It's All About the Girls

syndicate success

It’s All About

THE ALL-FEMALE SYNDICATE IS FLYING HIGH IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. LEGS LAWLOR TELLS AISLING CROWE HOW THE EUROPEAN WING GOT OFF TO A DREAM START WITH THEIR ORBY PURCHASES

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syndicate success PREVIOUS: Elaine “Legs” Lawlor leads in Sparkle’n’Joy and Colm O’Donoghue after winning at Naas.

BELOW: The girls celebrate Chicas Amigas’ win at Naas

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s a mission statement for It’s All About The Girls it comes close to encapsulating what the group is about, as the moniker for the allwoman syndicate’s star filly in the northern hemisphere it is perfect.

The syndicate, run in Ireland

by Goffs’ International Director Elaine ‘Legs’ Lawlor, has enjoyed an exciting start to its existence with a Group 1 winner in Australia and a Royal Ascot filly but the experience of It’s All About The Girls is pointing the way forward for increasing diversity and inclusion in the sport by giving women the opportunity to join together as owners.

“We are having so much fun,” Legs states. “I think a lot of women believe racing is a man’s game or a man’s sport and they feel they can’t get involved but for us, these are our horses. Syndicates like this is the way forward for getting women involved in racing.”

It’s All About The Girls is about female ownership and empowerment in racing but the magic ingredient in the syndicate is the element of fun and friendship.

“There are other events that we can all bring one another to – from fashion shows to the London Sale to Royal Ascot – so it is a great social syndicate and a way to meet people and develop friendships. We have a WhatsApp group and everyone gets involved, so it makes my job very easy,” she smiles.

Proving her point, syndicate members were treated to a private reception and stallion show at the Irish National Stud just before Royal Ascot this year, the stud shrewdly capitalising on the attention generated by the ladies to showcase Dragon Pulse, sire of Chicas Amigas During her career Legs has garnered extensive knowledge and experience of running syndicates but it is the passion, and fun, the opportunity for enjoyment and friendship that owning a racehorse can uniquely provide which she wants to share with others.

Chicas Amigas

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syndicate success

“IT IS A GREAT WAY TO GET GIRLS TOGETHER TO GO TO DIFFERENT EVENTS OUTSIDE OF RACING AS WELL.” She says: “The main thing is I get a lot of fun out of racing and one looks at racing and thinks it is so expensive, you can’t get involved but doing it with a syndicate cuts the costs, you can gather a group of mates together and have a lot of fun for not a lot of money. There are only 30 girls in this syndicate and we have a lot of fun together, it is a great way to get girls together to go to different events outside of racing as well. But it is brilliant to have a winner with friends.”

GROUP 1 WINNER It’s All About The Girls was born in Australia and their first horse, Global Glamour, has brought them joy beyond their wildest imaginings. In training with Gai Waterhouse, the first lady of Australian racing, the five-year-old filly has so far won two Group 1s and been placed in another, earning prizemoney in excess of Aus $1.5 million.

Legs decided to expand the syndicate to Ireland in 2017 and as the group is all about the girls, there was only one trainer that could possibly be entrusted with the syndicate’s horses – Gold Cup and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Jessica Harrington. Teaming up with Patrick Cooper of BBA Ireland, Legs and Jessie found the ideal fillies for the first Irish syndicate at the 2017 Goffs’ Orby Sale.

The daughter of Dragon Pulse, subsequently named Chicas Amigas, and a Sepoy filly who would be called Sparkle’n’joy were chosen to carry the girls’ silks.

“We originally did the first syndicate in Australia in 2015 where we had great success so I thought I would test the water over here and see how it would go,” explains Legs. “There are 30 members in the syndicate from four different countries but predominantly Irish-based and there are two fillies in this syndicate.”

When Chicas Amigas was entered to make her debut on the all-weather at Dundalk in May, an ordinary two-year-old maiden garnered international attention as the 30 women who own the filly tuned into the Louth track from across the globe. For the first-time owners amongst them, the excitement when she crossed the line in first place was infectious.

The success of Chicas Amigas and Sparkle’n’joy this year has been one of the great feel-good stories of the racing season

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syndicate success

Syndicate members enjoying themselves at Royal Ascot with bloodstock agent Patrick Cooper in the foreground

FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE “A lot of them are having their first experience of owning a racehorse so it is a fantastic experience for them. It was wonderful for them to have their first winner with their first runner. I think when you go to the races with no expectations really, running a filly first time out against colts you’re not thinking that you’re going to win so when Chicas Amigas won it was amazing. We were hooting and hollering in the winners’ enclosure and around the world because we were all in different time zones,” Legs laughs.

That is what Legs and Anna Seitz Ciannello [of the American sales company Fasig-Tipton] wanted to share when they came up with the idea on a visit to the Magic Millions Sale on Australia’s Gold Coast three years’ ago. The thrill of owning a racehorse is multiplied when it is shared with friends.

“Anna started this concept a number of years’ ago in America and it’s really all credit to her,” Legs says.

“It’s amazing how it has snowballed but once you get a taste for racing it’s impossible to go back. When you have a winner and you’re in the winners’ enclosure on your own it can be a lonely place but when you have a group of pals with you it is brilliant.”

Royal Ascot is another venue that has played host to the ‘Girls’ when they attended in June to cheer on Chicas Amigas in the Albany Stakes. The filly ran a cracker at Ascot and was back in the winner’s enclosure at the Curragh in August.

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“IT’S AMAZING HOW IT HAS SNOWBALLED BUT ONCE YOU GET A TASTE FOR RACING IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO GO BACK”

MORE FILLIES Such has been the reaction to the syndicate during the season, Legs is returning to the Orby Sale once more this October in search of more fillies to sprinkle some more joy.

“This is the first syndicate I have put together in Ireland and I am delighted with how it filled so I hope to continue and do many more,” she beams.

“Absolutely, Absolutely! We’re going to buy more fillies. With Jessie and Patrick Cooper, the plan is to go back to the Orby Sale to select more fillies. Having Jessie and her daughters Emma and Kate involved is fantastic too. We work very well together which is brilliant.”

Chicas Amigas in racing. It really is all about the girls.

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