“The butterfly’s you get in your stomach, you can’t even explain it,”says successful owner Jason Cameronas the face of Winning Connections in launching ‘Be Part of The Racing Story.’
“When you get a winner the excessive thrill you get is truly is unbelievable. Definitely a feeling above anything else, that is for sure,” Jason says.
“They want to be racehorses you know, they want to run, they all have their own little personalities. You see that when you visit your horse at the stables,” Jason stated. “I took it on myself to ring the syndicators and get a feel for them … from there it just took off.”
“Growing up when you were younger it was the Melbourne Cup, quite a big thing for everyone. Your grandma, your mum would put you in sweepstakes. You would watch the horses, watch the races,” as Jason reflected.
Jason Cameron is no stranger to the thrill of winning, for as part-owner of Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign, he shares in her $3million in prize money plus celebrating additional important victories in the AJ Moir Stakes and Silver Slipper Stakes.
She Will Reign is another success story of Winning Connections, being just a $20,000 buy at the 2016 Sydney Classic Yearling Sale and syndicated by the highly successful Derby Racing. She is trained by Gary Portelli at Warwick Farm.
Aushorse, the official non-for-profit marketing body of the Australian Thoroughbred Industry, has seized the opportunity through its Racing Connections in launching a new campaign in promoting race horse ownership.
Through its buddy-system of Stable Mates, racing fans nationwide can have the opportunity of experiencing the excitement of racehorse ownership through Racing Connections. This innovative program introduces would-be owners with trainers and syndicators for an experience at the races.
“We’ve only just started marketing the Stable Mates program and the response has been outstanding, with over 900 people registering,” said Aushorse chief executive Tom Reilly.
Recently over 20 fans experienced what it’s like to be an owner, attending the races with leading trainers and syndicators as Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, David Hayes, Richard Freedman, Anthony Cummings, Joe Pride, Triple Crown Syndications and Spicer Thoroughbreds.
Randwick trainer Richard Freedman said “Racing Connections recently connected me with a lovely couple who were keen to get a closer look at the owner experience before they made the leap into horse ownership. It was a very positive experience for us, and the couple have said they are now planning to buy a horse for the stable. Trainers would be crazy not to embrace this initiative.”
The Racing Connections was created following an extensive ownership survey undertaken with 1800 racing fans polled. The majority felt there were significant barriers to ownership despite being regular racegoers. One in ten knew where to start when buying a horse with 5% believing the process of being an owner would be easy.
Chris and Amanda Grigsby attended a race day at Flemington with syndicator Brad Spicer and now own shares in two racehorses. “The day gave us an opportunity to meet Brad and learn more about what was involved centering on the costs would be and what we could expect.
“My wife and I have enjoyed going to the races for many years and were toying with the idea of getting involved in ownership,” said Chris Grigsby. “Taking part in Stable Mates helped give us the confidence to do so.”
Tom Reilly explains “Our research showed there are still lots of racing fans out there who would like to get involved but feel they lack the knowledge and confidence to become owners. Racing Connections provides a trusted source of information and support so that they feel confident investing in the industry for the first time.”