Our Owner of the Month award winner for September is Mike Shephard, part owner of Daring Move who won twice during September – Mike wrote this for SAROA:
I first became indirectly involved with thoroughbred ownership through my wife who had great success with a Mark Kavanagh trained mare Divine Madonna back in the early 2000s.
Chance had it that I had the opportunity to venture into ownership with my first share in a gelding, Maduro, from the same dam hoping to achieve similar success. While only having managed 1 city win and 3 placings in 11 starts before being moved on, I had been bitten by the bug.
Since then, I’ve been involved in about 25 or so horses, both as a part-owner and as a member of a syndicate (which I manage) with the vast majority achieving multiple city wins. It’s certainly a thrill watching your horse reach the winning post ahead of the field, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Maiden win at Strathalbyn or a Listed win interstate, it’s all very enjoyable sharing the excitement with all of the other owners.
The attraction to buy into Daring Move was that she is a full sister to another horse I was part-owner of in All Banter, a mare by I’m All The Talk out of Bantry Bay. All Banter had a fantastic career notching up 7 wins and 3 minor placings from 15 starts, including 2 Listed wins in the WJ Adams Stakes at Caulfield in 2021 and The Railway Stakes at Oakbank earlier this year. She has now been retired (due to injury) and has embarked on a career hopefully breeding future local champions.
The decision to buy into Daring Move was not a hard one as the owners of All Banter were offered first right of refusal on the new filly. Daring Move is a 4-year-old mare who is trained by Richard and Chantelle Jolly (who have trained all but 2 of the horses I have been involved with) and has only just embarked on her racing career with six starts. However, of those six starts she has managed four wins and a placing including the back-to-back wins during September. Her first win in March was extra special as All Banter also saluted at the same meeting! We are all very excited with the possibility that she could follow in the footsteps of her big sister, hopefully bringing up many more wins.
I’d encourage anyone remotely interested in getting involved in racing to do just that. Take the step, get in touch with one of our great local trainers and get your feet wet. It doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise especially if you get a group of like-minded friends together and buy a small share to start with to test the waters.
There are two things that I always point out to those interested in getting involved. Firstly, treat ownership just like you would any other hobby; do it for the enjoyment. If you go in expecting to make money, you’re in it for the wrong reasons and are likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, windfalls are exciting and can be very rewarding. Secondly, even if you only have a small share; 2 ½%, 5%, 10% or whatever, you still get 100% of the fun and excitement.
As Mike mentions Daring Move is by I’m All The Talk, a stallion by Stratum who stood in WA for six seasons but he is now deceased. Daring Move’s record stands at six starts for four wins and a third with earnings of almost $95,000.
Her dam Bantry Bay (by Tale Of The Cat) was a more than handy race mare winner three including the Group 3 SA Sires Produce Stakes and over $220,000. Her progeny include the handy Bantry Belle (by Danehill Express); Bayatorio (by Oratorio) winner of over $240,000; his full brother Bomber Bay and full sister Our Time Will Come who earned over $150,000; and another full brother Lord Greystoke earned over $130,000; as well as the All Banter and Daring Move and two more unraced horses both by The Lot. She has been very much an above average broodmare.
The grand dam Eastern Awe (by Persian Heights) also left eleven times winner Rosstown (by Naturalism).
One interesting note is the Mike echoes the thoughts of several of our recent winners that race horse ownership is best entered into like any other hobby, for the enjoyment it brings rather than as a money-making exercise.
We are sure that Mike and wife Marilyn will continue to gain great enjoyment from the horses they own including the very promising Daring Move.