L’Evangeliste got off the mark over hurdles on the second time of asking for the Preachers Syndicate at Galway on Saturday. Formed by a group of friends all with an interest in horse racing after an opportunity arose to purchase the horse at the Aintree sale last April.
We caught up with Syndicate agent Brian Collins who has been involved in racehorse ownership for a number of years and shares the syndicate story.
Did you always have an interest in horseracing?
From a very young age I have always held an interest in horseracing, from attending the races with family. My Grandfather owned a racehorse a very long time ago! I have been involved in horse racing as an owner for the last 34 years now.
How was the Preachers Syndicate formed?
L’Evangeliste won a point to point, and he was being sold at the Aintree Grand National meeting at the point to point sale. He failed to reach his reserve on the day, so we bought him privately. There are 12 of us in the syndicate and we are all friends from various different parts of the country, we would have got to know each other through Eric McNamara, some of the members are involved in other horses with Eric and we put together the syndicate to buy him. The members are from all parts of Ireland, including Limerick, Cork, Dublin, the midlands and London.
Is there a story behind the name of the syndicate and the colours?
L’Evangeliste is French for preacher, so that’s where the syndicate name came from! Mark Glanders owned the horse previously when he won his point to point, so the green and white are his colours, but they also represent the Limerick GAA colours, we also added a red cap to represent the Cork members and keep them happy!
How did your partnership with Eric McNamara come about?
I had my first horse with Eric in 1992 and had horses with him ever since, Eric’s late wife used to babysit me when I was young, we would have been neighbours and that’s how we got to know the McNamara’s and we have been friends ever since. Eric is great with his owners, his yard is very accessible, owners are always welcome to the yard at any time. If one of the syndicate members happened to be passing the yard, there is never any hassle about stopping in to see our horse. We would arrange a syndicate yard visit a couple of times a year to get everyone together which is great.
What has the Ownership journey given you that you didn’t expect?
I’ve met some great like-minded people and made some great friends on this journey that I probably would have never met otherwise. It’s been a great experience with ups and downs along the way!
What is it like being involved in a syndicate both behind the scenes and on race days?
We would all try and get to the races when the horse runs and depending on the track we would organise to make an evening of it where all the members stay overnight to socialise together. We arranged to stay out in Galway on Saturday night after he won, we did something similar when he ran down at Listowel too. We try and get everyone together to socialise around the races as well. We have a WhatsApp group which all members are in and Eric is also part of that, it’s great to keep everyone updated at all times and works well for us.
How did it feel to be in the winner’s enclosure with your syndicate?
It’s just fabulous, one of the members had his son with him at Galway on Saturday and he got to lead the horse into the winner’s enclosure, he was so excited about going to the races and just to see him lead in the horse and be included in it all was special. Ownership has provided us with great entertainment and an interest especially coming into the winter months, it definitely shortens it when you have something to look forward to! There was a great buzz within the syndicate after Galway last weekend.
What’s next for the syndicate and L’Evangeliste?
The trainer has a plan, and I have a plan and they are slightly different! We think he will be a nice long term chasing prospect and he jumped really well over hurdles on Saturday. We hope he will have another three or four runs over hurdles this year, with a view to going chasing maybe next year, hopefully he might bring us to some of the spring festivals. Connolly’s Red Mills sponsored the race he won on Saturday; they have a great series of races called the Auction Series, which accumulates in a final at Punchestown, which could be an end of season target for him. It’s a great initiative with great prize money on offer.
What would you say to anyone that is thinking about getting involved in ownership that may not have taken the leap yet?
I’ve met people through the ownership journey that I didn’t previously know and have become very good friends, it’s a great way to meet people. Communication with your trainer and keeping everyone in the loop with the plans for the horse are key. Having a trainer like Eric that you can trust is very important.
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.
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