March 2025
Owen and Aly Vance catch up in Bahrain
March 2025
Frankie Foster & Owen chat all things PV
Pompey Ventures is making headlines both on and off the track. From syndicate victories to media interviews, PV Press is where you’ll find our official news, press snippets and media coverage.
If you’re looking for in-depth articles and insights into the world of racehorse ownership, you can also visit our blog
PV Press
Pompey Ventures Racehorse Syndicates in the News
Successful Flat syndicate branching out over jumps with juvenile hurdling prospect for Willie Mullins
Racing Post, 2nd November 2025
Pompey Ventures pin jumps hopes on Kingmaker Send them to Willie Mullins. That's what many owners have done and Pompey Ventures have become the latest to join the British and Irish champion trainer's ranks. The up-and-coming syndicate have been making waves on the Flat in Britain with the likes of Ollie Sangster and George Boughey and now they are going to have their first proper crack at the jumps by sending new purchase Kingmaker to the Closutton maestro. Their involvement has snowballed from a day at Chester in June, when Mullins' Grand National-winning son Patrick partnered a winner for them on the Sangster-trained Profit Refused. Pompey Ventures' founding partner Owen Haly said: "We've been having results on the track with the Flat horses, but we're trying to find different angles to grow and all year long I've been getting messages from people asking when we were going to get a jumps horse. "After Patrick rode that winner at Chester, we had lunch afterwards and I sort of mentioned it as a joke. He said if we bought the right horse, they'd be more than happy to have it. I was amazed with how polite and welcoming he was and how much time he gave me. It's all in the pedigree." It is not the first time Pompey Ventures have had a jumps horse or a horse in Ireland, but Kingmaker will be their first Irish jumps horse. Haly hopes having one with Mullins will broaden the syndicate's horizons. He said: "We're opening our doors again to some Irish clients and jumps clients as a whole. I love the camaraderie of the jumps. I find it's a completely different world to the Flat. "These horses stay around for a long time and hopefully this lad will be around for the next few years for us. Willie probably doesn't need any more horses but we're going to send him another one, and there's no better place to have a horse in the jumps sphere." The Grapevine caught up with Haly while he was busy sourcing more purchases at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, where the three-year-old Kingmaker was bought for 55,000gns out of Andrew Balding's yard. While Lincoln runner-up Oliver Show will be flying the flag in Bahrain this winter, Haly hopes Kingmaker can make a splash in the Irish juvenile hurdling division and keep Pompey Ventures on an upward curve. "The first thing I noticed when I went to see him is how big he is. I mean, he's an absolute beast," he said. "He's gone from one of the top-end Flat trainers in Britain to the best trainer in the world over the jumps. He was my nap in terms of the jumps. I thought I'd probably have to go to 70,000gns to get him. "The number of people this week who came up and said we've had a great year has been unreal. People are clearly taking notice of what we're doing. I have to pinch myself and realise what we've built already." Matt Rennie
Pompey Ventures aim up
Racing Post, 28th August 2025
The Pompey Ventures syndicate has already enjoyed a productive campaign on the track, scoring with the likes of Bone Marra and the steadily progressive handicappers Profit Refused and Tuco Salamanca. Founding partner Owen Haly said the outfit was aiming to reach the next level after bidding £100,000 for the A’Ali colt out of the Listed-placed Mazzuri. The colt, who was bred by Newsells Park and offered through Longview Stud, is a brother to this year’s useful two-year-old filly Fairy Oak, the highest-rated offspring of A’Ali after a fine fifth at Royal Ascot. She is trained by Michael O’Callaghan for Libyan ownership vehicle Al Watan Club after a £225,000 transfer at the Goffs London Sale. “Obviously he’s a full-brother to Fairy Oak, who was fifth in the Albany,” said Haly. “She’s a very good filly and made a good amount at the London Sale. We’ve spent money on horses for lower graded races before and done well, and after the success we’ve had we want to take it to the next level. We hope this fella can do that.“David Byrne, who buys all of our unraced horses, loved him. He came up here on Monday and that evening he said this is the one we have to go for. Alex Elliott was the underbidder and that probably tells you everything you need to know. He’ll go to Ollie Sangster, he’s been a great part of our team turning out winners like Tuco Salamanca, Profit Refused, Bob Mali, multiple winners. It’s nice to be top lot but let’s hope he can go do it on the track now.”
