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[Berk Boyraz]

When 20 thoroughbred horses fire out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville on May 4, not one but two of them will be owned by West Paces Racing (WPR), a Buckhead-based equine ownership syndicate.

Co-founded by Larry Connolly, Keith Mason and a handful of others in 2019, WPR gets its name from West Paces Ferry Road, the Buckhead street where both the Cherokee Town Club and its office are located.

Authentic won the Derby and Mo Donegal won the Belmont. But Dornoch potentially could be the best of all of them. He was purchased as a yearling in 2022 for only $325,000 but has an impressive bloodline that could lead to millions in future race winnings.

With 33% ownership, WPR is the majority owner of Dornoch, who is partly owned by four other businesses. WPR also has 33% ownership in Society Man, which is owned by two other entities, including Gargan. To qualify for the Derby, which is considered a Grade 1 race, horses must win points by placing in the top five at Grade 2 events leading up to it.

The spirit of Buckhead heads forward. This is the way it has been, and perhaps this is the way it will always be. The spirit of Buckhead points forward. You see it in the way we work, and you see it in the way we play. The reach is always extending further. The search is for excellence and beauty and grace and vibrancy.

We are a community of individuals. We are diverse, we are dynamic, and we are discerning. We are builders. We are connected to one another with a common bond. A common dream. A common quest. Pointing life in one direction. Forward.

Bona Venture Stables is managed by Dan Collins, a life-long racing enthusiast who once spent a summer covering the horse racing scene for The Saratogian newspaper in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In 1996, he became involved in his first racing syndicate and began learning about pedigrees, conformation and the sales process. He purchased his first thoroughbred in 1999 and formed Bona Venture Stables in 2005.

Trainer Information: Alan Hill, based in Aston Rowant, Oxfordshire, has a variety of ownership opportunities for the 2023/24 season. The perfect way to start as an owner is in our Sunday Night Partnership, with shares available in a variety of horses. The Sunday Night Partnership has had lots of winners, placings, and runners in Hunter Chases, including at Cheltenham. This season, the Sunday Night Partnership have enjoyed 14 runs, of which nine have been placed, with four different horses. We also have other partnerships and sole ownership opportunities available in the yard.

Being involved with a horse at Hill Racing includes regular yard visits to watch the horses gallop and school, regular updates on their progress with lots of pictures and videos, and great race day experiences (which include free passes and paddock entry).

Trainer Information: The Barrow Street Racing Club on the Wiltshire/Dorset/Somerset borders has been running since 2018, maintaining an impressive 50% top three strike rate. We will again have two horses in training with progressive trainer Bea Coward for the 2024/25 season. ROCKY CREED (by Leading Light) ran four times for us in the much-reduced 2023/24 season, finishing with back to back wins at Lockinge and Cothelstone. He will be joined by the seasoned campaigner GRAN PARADISO (by Galileo), a winner of five points and three times under rules.

Trainer Information: Josh Newman and Kayley Woollacott are very excited to launch the Blackmore Racing Club, new for the 2023/24 season. This follows on from the huge success of their previous club, the Big Brook Racing Club. This year, they have two horses to run for the club. Did Ja Ever is a five-year-old mare, who had four runs in Irish points, finishing third last time out when staying on well. She will be ready to run early. The other is four-year-old Love That. She is also out of the Irish point-to-point field, being a stablemate of Lean On Me who won for us in May. The club offers mornings at the yard and on the gallops, regular runners in the South West Area, weekly updates via email and WhatsApp and passes to the races. Come and join last season's national leading yard (6-14 horses) for an exciting season for just 395 (October-June).

Trainer Information: Briony has been training pointers in the Scottish Borders near Langholm for nearly 20 years, having worked as Assistant Trainer to husband James and in France (for Guillaume Macaire) and Newmarket (TBA and Shadwell Stud). The yard has a superb setting in rolling hills, with a range of gallops and schooling facilities perfect for freshening horses with a change of scenery, and an outside barn. She loves helping the youngsters out, giving them the opportunity to race ride - ponies, pointers and under rules.

