Owner Spotlight The Stories Behind It All

Racehorse Ownership can often be perceived as a distant dream, but for Terry Holland and the Making Memories Racing Club, that dream has become an accessible, shared reality. Formed in June 2024 by a group of people with a long-standing passion for the sport, the Club was created with one simple mission: to give people the opportunity to experience the excitement of ownership without the financial pressures.

With two trainers, two horses, and a model built on leasing to keep the costs down, the Making Memories Racing Club provides its members with full access to the ownership experience. As Terry shares the story, it becomes clear that racehorse ownership is not just about the racing; it’s about the people and memories made, and the doors the sport can open for anyone willing to get involved.

How many people are involved in the Racing Club?
We have about 24 members currently involved, and we are seeking more members to join, which would include involvement in the two horses, one with Sheila Lavery and the other with John Hanlon. There's a group of us that were involved in racehorse ownership with other syndicates, but we were keen on getting together to form our own. This was back in June 2024. We knew Sheila Lavery well, and she had trained horses previously that we had all been involved in. We try to cater for everyone, so hence one flat and one National Hunt horse. Some people have a preference for flat, and some prefer the National Hunt, and it also means we will have a horse in training to run all year round.

How did the relationship with John Hanlon as your trainer happen?
We liked how relaxed and easy-going he is, and we wanted that for our Club. We don't own the horses; we lease them, and Shark understood what we were hoping to get from our ownership experience. The majority of us would be members of the Shark Hanlon Racing Club as well.

If someone wanted to get involved, what do they need to do?
The best thing to do would be to contact us, we have our social media pages which we keep updated regularly, and there you can find our contact details and a little bit about what you can expect when joining the racing club. We would send out an application form, it's pretty simple, and it all goes from there.

How much does it cost to get involved?
Basically, we do the payments every 6 months, which would be €300, we think that gives people the opportunity to see if it's for them without costing them a lot of money up front. If they want to rejoin for the second 6 months, they are more than welcome to, and it leaves people not feeling pressured into a commitment that they might not enjoy. We think that it gives them the freedom to enjoy it, and with it only being a 6-month commitment, we think that that is fair for everyone. It's affordable, and they don't have to commit for a full year.

Once you become a member, what can you expect?
All members will be included in a WhatsApp group, with regular updates sent in. We would also have regular stable visits to the two trainers, which we would organise with our members, they can enjoy the owner's experience when the horse runs, being in the parade ring, meeting the trainer and the jockey. What we offer is the owner experience; we don't guarantee any returns on investment. It's not a betting syndicate; it’s purely to enjoy being an owner without the cost. We have had runners at the big festivals, like Galway, which is a fantastic experience for all involved.

Who would be involved in the Club?
We are a small, welcoming club with members involved from all over Ireland, and everyone tries to attend the races when they can. Obviously, not everyone can get to every meeting the horse is declared at, but it's great to get everyone together.

Why does the process of leasing work well for the Club?
To make it affordable, leasing is a great option to keep the costs down. For example, with Sheila, we would have a contract to lease 50% of the horse from her, we would then set up a partnership with her, and 50% of the costs, fees and prizemoney would be through the Racing Club, and the other 50% would be from Sheila. The horses would run in our Club colours. We also have an agreement with Sheila that if the horse didn't work out for any reason at all, another horse would be swapped in to ensure we had a horse in training all year round. It works well for the trainer to, if they have a horse they are looking to find an owner for, it is a great option for them to keep horses in the yard.

What was your first winner for the Club like?
We were very lucky on our first outing with our first runner; we had a winner back in July 2024 at Naas Racecourse with a horse called Nituna, trained by Sheila Lavery. It was an unbelievable day, a day that I will never forget. It was a photo finish, we were all in the parade ring waiting for the result, all the members were so delighted when we were called out the winner! It was a fantastic day, we were so well looked after by Naas, the only disappointing thing was that not every member could be there on the day to enjoy the moment.

What was the buzz like in the Club after that day?
All the members were on cloud nine. We ordered photos from Healy Racing, and the members got a copy, which was great. We just need more of them now! We make the most of it when days like this happen, and that's the important thing.

What has you Ownership journey given you so far?
It's given me an unbelievable experience, just getting out and meeting lots of new people, and getting to deal with both of our fantastic trainers, and even just to be standing in the parade ring next to our jockeys is a brilliant experience. It's given our members who maybe couldn't afford to be an owner to have that owner experience. Our members have also had the opportunity to bring guests to the races to enjoy that shared experience too. We always hope that they might then one day become members too. It's just a great, affordable experience.

Do you think people have made new friendships from the ownership experience?
Definitely so, some of us would be based in the North and others as far as Cork, we would always meet up on the day we have a runner beforehand to spend the day together. We would also organise an annual members' day at Dundalk Stadium every February, and everyone is welcome to enjoy that too. When we had a runner at Galway Festival, we made a couple of days out of it, and a lot of the members would book into stay over for a night or two and make an occasion out of it!

Has your ownership journey sparked an interest with friends and family?
Yes, definitely, even through friends of friends, it has brought an interest; we are hoping that we can grow the racing club that way also.

Would you attend the races even if you didn't have a runner?
My wife and I are trying to tick off every racecourse in Ireland, we have two left, Listowel and Clonmel! We have managed to visit nearly all the racecourses either with a runner or from the benefits of the AIRO Free Owner days, which are spread out over the year for different race days at different tracks. We try to go racing whenever we can.

Could you tell me what it's like to be an owner on a Raceday?
It's a different experience than being just a racegoer on the day, at some racecourse you have the privilege of parking in the designated owners & trainers car park, you would enter through the AIR Owners & Trainers entrance, where you would collect your badges and racecards. The Club would also receive a certain number of meal vouchers, which would be divided among a few of the members. We would have access to the owners' & trainers’ facilities, to get refreshments and use as a base for the day. When our horse is running, all our members would get access to the parade ring before the race and then for the post-race debrief. Everyone likes to get as many pictures as they can! We would all get to hear what the trainer and jockey think, and everyone would be very much involved. Our trainers might meet us for a drink after the race also, which is great, so we get a great day out of it!

What would you say to someone who is thinking about getting involved in racehorse ownership?
I would say give it a go. It's a small amount of money when spread out over the 6 months, when you think about it. What we offer is the ownership experience for very little cost. We don't own the horses, but we provide the owner experience and everything that comes with it. Everyone is welcome to join!

If you're interested in exploring racehorse ownership opportunities and discovering the stories behind the sport, contact us on [email protected] to find out how to get involved.

What we offer is the ownership experience for very little cost. We don't own the horses, but we provide the owner experience and everything that comes with it. Everyone is welcome to join!