Patrick Mullins checks Chester box in tour of British tracks
Wimbledon Times, 13th June 2025
Grand National-winning rider Patrick Mullins ticked off another course on his mission to conquer Britain when victorious at Chester on Friday.Although only 30 miles separate the Roodee and Aintree, the two courses could not be more different in their make up, and only two months after winning the world’s most famous steeplechase, the amateur pilot switched codes to navigate the tight turns of Chester. Mullins had finished third in the HRS Cladding Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap aboard John and Sean Quinn’s Red Mirage 12 months ago, but was handed the prime position of stall one aboard Ollie Sangster’s Profit Refused (3-1 favourite) this time around. Away well over the seven-furlong trip, the 35-year-old had his mount in a handy position throughout and after kicking clear in the straight, just had enough petrol in reserve to hold off the fast-finishing defending champion Outrun The Storm by a neck. Mullins, who celebrated with a flying dismount, said: “I was wondering if I had kicked too soon and he broke well and I did want to keep my powder dry as long as I could, but then there comes a time where you have to go or you are going to stall and we got home in front – stall one is a massive help here.“It’s not quite Galway in reverse as Galway has a lot of ups and downs and Chester is completely unique – it’s a circle. I was keen to come back here after riding in this race last year and these opportunities you have to take when you can. “The speed is a huge buzz. We get to race over this trip at Laytown, but that is a straight course, so to do it here round a bend is great. “I’m so lucky to ride in a Grand National then to come here and ride over seven furlongs around Chester, not many people get the opportunity to do that.” On his ambition to ride a winner at every track in Britain, he added: “It’s been a magic day and there’s 25 more jumps tracks for me to go, I think Cartmel is definitely high on the list.” Mullins’ victory came in the colours of the Pompey Ventures team, in which school friend David Byrne is a partner. Byrne was thrilled to be able to provide his friend a rare opportunity on the Flat and told Sky Sports Racing: “We went to school together, we started school when we were 12 and have been pals ever since. “He’s always been talented and this is great. Everything worked out that we had a runner in an amateur race and Paddy is trying to ride a winner at every track, so it was great that I could give him the call, we go a long way back.”
'The phone has been hopping' - new syndicate face 'very tough' decision over interest in debut winner heading to Royal Ascot
Racing Post, 29th May 2025
An up-and-coming syndicate is weighing up a high-stakes decision of keeping what could be its first Royal Ascot runner or taking the riches of selling its star juvenile abroad after a remarkable debut win. The Ollie Sangster-trained Bone Marra made a successful start for owners Pompey Ventures at Wolverhampton on Tuesday despite blowing the start and being detached by a handful of lengths, before flying home to win by three-quarters of a length. A tilt at the Coventry or Windsor Castle Stakes and taking on Flat racing's powerhouses at the royal meeting next month is in the pipeline for Bone Marra as it stands. However, the lure of selling him could be too hard to refuse, according to Pompey Ventures' founding partner Owen Haly. "Ultimately the head rules over the heart in this, but you're blessed to have these sorts of problems and it'd be very tough to say what we'd prefer," he said. "To have a two-year-old runner at the biggest Flat meeting of the season would be massive, but we need to think about whether the offer is the right thing to do compared with how we value him. "How much you would pay for a Royal Ascot runner nowadays is a question that also creeps in. We're very excited, but the phone has been hopping and Ollie's been getting asked about him from the likes of Hong Kong and other places." He added: "If nothing comes through he'll be ours for Royal Ascot. He'd probably be our first runner on the card in basically our second year, which would be some achievement, especially with a two-year-old." Should Bone Marra remain with Pompey Ventures and head to the Coventry, he would be the syndicate's breakthrough Royal Ascot runner. If not, it will be narrow Lincoln runner-up Oliver Show in the Royal Hunt Cup or Buckingham Palace Stakes. However, Haly is still getting over Bone Marra's 25-1 shock win under Nicola Currie and cannot believe the position his burgeoning syndicate is already in. "It was certainly unexpected," he added. "We thought he had some sort of ability but he'd never popped out of the stalls before and made up a ridiculous amount of lengths in the home straight. Nicola is a star for us too and criminally underrated. "He'd only done a couple of bits of group cantering beforehand and now we'll really see what's under the bonnet. David Byrne sourced him and did say he'd be very smart – he proved his judgement is top class."
