Forces racing Club Targets Military Gold Cups

Features | 30th November 2023

Young soldier turned TV star Jordan Wylie was soaking wet and freezing cold when he turned to his commanding officer during a gruelling exercise on Salisbury Plain and asked: “Sir, have you ever thought what you’d like to be when you’re not doing this?”

The officer looked him in the eye and without hesitation, replied: “Yes, I’m going to train racehorses.” In a quick-witted response, Jordan quipped: “Well if I can afford a horse one day I’ll come and see you.”

Some years later, the star of Channel 4’s Hunted and a best-selling author kept his promise when he turned up at that officer Jamie Snowden’s Lambourn stables in a quest to win one of the big military races at Sandown Park.

“I’ve been trying for nine years to win the Grand Military Gold Cup or the Royal Artillery Gold Cup at Sandown with my King’s Royal Hussars friends but now I have a syndicate horse with Jamie that I’m hoping will finally realise my dream,” explains Jordan.

“Jamie was successful in the military races as a jockey but has never won one as a trainer. He was second in the 2017 Royal Artillery with Ardkilly Witness but we’re hoping Farceur Du Large will do it for a syndicate with a difference.”

The former Noel Meade-trained gelding – a dual chase winner with a rating of 129 – represents Racingclub.com, set up by Jordan and three partners partly to attract servicemen and women and veterans from all the armed forces into racehorse ownership.

“We bought Farceur at Doncaster in May and sent him to Sir AP McCoy for pre-training but he’s now with Jamie and training well ahead of his planned debut hopefully before Christmas, with a view to running in the Grand Military in January,” adds Jordan, who also has the MBE for charity work.

“We’re selling 100 shares in Farceur and the response has been great from racing enthusiasts with Army, Air Force and Navy backgrounds. It’s a great way to bring serving personal and veterans together to enjoy the thrills of racing at an affordable price.”

Racingclub.com also aims to appeal to non-military racing fans with other club horses. Snowden trains their four-year-old hurdler Wendigo who was third on stable debut at Worcester and is available at just £45 per share for the year.

They also have Flat horses with Barry Brennan in Lambourn including Letmelivemylife, a five-year-old gelding who has already won five times from just 13 starts on the All-Weather.

“We aim to make the race day and ownership experience exciting,” adds Jordan. “We want to make racing more accessible with the emphasis on the social experience, whether it be at the stables or at the races.”

More information is available online at racingclub.com