Racehorse ownership often begins long before a name appears in the race card. For Oran Crean, the foundations were laid in Tralee, where greyhound and horse racing were part of the family tradition. From regular trips to Shelbourne Park to afternoons at Leopardstown Racecourse, racing was woven into family life long before ownership was ever considered. Oran's family were very much committed to the sport, with his grandfather and uncle each dedicating 25 years to managing Tralee Racecourse, this was more than a pastime, this was heritage.
What followed was less a calculated investment strategy and more a natural evolution of passion. A chance meeting while training as an accountant at KPMG led to the formation of a syndicate that would purchase Brave Inca, a horse of a lifetime who would go on to win both the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Those early successes helped shape what would become the Winning Ways Racing Syndicates: an ownership model built not on investment, but on shared experience, transparency and enjoyment.
Over the years, that philosophy has delivered memorable moments, all while fostering friendships that extend well beyond the parade ring. With careful sourcing, patience in development, and open communication at the heart of it all. Now, 20 years on from Brave Inca’s unforgettable Cheltenham triumph, the story feels as though it may be turning once more, with the prospect of a full-circle reunion no longer just a sentiment, but a tantalising possibility.
Where did the interest in horse racing come from?
My Father is from Tralee and would have had a big interest in Greyhound Racing, his family would have been very involved. My Parents moved up to Dublin, and my father would have gone to Shelbourne Park on a weekly basis, however, my mother had mentioned to him that some daytime activities with the kids should be higher on the priority list, so he started bringing us horse racing instead! We would have attended our local track, Leopardstown on a regular basis, and I suppose the interest started there.
My family would have been heavily involved with Tralee Racecourse when it was operating at the time. My Grandfather managed the racecourse for 25 years, and my uncle managed it for another 25 years.
How did you get into Racehorse Ownership?
I was training as an accountant with KPMG, and I met a guy there called Eoin O’Tierney, and his brother Ciaran was a bookie, whom I had known when I was in the UCD Racing Club. We got on very well, and our two families came together to form a syndicate, and we purchased Brave Inca. Colm Murphy was only getting started at the time, and I think Brave Inca was only about his sixth horse in training. Colm’s brother John worked with my brother at the time in Bank of Ireland, so that’s how the connection came about.
What was the idea behind starting the Winning Ways Racing Syndicates?
Brave Inca won the Supreme Hurdle in 2004, and at that time in KPMG there were a good few colleagues who had a keen interest in horse racing, but not necessarily connected in any way to racing, but they enjoyed it. We talked about getting a horse, they wanted to get on board, and I found a few other people who were interested to make up the numbers to form a syndicate. Eoghan Quigley was part of that new syndicate then, and he is now part of the syndicate that owns Zanoosh.
I found at that time there weren’t too many options for people to get involved in a syndicate unless you were involved with a local pub or GAA syndicate or if you didn’t have a group yourself, so that’s what I wanted to offer to people
How does the Syndicate work?
Each horse is syndicated out to its own individual syndicate members under the Winning Ways Racing banner. We keep each syndicate to around 8 -10 members, with members signing up to a minimum of a four-year period. We have a budget of around €50k for each horse to purchase, which would work out at around €5k - €7k per share. We would budget €25k a year for training & racing costs, but members only pay the actual costs incurred. We would then review everything when the four years are up. We find that if people are happy to commit to that type of budget, they are happy to hold on to a good horse, as they have gone into this journey for the enjoyment of being involved in a horse as an owner. With Brave Inca, for example, we were offered good money for him, however we didn’t buy him as an investment, we bought him to have a bit of fun with. For us, it’s all about enjoyment and not for the investment. The syndicate agreement protects the syndicate members involved who don’t want to sell, as they have got involved in this journey for the love of it.
At the end of the four years, we would come together to decide on what is next, so that allows anyone that wants to get out to do so, we can extend for another year or two and particularly with the mares we also have an option to sell them on as Broodmares, which is an angle we have gone down over the last number of years.
We like to give our horses plenty of time to develop; we don’t want to rush them early in their careers.
Is there a story behind the name of the syndicate and the colours?
One set of colours we had over the years was the red and yellow stripes; we found they were quite easy to spot amongst other horses! We change the sleeves for each syndicate so they would differ slightly but be consistent with the other Winning Ways Racing Syndicates. I prefer for each syndicate under the Winning Ways Racing banner to be its own individual syndicate, with its own variation of the colours and separate HRI and bank account.
What is the story behind Zanoosh?
So Colm had given up training, we had been with him a long time, we then went to Peter Fahey who we had great success with Royal Kahala, Colm then decided to go back to training racehorses. Royal Kahala was finishing up her racing career and heading to the mares' sales, and that syndicate was looking to purchase another horse with Peter. Eoghan Quigley had taken a break from the syndicate for a few years while we were with Peter, and I asked him whether he would be interested in getting involved again with a horse with Colm. He said he would, so I got in touch with a few members who were involved with previous horses with Colm to see if they wanted to get back into it, and they said yes. So that’s where the Reunion came from, and we were essentially getting the gang back together with this one!