'They make you realise how fun owning a racehorse is' - what's it like to be part of Pompey Ventures?
Racing Post, 26th May 2025
The lowdown How much does a share typically cost? "It varies. For example, a two and a half per cent share in a horse they had called Bob Mali cost £650, while the Lincoln runner-up Oliver Show for the same percentage was £1,016," says Pompey Ventures' founding partner Owen Haly. What does it get you? Regular work videos with trainer updates, pictures weekly of your horses, as well as race previews and reviews from both the syndicate and the trainer. You also get an owner's raceday badge and yard visits. How many others are there typically in each horse? "Again there is a variety. Some have just five owners, while flagship horse Oliver Show has 15 people involved. It all depends who is interested in what horse," says Haly. "With our syndicates we want to have a tighter-knit, exclusive feeling to it." Do syndicate members get tickets every time their horse runs? "We always try to guarantee a ticket, it's as simple as that," Haly says. "All our owners were up in the Royal Box and hosted really well when Oliver Show ran in the Lincoln." How do you communicate with members? "You get included in a tailored WhatsApp group or via email specific to your syndicate horse, although it depends how the owner prefers it," he says. How often do members see their horses at home? It's not an open yard policy, but Haly can organise personal visits if contacted. "Yard days are something we want to do more of," he says, "but this way you do get more one-on-one time with the trainer." Which type of horse does the syndicate like to buy? They have bought yearlings, breeze-ups and juveniles, but have thrived buying horses in-training like Oliver Show, Tuco Salamanca and Kranjcar. "We try to recruit horses we think can improve, or even go out to the likes of Bahrain in the winter," Haly says. What success have they had? Plenty, but Haly thinks Oliver Show "has been nothing short of a standout". He finished second in a Listed race in Bahrain before being beaten a nose in the Lincoln. Is there any chance of a return on investment? "We try to buy horses who either maintain or increase value," Haly says. They also retain a percentage in horses where possible. After Bob Mali was bought for €16,000, he was sold for £50,000. How many horses and members do you have at the moment? They have 15, but also bought a "highly recommended" Cotai Glory colt at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-up Sale last week. They have around 135-140 members. Where is the syndicate based? Daly is based in Portsmouth but owners come from across the world. Which trainers do Pompey Ventures use? Ollie Sangster, George Boughey, Karl Burke, Michael Keady and a two-year-old in Ireland with Jack Davison. More information available at pompeyventures.co.uk The experience Joe Hudson, 27, from Wigan When did you first get involved in the syndicate? I've been involved since its inception as I was friends with Owen beforehand. It all started with a jumps horse called A Dublin Job and I'm still going strong. They've done a huge amount in a short space of time. How many shares have you had with them? I'm one of their biggest supporters. I've been involved in the majority we've had, so it's probably over 20 horses. There's only been a handful I've not been involved in. What's been the biggest highlight on track? When Oliver Show won in the Racing League at Southwell last year. It was live on ITV and he chased it down late and won on the line. There was a big group of us and we went absolutely mental. If you could bottle up that feeling and sell it, you'd be a millionaire. And biggest disappointment? Oliver Show's defeat in the Lincoln. Honestly, it could be the biggest highlight as it's the best result we ever had, but the manner of it in such a prestigious race was heartbreaking. What do you like about the way they do ownership? They're very transparent. I never feel like I don't know where I stand as there's always someone there giving you everything you need. They make you realise how fun owning a racehorse is too. How do you find sharing ownership with strangers? A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet and everyone's become mates, and you always get excited to see them next time you go racing. How can racecourses improve the experience for syndicate members? Getting more space and seats, as the main struggle can be grabbing somewhere to sit or have something to eat in owners and trainers if you're in a big syndicate. Chester does it fantastically.
