granted us old hard heads. The look of absolute amazement on the people's faces back in the winner's circle and bar, there were people from all walks of life who were gobsmacked.
"Everyone couldn't stop grinning and basically didn't have a clue what to say or how to react. It was a fantastic feeling/experience and it reminds us why we are racehorse owners!"
Joe's spot on. I've had my share of racehorses and greyhounds and been lucky enough to have a couple of handy one along the way.
Joe's email got me thinking. I put my Newphew in the horse, a work mate, a bloke I met through supporting the Wanderers, another guy a played football with, a few guys I've got to know through having dogs and a good mate of an old work colleague, Paul Joice.
Add to that Meegan and Joe and the other owners Doc put into the horse who I've met along the way - I'm guessing we're going to share some fun times when the filly races in the future, win or lose.
It's not always an easy ride being an owner, there's more down times as a rule than good times but thinking back to Sunday and seeing the look on my nephew's face, his first horse and the thrill it gave the others owners and family members that were at Hawkesbury, you can't put a price on it.
Why am I writing this? If you've ever thought of racing a horse, but for whatever reason you haven't – do it.
I'm not going to kid you and say it's always fun, it can make you tear your hair out, there are plenty of disappointments and not every horse wins a race but there's nothing like the feeling of being involved in a winner and it's something every racing lover should experience at least once.
You'll never grow tired of it.
If anyone is interested in having a taste of racehorse ownership drop me an email (clinton@racenet.com.au). I can put you in touch with the trainer or syndicator of your choice and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
If you're wondering what's happening with Etheridge – she's gone for a short break and hopefully she'll be back in action later this year.
Who knows what the future holds for her – I've been here, done that before so I'm not getting ahead of myself but for some of the owners, she's theirWinxbecause she allowed them to experience a feeling they'll never forget last Sunday and now they're hooked.
If you've got an ownership story to share head to Racenet.
