So, what's it like to be involved with Racing Club?

In our new weekly series on racing syndicates, we meet those involved, get their take on the ownership experience and outline the key details should you wish to join. This week: Racing Club.

• Read the full Join The Club series

The lowdown

Racing Club head of racing Tom Aldridge

How much does a share typically cost? Shares start at £25, but the club has a VIP level that ranges from £2,500 to £25,000 a share. The higher the price point, the higher percentage you own of that horse.

What does it get you? Once you own a share in a horse, you can enter a ballot to secure owner badges for the day the horse runs. Racing Club offers a plus one option for members to ensure they don't have to go racing on their own. Prize-money is also split at the end of each syndicate term, while there's an opportunity to apply for tickets to other events as the syndicate owns hospitality boxes at various sporting venues such as Wembley Stadium.

Typically how many owners are there in each horse? It varies depending on how much a share of a horse costs. Head of racing Tom Aldridge said: "There tends to be around 4,000 involved in the smaller horses, but some horses, which cost around £900 a share, have 100 members. In the VIP shares, there tends to be a maximum of ten people."

How do they communicate with members? A WhatsApp group is available to all members, which helps provide everyone involved with up-to-date information. 

Which trainers do Racing Club use? The majority of horses on the Flat are trained by Paul Attwater in Lambourn, but the syndicate has jumps horses with Jamie Snowden. Flat trainers Andrew Balding, George Boughey and Richard Hannon have recently been added to the team.

Richard Hannon: trainer of Lucky LunaCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

How often do members get to see their horses at home? Co-founder Gary Gillies owns Newlands in Lambourn, so there's weekly stable visits to Paul Attwater. With the likes of Snowden, Balding and Hannon, there are between three to four visits per year.

Which type of horse does the syndicate like to buy? "We want to find high quality and well-bred horses who can be successful in the big races," said Aldridge. "We have a mixture, though, with some running on the all-weather."

What success have they had? Wendigo is the flagbearer for the syndicate, with the Jamie Snowden-trained six-year-old having won four of his eight starts and finished second behind The New Lion in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury in December. He was also an unlucky fifth in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival. Spirit Of Summer won on his reappearance for Andrew Balding and could be Royal Ascot-bound, while Lucky Luna has a bright future.

How many horses and members do Racing Club have at the moment? There are 26 horses in total and around 10,000 members. 

Where is the syndicate based? Newlands Stables, Upper Lambourn.

More information available at Racing Club

The experience

Racing Club syndicate member Barbara Mitchelmore, 68, from East Garston, Berkshire

When did you first get involved with Racing Club? I saw an advertisement about the club on a local Facebook page around 15 months ago and it sounded interesting. I looked at the website and saw the option of microshares, which were a reasonable price. I thought maybe the way to understand a bit more about the sport was to buy some microshares in one jumps horse and one Flat horse.

How many shares have you had with them? I did have two microshares, but I have since bought more in a further six horses, although Dunstan has been retired due to injury. The horses I'm involved with are Wendigo and Handlethekettle over jumps, and Redbud Sixteen, Tiny Rebel, Blackwaterfoot, Lucky Luna and Spirit Of Summer on the Flat.

Wendigo: finished fifth in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at last month's Cheltenham FestivalCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

What's been the highlight on the track? I've got two standouts and they both relate to Wendigo. He was one of the first horses I got involved in and he was second in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury and fifth in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. Having a horse running at the festival, when you've only got a microshare, seems pretty amazing. Lots of people have never had that feeling despite being in the sport for a long time. 

And the biggest disappointment? We've had horses who haven't won, but the reality is it's all about the experience of being at the racecourse. If the horse wins it's a bonus, but the biggest thing is that the horse and jockey come back safely.

What do you like about the way Racing Club does ownership? They're phenomenal with communication. From the moment I bought my first microshares, they've been fantastic. They have a brilliant website with lots of information, we get regular weekly emails on each horse and there's a WhatsApp group for each horse. For me, not knowing a huge amount about the sport before I got involved, it was great to ask questions to other people and the Racing Club team.

How do you find sharing ownership with strangers? Everyone comes from different parts of the country and from different backgrounds. You can have a chat with someone you've never met before, but the common interest is the same and we all share experiences which are lovely.

Read more from the Join The Club series:

What's it like to be part of a Quest Thoroughbreds syndicate? 

So, what's it like to be part of a Ross Burd 

'Their engagement is outstanding' - so, what's it like to be part of RaceShare? 

So, what's it like to be part of Middleham Park Racing? 

So, what's it like to be part of Hot To Trot Racing? 

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