They’re a top set of young lads and all are seriously good thinkers about the game...
Sporting Life, 3rd April 2025
The ITV cameras also very cruelly clocked us amongst the premature celebrations for OLIVER SHOW, who was even more cruelly denied success in the Lincoln by the late flourish of GODWINSON. Oliver’s owners – the Pompey Ventures syndicate – are headed by a pal of mine, but I’m sure I’d find them an easy outfit to root for even without having enjoyed an afternoon on track in their company. They’re a top set of young lads and all are seriously good thinkers about the game, Oliver Show himself being a prime example – a £30k buy from Sir Michael Stoute who has already taken them to Bahrain and returned well over £100k in prize money. Of course, it was a pretty heartbreaking result to go down in such a historic race by such a narrow margin – especially after being called the winner by the on-course commentator - but finishing runner-up in the Lincoln was cause for a couple nevertheless, so it was back to Horse & Groom in Armthorpe ahead of their TUCO SALAMANCA’s hat-trick bid at Newcastle later in the evening. Things were far more straightforward for Tuco, the result never in a moment’s doubt and though of course, the main enjoyment was on a personal level – there’s nothing better than celebrating a winner with your mates - it was made sweeter still by his position in this season’s Timeform Fifty To Follow (available to buy etc etc). He was the lowest-rated horse in the book by some margin, perhaps a bold call to opt for one rated 53p at the expense of others with loftier targets but has already more than justified his addition with three wins and a rating 36 lb higher. There’s a clip on my Twitter of some of the post-race merriment and trust me, the lads stayed on cloud nine for a fair while after. Somehow, it's been described as “an advert for getting a young bunch of mates into racing” and though I’m not sure the BHA or Great British Racing would be looking to grow the game by having an absolute rabble going ballistic at a TV screen in Doncaster, I can promise that it'd work for me more than any directed marketing campaign - with or without Jermaine Jenas - ever could. Some Saturday out.
Jason Weaver has a few words at Wolves about the brains & the beauty behind PV!
March 2025
'We're pinching ourselves' - owners Pompey Ventures continue brilliant season with hat-trick hero Bob Mali
Racing Post, 3rd October 2024
Owners Pompey Ventures continued their stunning season when Bob Mali completed a hat-trick with an impressive success in the 6f juvenile conditions stakes. The Ollie Sangster-trained son of Sands Of Mali landed his first two starts at Ayr and Chester and maintained his unbeaten record by a length and a quarter under James Doyle, despite hanging left in the closing stages. His win took the owners' strike-rate this year to a remarkable 60 per cent, with nine of their ten runners in 2024 finishing in the first three. Founding partner Owen Haly said: "We're pinching ourselves. It's unbelievable how it's been going. When we find our horses we make sure to leave no stone unturned. "We bought Bob for only €16,000 and he's from a stallion we're growing to love. He's three from three now and that race was worth nearly £13,000 to the winner. He's really exciting." The ownership group is named after Portsmouth FC's nickname and Bob Mali's victory was a welcome tonic after the Championship club's 6-1 defeat at Stoke on Wednesday. A tilt at Group 3 company is next on the cards for Bob Mali. Haly said: "He showed a bit of greenness, but in a nice way it means there's more to come. He'll be aimed at the Horris Hill Stakes. Ollie's keen to run him and we aren't afraid to have a crack."
Tattersalls catch up with PV at the yearling sales
Sep 2024
Bob Mali wins on Debut at Ayr!
