Galloping for Gold

By Chris Thurmott

Since he was a little boy, Brad Sheppard has always been amazed by horses, with his family involved with horse ownership for a number of years.

When the opportunity came along for Mr Sheppard to follow in his family’s footsteps and become an owner through a syndication group about four years ago, he jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve always wanted to be involved,” he said. “I used to go down to the track as a young kid and collect the form guides at the end of every race and pretend I was studying the form because I just loved reading about the races and specific horses, so I’ve always had a strong passion for it.

“Horses are such majestic creatures; the way they present themselves, train and prepare for competition is so interesting.”

Mr Sheppard’s passion has seen him become part owner of two horses, Merrijig and How to Fly, and he said the most exciting aspect about being an owner was the opportunity to do so with a close group of friends.

“Being an owner is a great excuse to get out to the track with your mates and have some fun,” he said.

“Whether you own one per cent or 50-100 per cent, you still get that adrenaline rush when your horse is running, and to be able to share that with your best mates is something I love doing.”

This is one of the reasons Mr Sheppard has been chosen as an ambassador for a new competition called Own the Dream, which gives one lucky team the opportunity to win a 20 per cent share in a race horse and benefit from having two years’ worth of training paid for.

“This competition is a great chance for the general public to gain a better understanding of the racing industry, especially here in WA, and have some fun at the same time,” he said.

“To be able to attend the training sessions, visit the stud farms and really get to see what goes on behind the scenes is fantastic, and to do it with your mates really adds that extra something special.”

ALL THE BENEFITS, NO NEGATIVES Keeping a clear head and acknowledging a horse won’t win every time is the mentality Mr Sheppard takes with him to each race and is why he feels he hasn’t faced many challenges during his time as an owner.

In fact, the biggest challenge he said he had faced also turned into his biggest success story. Shortly after taking a stake in his second horse How to Fly, it was discovered she had an injury that potentially jeopardised the mare’s chances of ever racing.

“She came from a really good blood line, but we were unsure if she would ever get out on the track” Mr Sheppard said.

“In the end the trainer worked really well with her and gradually built her up.

“She came back as a three-year-old and started to show really good promise and won a couple of Saturday races before coming second in the Magic Millions three-year-old race.

“Coming off the back of thinking she would never be able to race, to still be racing and showing excellent promise is something I will always be proud of.”

Another proud moment for Mr Sheppard was first horse Merrijig’s maiden victory under his ownership.

“That moment when she crossed the line was unbelievable, it really lit the fire inside me to get more involved with the racing industry,” he said.

“The thrill I got was incredible and the satisfaction to be able to share that will my mates is something I will look back on with great joy.”

Although he would love to be at every race meet and attend the training sessions, due to Mr Sheppard’s understandably busy schedule as a professional AFL player, this is not a possibility, though he said he was never far away from the action.

“The beauty of smart phones is you get to see the races in really good quality almost immediately,” he said.

“I, along with all the other owners, get regular updates on how the horse is going and how training sessions have gone; it’s a really useful thing to know and makes me feel like I’m really involved.

“Getting to know how the horses train and prepare for a race has been a really interesting and valuable experience, it has provided me with so much more knowledge about the races and horses in general.”

THE ADRENALINE RUSH Whether running out on the field for the Eagles or standing on the side of the race track, Mr Sheppard said he felt a similar thrill and, in both situations, was surrounded by his best friends, which made both equally special to him.

“I’m a lot more nervous at the races because it’s completely out of my control,” he said. “Running out on the footy field I know I can make a difference, but on race day there is not much for an owner to do but watch and hope your horse comes through. Even if they don’t, being surrounded by your mates always makes it better.

“The other advantage of being part of a syndication is you are surrounded by loads of like-minded people and you create great bonds with them too.

“With How to Fly, we’ve been the owners of her for about two years now, so we’re really getting in-tune with her, watching her rise through the ranks to the point where we feel like racing experts – it creates some great banter on race day among all of the owners.”

OWN THE DREAM Over the course of four weeks at the start of 2019, Racing and Wagering WA is providing the opportunity for one lucky team to win a 20 per cent share in a race horse and two years’ worth of training paid for*.

To be in with a shot of winning, all entrants need to do is form a team of between four and 10 people and attend as many events as possible. Each and every team member that can make it to any of the events will receive one entry for their team, which means the more team members that turn up to each event, the better chance the team has of winning.

The overall winner will be chosen at random, but the more events each of the team members turn up to, the more names that are entered into the hat to win.

There are nine FREE eligible events for teams to attend, run over a four-week period:

1. Sundowner Launch Jan 20, 2019

2. Southern Stable Tour Jan 27, 2019

3. Northern Stud + Stable Tour Feb 3, 2019

4. Magic Millions Barrier Draw Feb 5, 2019

5. Pinjarra Race Day Marquee Feb 9, 2019

6. Ascot Stable Tour Feb 10, 2019

7. Syndication Race Day Feb 16, 2019

8. Racing Connections Masterclass Feb 17, 2019

9. Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale + Winner Announced Feb 18, 2019

Website: www.ownthedreamwa.com.au

Phone: 9445 5473

Email: ownersonly@rwwa.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OwnersOnlyWA/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ownersonlywa