You have had great success in the past with the likes of Brave Inca & Royal Kahala, how do you source your horses for the syndicate?
Trust is a huge thing when you’re buying horses, so Colm would be very focused on the horse as an individual, more so than the bloodline. We don’t buy enough horses to take a chance on weak pedigrees, but we can’t afford the very good pedigrees, so we have to be somewhere in the middle! When Zanoosh came up, she was by Harzand, a relatively new stallion at the time, but had a nice page, and Colm liked her, and I was willing to take a chance on her. I tend to look for things that would put me off on the page, rather than the other way around. We have a budget, but we don’t mind stretching within reason for the right horse, particularly if Colm really likes one. It’s purely down to luck after that!
How do you keep your members updated on plans?
Communication is so important, along with access to your horse. Different owners have different approaches to it; some prefer to just go to the race meetings, whilst others will be at the yard at every opportunity. We would try to arrange for the syndicate members to get to the yard at least once a month, where possible. With young families, it isn’t always as easy to get away on a Saturday morning! Whatever morning suits everyone, we try to make it work. There’s an open-door policy; if a member might not make it on the day we are going, I would try to arrange for them to get down on another day that suits them.
Every syndicate would have its own individual WhatsApp group where Colm would send in videos and regular updates for all the members.
Would you say your members have built friendships through being part of a syndicate?
Absolutely, I think it’s been a great way for the members to meet people, and it encourages conversation outside of the group chat! When they all meet at the races, they would have a great time. It’s probably not the same experience as say your pub syndicate, where they all know each other going into the syndicate, it’s a slightly different approach, as over the years members from each syndicate might end up with different members in the next syndicate they are in.
What would you say the Ownership experience has given you so far that you didn't expect?
It definitely gives you a different perspective on racing, it shows you how difficult it is to get a horse right on the day, and for everything to come right on the day for that particular horse, whether it be the ground or the luck you need during the race! It’s not as simple as it might seem when you’re on the other side of the fence! A lot of work goes on behind the scenes on a daily basis; you get a much better understanding of how it all works when you’re an owner.
I’ve taken my kids, nieces and nephews to the races, and you can see from the experience of being involved on the day, being in the parade ring, meeting the jockey, has really brought them on in terms of their interest in the game. It’s really important to encourage it, as they are the next generation that is coming through.
What would you say has been the biggest day so far for you as an owner?
Personally, Brave Inca has been so special, he won a Supreme Novice and Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival. When he won his final Irish Champion Hurdle in Leopardstown at our local track, after just coming back from injury at 11 years of age, I think that was my biggest day as an owner.
With the Winning Ways Syndicate, I think Royal Kahala winning the Galmoy hurdle at Gowran Park was a huge day for us; it put her right in the mix as a player for the stayers hurdle that year. Any day you have a winner is a big day. I always say to our members, enjoy the winning experience as it can be a long time between drinks in this game!
Zanoosh has had a great season so far. Is Cheltenham on the horizon?
We will keep Cheltenham in mind, if it came up soft, we would consider it. We have kept her in the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle as it’s the only race that really suits her. There is also a race at Limerick that week that we have earmarked for her. There is also a race at Fairyhouse that would suit. We have found that Fairyhouse has been a lucky track for us, and Cheltenham may not have been as lucky in recent years. We have plenty of options to consider, but they will likely depend on the ground conditions.
She has improved all season. Was there a key to it all with her?
After we bought her, she was still developing and was quite weak. She wasn’t taking her training particularly well early on, as she was still growing and filling her frame, and her body couldn’t keep up with the work at the time. She had matured and developed during her summer holidays, and she has been able to take on more work this season, which is allowing her to improve as the season progresses. I think the form backs that up, we don’t know where the ceiling lies with her.
Zanoosh will tell us if she is capable of stepping up to Grade 1 company. We never rush our horses, and we let them do the talking.
What is the feeling like of having a winner as part of a syndicate?
What I like about being involved in a syndicate is that it allows you to have an interest in a couple of horses, rather than just one on the same kind of budget. I can guarantee you, when you have a winner in a syndicate, it’s your horse, it’s not eight people’s horse, it’s yours. It’s a great opportunity to be involved in more than one horse with like-minded people.
I can see a huge role in what the micro syndicates do to give people a taste of what it’s like to be involved. There has to be a syndicate at every price point to give everyone the same opportunity to get involved.
If someone wanted to get involved in the syndicate, how would they go about it?
Anyone can email me at
[email protected] or give me a call to discuss options. We will be heading to the premier national hunt sales in June, and we will be recruiting for new members to come on board!
What would you say to someone who has been thinking about getting involved in Ownership but hasn't taken the leap yet?
Go for it! Decide what you want out of it, talk to the different syndicates that have been established to see what options they have and if they align with your goals. Dip your toe in to see if it’s for you on a smaller scale, you can always move up the scale at a pace that suits you in time. I would advise to always look for transparency and good communication throughout the process. You want to feel comfortable with the agent, and they should be able to provide full transparency as to where your money is being spent, everything else after that on the track falls down to a bit of luck!
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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