Experiencing the Thrill of Royal Ascot: A Racehorse Owner's Dream Come True!

PV Team
Jul 8
4 min read

Royal Ascot, held annually in June, is one of the most prestigious events in the world of horse racing. For racehorse owners, attending Royal Ascot is not just about watching the races; it’s a magical experience filled with excitement, glamour, and some of the best racing in the world. It is without doubt, the pinnacle of the flat racing calendar, but sadly, although most racehorse owners aspire to have a runner, for most it will remain an elusive dream.

This year, in only our second year of operating, we were delighted to have not just one but two Royal Ascot runners, providing two groups of syndicate owners with the ultimate experience in horse ownership!

What a start to the week!

Our week started on Monday with a surreal experience - an invitation to enter one of our horses in the "Goffs London Sale" - also known as the Eve of Royal Ascot Auction. Billed as

"A Sale Like No Other"

the Goffs London Sale, is a boutique thoroughbred auction held on the eve of Royal Ascot, offering a unique platform to buy and sell Royal Ascot entries and international racing prospects as well as elite breeding stock.

Held in the beautiful setting of Kensington Palace Gardens, this is the curtain raiser to the most prestigious week in flat racing.

How did it happen?

Our very own "Bone Marra" caused quite a stir when winning in jaw dropping fashion at Wolverhampton on his debut recently. Click the link to relive the excitement!

Bone Marra Debut

After receiving a few private offers, we were also invited by Goffs to enter him in this prestigious, invite only, auction. We jumped at the opportunity and by pulling in a few favours, we were able to secure a few extra invites for Bone Marra's owners to join us at this normally out of bounds event.

We soaked up the atmosphere, the unforgettable moments, the thrill of a live auction and it has to be said, more than a few glasses of bubbles! But ultimately, despite the buzz, and after listening to our owners, we decided to keep Bone Marra and see where he can take us!

Race day...

On Tuesday, we joined our syndicate owners early on in the Owners and Trainers Bar, for our very first Royal Ascot runner. Whilst Bone Marra held entries in both The Coventry and The Windsor Castle, the Coventry was our chosen race and we were lucky enough to secure the services of Christophe Soumillon to take the ride. We all assembled in the parade ring to wish him well and hear the final jockey brief.

Sadly, the front running ride did not play to his strengths, but as many of the owners told us, to even have a Royal Ascot runner was a fantastic experience, and a dream come true. The anticipation, the excitement and the buzz at Royal Ascot cannot be replicated and will always be remembered.

Royal Ascot Hospitality

On Thursday we were back again, this time doing things a little differently, hosting our owners in our own private, luxury box. With fantastic views, a visit from George for a drink & to chat all things Oli Show, free flowing champagne and all the little perks a box can provide, it was an incredible experience to be able to offer our Oliver Show owners.

Oli has been an amazing syndicate horse, and his owners are rightly very proud of him. He has taken us from the highs of a big Racing League win at Southwell, to the heartbreaking excitement of a photo finish in The Lincoln, with a thrilling winter in Bahrain in between! The Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot was the next step for Oli and although he didn’t put his best hoof forward on this occasion, it’s safe to say his crew of owners still had a superb day!

Were we disappointed not to have a Royal Ascot winner?

Yes…because we always aim to win! No…because to have two runners at one of the most prestigious and competitive flat meetings in the world, in only our second year of operation was a great achievement and we are very proud of the fact we were able to give a great bunch of our owners an incredible experience, and life long memories of their day out, watching their boys compete on the main stage!

Oliver Show Pompey Ventures Racehorse Syndicates

Oliver Show & Lois, Royal Ascot

A Pompey Ventures Owners thoughts on the week..

When you buy a horse, you dream about getting it to Royal Ascot, everything about the flat season leads up to it. It’s the pinnacle of the British racing calendar and one of the best festivals in the world. So to have not one but two runners there this year, is nothing short of a dream come true. It’s an incredible experience to be there as an owner, behind the ropes with the best in the game. Being in the parade ring surrounded by the best horses, the best jockeys, best trainers and the biggest owners. The experience will live long in the memory and I’m already excited for next years!

We know we won't always win. It's part of the racing game. But a large part of racehorse ownership is the experience. The adrenaline. The excitement. The anticipation. And we had all that this week!