The Tus Maith Syndicate, a proud Waterford-based ownership group, enjoyed a memorable day at Gowran Park on Saturday when their runner Ag Obair Go Crua struck gold for trainer John Flavin. Formed by a close-knit group of racing enthusiasts with a shared passion for the sport, the syndicate’s victory was the culmination of patience, perseverance, and belief. It was a day that perfectly captured what ownership is all about: the excitement, camaraderie, and the thrill of leading your horse into the winner's enclosure.
Formed by David Whitty and a group of friends, the Tus Maith Syndicate was established to make racehorse ownership both accessible and affordable for its members. Based near John Flavin’s yard in Waterford, the syndicate has benefited from a hands-on approach, allowing the members to be closely involved in the day-to-day progress of their horse. Their latest success, Ag Obair Go Crua, was sourced through a connection to John Flavin on a small budget, proving ownership can be both affordable and accessible for anyone to get involved.
How did you become involved in Racehorse Ownership?
So I'd been involved with a couple of horses before in syndicates that I hadn’t set up myself, with a couple of my friends previously a few years ago. I kind of stepped away from it then, and I had been talking about getting back into it for a while with a few of my friends. We set up a Revolut vault at the time, and we were putting money away each week. We were aiming to pick up something for between 10 and 15,000 euros. When the time came and the money was there, we started to look through the sales, however, I had a mutual friend who had horses with John Flavin, and his yard is only about 10 minutes from where I'm living. We got in contact with John, went out to the yard, had a chat with him, and he showed us around the yard. He had a couple of horses for sale that suited. We went away for a few weeks and talked about it amongst ourselves, and we decided to go for it with Ag Obair Go Crua.
How did the Syndicate come together? How many are involved?
There are ten of us involved, mainly just friends who are involved in GAA or from work, and we started it from there. We lost a few and gained a few along the way! None of us are from a racing background, but we wanted to keep it manageable and affordable. The interest in horse racing came from back when I was around 15, the day when Imperial Commander won the Cheltenham Gold Cup!
What has the Ownership experience given you so far?
I have to compliment John Flavin on this side of things, from an ownership point of view, the experience has been second to none. You can pick up the phone, give him a ring anytime you want, and we are always welcome to call out to see the horse at any time. That side of the experience has been fantastic, and even when the lads got involved first, John invited everyone out to see the horse working. John took the time to have a chat with all the syndicate members and has always been forthcoming with everything. We couldn't compliment him enough, he's been brilliant. John has always been adamant that this horse will win races; unfortunately, the horse has had a couple of issues, which John got him back from. You only realise what it's like to be involved in racing when you're part of a syndicate all the way throughout the journey, from sourcing the horse to dealing with the trainer and watching your horse come into the winner’s enclosure. It’s a great feeling, and hopefully we might have a few more days like it.
How did you spend the Raceday with the syndicate?
About six of the ten members were there on Saturday. Unfortunately, one of our members is now living up in Navan and he had decided for once not to travel, which he really regretted! A couple of others had prior engagements that just clashed with the horse running on Saturday, which was a shame. So most of us were there, which was great. It was a pity the rest of the lads weren’t there with us, but we got back to Waterford later that evening, and we went out for a few drinks, which went down well enough!
What was it like watching your horse cross the line in front?
I just have to say it was one of the best days I’ve ever had. To be honest, it’s fair to say I was lost for words. Thankfully, he was in a position where we knew coming to the last once he got it over it, that he was certain to stay going and nothing would get past him. He's honest and very tough. It was a great feeling of vindication, but it's a massive relief that the time, patience, and effort finally paid off. It was around four years ago now that we set up the Revolut vault and started putting in €15 or €20 each week. It was a small but affordable amount to be putting in, so it was a long road to get to Saturday, but it was well worth it. Look, these things are enjoyable on your own, but to have your friends and others involved, it makes it just that bit sweeter.
Do you think your Ownership journey has sparked interest with friends and family?
Definitely, I came home yesterday and had lots of calls and messages of congratulations, some were from people who, at the time when asked if they wanted to get involved, they had turned the offer down, were saying they wished they had taken me up on the offer! We sat down the other night, and we said that if we were fortunate enough to have a couple more of those days that we'd definitely look at going again with another one.
Any ambitions or plans for the future of the syndicate?
Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to grow the syndicate in the future, either with the lads involved and maybe looking to get others involved with another horse, because it's important to keep people interested and involved in the sport.
What would you say to someone who's always dreamed of owning a horse but hasn’t taken the leap?
I suppose that there is a perception from outside of the racing community that it can feel a bit daunting to get involved at that entry level if you don’t have any experience. I would just say to anyone who is interested to contact a local trainer, go out to see the yard, meet the staff, have a look at the horses, and have a chat about the ownership opportunities, you won’t regret it. There's always a horse there, especially with the smaller trainers; they are always looking out for new owners to get involved. If you want to get involved, don't be afraid to make that phone call. Getting involved with a syndicate is an affordable entry in, it's essentially the same cost as a golf membership a year, if you look at it that way. We don’t have a massive budget, and it's very affordable. The smaller trainers can cater for anyone with any budget, they can source you a horse, and the best thing about it is the great care that's given to each individual horse.
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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