A brand new racing club has high hopes of success in the Grand National on April 10th
RacehorseClub offers its members micro-shares in the hope of attracting a new audience to the racing industry and they will be aiming to exceed all expectations with two of its three purchases due to make an appearance in the 2021 Randox Grand National.
Potters Corner – trained by Christian Williams – won the Welsh Grand National in 2019 and he has been aimed at the 2021 Aintree marathon, while Balko Des Flos – winner of the Ryanair Chase in 2018 – will be sporting the distinctive coloured silks of the club.
RacehorseClub was set up by Max Pimlott, an employee of the International Racing Bureau. Regarding the club, he said: “The whole idea is to get more people involved in horseracing and give them a toe in the water of what racehorse ownership is all about.
“We wanted to focus on the quality of horses. Obviously there are lots of other good syndicates out there, but we wanted to take it to another level to give the opportunity to as many people as we can to be part of a top-class racehorse.
“The first three horses include a Welsh National winner, a Royal Ascot winner (The Lir Jet) and a Cheltenham Festival winner, and we’ll also be going to the Craven breeze-ups.
“Potters Corner costs £75 for 0.002 per cent share. We’ve bought a percentage of him from All Stars Racing, who have owned him from the start along with Jonathan Davies, who won the Six Nations with Wales.
“Only a small part of that fee is for the actual horse – the rest comprises the membership, a welcome pack which includes plenty of goodies, but also you get the whole experience of trainer videos etc.
“Looking forward, we envisage having huge hospitality tents at Cheltenham, for example, so our members get a day on us at Cheltenham – that’s the vision we have going forward.
“Also we want to give a bit back. We’re in partnerships with the Injured Jockeys’ Fund, Racing Welfare, Retraining of Racehorses and Racing For School.”
Christian Williams has been more than happy with the recent progress of Potters Corner, especially since he couldn’t make an appearance at the Cheltenham festival due to an overreach.
“Nothing phases him. If he wasn’t quiet at home, we’d be worrying. He seems in good form and has been a great horse for the yard,” he said.
“He had a little knock, an overreach, which can be nasty sometimes, and there was a bit of bruising – that’s the reason he missed Cheltenham – and he obviously would have bumped into a prime Tiger Roll that day, so perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing. It’s only a short time to Aintree, so we’re trying to look at it as a positive.
“The horses are flying, the yard’s flying, Jack’s (Tudor) riding plenty of winners, so we’re confident going there.”
He added: “RacehorseClub is a brilliant idea – it’s great for racing fans and fans outside of racing to get involved at a small price in one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
“It makes everything affordable. It doesn’t matter what share you own, if you’re sat at home and you can cheer your horse on, jumping up and down in the lounge, you don’t get a feeling like it.
“It would be great if Potters turns in and is going well in the Grand National.”
Henry de Bromhead trains Balko Des Flos for the RacingClub, this runner unseating Rachael Blackmore in the Cross Country (Glenfarclas) Chase at Cheltenham Festival last month.
Check out all the key details ahead of the 2021 Grand National
The trainer said: “Balko Des Flos is in great form, and his Grand National prep is going as planned.
“He schooled this morning – we fixed our fences to replicate Aintree a bit. He was going really well at Cheltenham until he unseated Rachael at the wedges, but she said he was really enjoying it.
“I’m not sure who will ride him yet – because if Minella Times runs, Rachael might ride him. We also have Aidan Coleman, so he might ride what Rachael doesn’t.”
Regarding the RacehorseClub, De Bromhead added: “We have plenty of syndicates in the yard, including the Champion Chase winner Put The Kettle On among others.
“I think it’s a great idea – a one-off fee – it’s fantastic value for what you are getting.
“I am delighted to be working with such an exciting new venture, which offers such a great opportunity.”
