Members of the Five Star Racing Club have been ticking off items on their racing bucket lists at regular intervals this season – all thanks to prolific sprinter Naana’s Shadow.
The three-year-old filly has taken them to some of Flat racing’s biggest meetings and they have ended up in the winners’ enclosure, more often than not.
Now they can start planning for an autumn in Paris for some days most racehorse owners can only dream about.
The club has enjoyed huge success in its very first year, after setting up in partnership with Summerstorm Bloodstock.
Racing manager Jack Campbell said: “To have a horse of the calibre of Naana’s Shadow in a racing club at any point is a dream come true. To have her and what she has achieved in our first year has been incredible.”
Five Star Racing Club leases four horses from owners Summerstorm Bloodstock.
The members buy in at three different percentage levels and have all four horses – Naana’s Shadow, Cotai Starlight, Dandy Magic and Summerstorm’s Dream – running for them.
Three of the four have won races this summer and Naana’s Shadow has been a superb flagbearer for the club.
After finishing third at York’s Dante meeting, she landed the 3YO Dash at Epsom on Oaks Day before returning to York to land a hot handicap three weeks later.
The best was still to come, as she blitzed a big field to secure Glorious Goodwood victory on Ladies’ Day and she ran another huge race when third at York’s Ebor Festival.
Jack added: “It’s been a dream start”.
“We’ve been incredibly fortunate. One of our clients has been to the Derby Festival, to York and to Glorious Goodwood to see Naana’s Shadow win – all for £300.
“People spend millions to try to achieve this. The fact we can give people this for so little is pretty mind-blowing.
“You’d have to pay something near to that just to get into those three meetings and then you add in the lunches, dinners and your champagne afterwards, as well as talking to Champion Jockey Oisin Murphy and our wonderful trainer Katie Scott, it’s incredible.
“We’ve got a really good mix of people involved in the horses. Our core is in Scotland – Katie trains in the borders near Galashiels – but we have plenty in London and across England and we even have a few in Ireland.”
Now the members are hunting out their passports for an ambitious autumn campaign.
Naana’s Shadow is likely to head next for the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert in September. If all goes well, she could return to Paris for the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc de Triomphe day.
Jack revealed: “I don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, but should she keep on improving like she has, I think we would take our chance.
“It’s not every year you have a chance to run in a race like the Abbaye, so when you’ve got it, you’ve got to use it.
“We’re ticking off a lot of bucket list races in year one – it’s pinch me stuff.”
Jack believes racing clubs, syndicates and shared ownerships is a great way for people to get involved in racing.
He said “There’s been a huge barrier to entry to our sport – it’s the ‘sport of kings’, so they say.
“When you see horses going through the sales rings for hundreds of thousands, it’s almost impossible for any regular punter to get involved in that.
“That’s why shared ownership is so important. We need as many people as we can get into horseracing and to stay in horseracing.
“This is one of the best ways, I think, to get people involved and keeping them involved.
“Shared ownership is the biggest driver in terms of getting people on course, involved in the sport and passing it down through the generations.”
And as Five Star Racing Club has proved, getting involved in racehorse ownership is affordable for many and, if you get lucky with a horse like Naana’s Shadow, you can be taken to places you could have only dreamed about.
More From In The Paddock
Syndicates Strike Gold at Royal Ascot
The Royal Ascot winners’ enclosure is no longer the exclusive preserve of Kings, Queens and millionaires. This year’s meeting proved it’s possible for anyone to taste glory at the world’s most famous...
Kennet Valley Syndicate – Night In Vegas
Lucky members of Kennet Valley Syndicates are excitedly sorting out top hats and their best summer outfits in preparation for a trip to Royal Ascot. The 16 owners of unbeaten two-year-old Night...
Father’s Day – The Racing Fan Edition
Father’s Day gift buying is not always easy. Socks, golf balls and restaurant vouchers all have their place, but for racing fans, there is another option that might just last a little...