Trainer Information: Facilities include a two-furlong carpet ring, AW and grass schooling, a three- and five-furlong woodchip hill gallop, a six-horse covered horse walk, a 12-box American barn, five nursery paddocks and three summer turn-out paddocks.

We frequently have young horses here for sale, or we have a syndicate where the horses are provided, and you just pay part of the training fees. Currently this is one whole horse plus two half-shares in two horses. Ed's yard is next door to the NH yard run by his wife, Polly Gundry. We offer yard visits to watch horses work and school, regular updates on their progress, and fun days racing, predominantly on the South West point to point circuit. If you are interested in finding out more please contact Polly.

Trainer Information: A friendly yard based in the Devonshire countryside, comprising 14 boxes, solarium, walker, arena and three-furlong round gallop. Ten minutes off the A30. Shares and sole ownership options are available to all clients and for all budgets.

Trainer Information: John Ibbott trains in the heart of the Suffolk countryside at Chediston. He has spent his life working with horses and has a high winner to runner ratio and attributes this success to working with a small number of horses, which enables him to spend more time working on their individual training needs. He draws upon his experience across the equestrian disciplines to bring out the very best in the horses he trains. In the tradition of a true horseman, he strives to produce horses that are fit, well and mentally able to go out and win.

He is happy to train for sole owners but also puts together syndicates for owners wishing to take shares in horses. He is happy to help and advise owners wishing to purchase horses from across the UK and Ireland.

He and his team also retrain racehorses when they have come to the end of their racing careers. The horses that they have retrained go on to become successful eventers, hunters, team chasers, show horses and riding horses. John himself is passionate about hunting and enjoys producing excellent and mannerly thoroughbred hunters for his clients.

Trainer Information: A point-to-point trainer in the Scottish Borders, where beautiful surroundings make training varied and fun for the horses. We have a woodchip round gallop and a great grass gallop, schooling facilities, a lunge pen, an eight-horse walker, 20 stables and loads of turnout. We currently have a lovely bunch of young horses to run this season, all of whom are for sale.

Trainer Information: Shares are available for the 2023/24 season in the Foxfield Stud syndicate. An exciting, friendly, successful yard welcomes you to join in the fun with weekly updates and videos via WhatsApp.

Enjoy a cup of tea and bacon roll at our monthly gallop mornings,while catching-up with your trainer and other like-minded enthusiasts, watcing the horses work on the gallops and schooling. We have fantastic facilities to train racehorses and keep them happy and healthy and are a very laid-back, yet competitive yard, who are hungry for winners. Tickets for the races are shared out fairly, you are always guaranteed paddock entry and, win or lose, we always have a big picnic at the lorry with a lot of laughter. We currently have a few shares still available in our horse Runwiththetide and are also looking to purchase further horses for next season to suit a variety of budgets. For any more info, please do not hesitate to call and come and see us, as the door is always open.

Trainer Information: Ross is based just outside Peebles in the Scottish Borders and offers a variety of ownership opportunities and training packages. For those interested in small scale ownership, he offers shares in two point-to-point horses under the Tweeddale Racing Club banner. In addition to this, Ross is also able to take in horses for training at his private yard ideally located not too far from Friars Haugh. As part of the Tweeddale Racing Club, or having a horse in training with Ross, you will have access to regular updates, yard visits to watch the horses train and race day experiences. For an informal chat, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Trainer Information: The highly successful point-to-point division of the multiple big race and Gold Cup winning yard of Mark and Sara Bradstock is looking to expand and has room for a couple more pointers to join our happy and friendly string of horses. Our beautiful downland grass gallops have been proven to be some of the best in the country and our owners are welcome to come and enjoy mornings on them, in the yard (and in the pub afterwards) at any time. We have shares for sale in the successful winning chaser Myth Buster, who has consistently performed well on the biggest stages and will, as last year, be aimed at some of the big Hunter Chases to give his owners a great day out. Shares can be split with friends and all will be welcome to get up close and personal with 'Buzz', both in the yard and on the racecourse.

Trainer Information: Station Yard Racing (Francesca and Charlie Poste) run the Picnic Partnership, which has two horses in training on a lease basis for a one-off fee of 800 for the whole season with no hidden extras.

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