Aug 2024
Impressive Media Shooter seals double for Sam James and Karl Burke
Racing Post, 9th August 2024
Media Shooter completed a double for Sam James and Karl Burke with a cosy success in the feature 7f handicap. The pair combined for Group 2 success with Poet Master at the Curragh last month and were in excellent form again as the three-year-old travelled strongly and picked up the favourite Gressington to win by two and three-quarter lengths. "The step up to seven furlongs has helped him a bit," James told Racing TV. "You need that six-furlong speed going this trip around here as you need the early pace to get into a position. He was able to do that and they went a good gallop. I was able to follow the favourite and he's won going away." Media Shooter was wearing cheekpieces for the first time and his rider believes the headgear, along with tackling this new trip at a sharp course, could see yet more improvement. "The cheekpieces helped and the decent ground too," he said. "He ran in a very competitive race at York [three starts before] and finished fourth, so the form was there anyway."
Pompey back in purchasing mode
Racing Post, 1st May 2024
The Pompey Ventures syndicate have been active at a number of recent sales and continued their recruitment drive with the 36,000gns purchase of Disco Spirit, an unraced three-year-old son of Acclamation offered on behalf of Dance’s Coverdale Stud. The docket was signed with Sam Haggas’s Hurworth Bloodstock. Disco Spirit last appeared on the public market during Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale in 2022, when he was knocked down to Dance’s Manor House Farm at 150,000gns. The Pompey Ventures team will be hoping to maintain their run of form that has seen Media Shooter and Oliver Show grace the winner's enclosure of late. “This horse is going to George Boughey after the great job he’s done with Oliver Show,” said syndicate founder Owen Haly. “We liked him as a physical and we’re probably getting a bit of value given the unknowns around the John Dance horses. “We went and had a look at him and George liked him so we’re happy to get him. We don’t know an awful lot about him and what he’s been doing but we liked his condition and he’ll go straight to George’s from here and we’ll let him work away. Hopefully, George can work his magic.” Pompey Ventures also secured three lots at last week’s Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale, with the trio costing a combined £128,000. Prior to that they struck at 17,000gns, for Mulciber during the March Sale. On the backstory to the syndicate, Haly said: “It was started by myself and Ned Sangster and our first group of purchases were at last year’s Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale. We picked up Media Shooter and Oliver Show and they’ve been great servants over the winter. Media Shooter has nearly won what we paid for him in prize-money already and Oliver Show has been a bit of a project but George has done a great job with him. “The whole aim was to get younger people into ownership and I’d say a vast amount of our shareholders are under the age of 35. We offer shares that go from two per cent up to 50 per cent.” Expanding on the group’s approach to sourcing stock, Haly said: “With buying yearlings and breeze-up horses there are more unknowns, but we’ve always liked trying to find horses with form we think we can improve and looking for angles. It’s a big game of opinions so we’re looking for things other people might not see.” “I’m a working class lad and my first racing memory was Royal Ascot in 2015 with a couple of mates. Ever since then I’ve been a form student. I met Ned through a mutual friend and his pedigree and that surname speaks for itself in racing.” In keeping with their aim of appealing to a younger generation of owners, the syndicate recently tweeted a photo of its members with the caption of “Not a grey hair in sight.” When asked if this was an official policy or mere coincidence, Haly laughed and said: “We do accept people with grey hair!” ompey back in purchasing mode The Pompey Ventures syndicate have been active at a number of recent sales and continued their recruitment drive with the 36,000gns purchase of Disco Spirit, an unraced three-year-old son of Acclamation offered on behalf of Dance’s Coverdale Stud. The docket was signed with Sam Haggas’s Hurworth Bloodstock. Disco Spirit last appeared on the public market during Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale in 2022, when he was knocked down to Dance’s Manor House Farm at 150,000gns. The Pompey Ventures team will be hoping to maintain their run of form that has seen Media Shooter and Oliver Show grace the winner's enclosure of late. “This horse is going to George Boughey after the great job he’s done with Oliver Show,” said syndicate founder Owen Haly. “We liked him as a physical and we’re probably getting a bit of value given the unknowns around the John Dance horses. “We went and had a look at him and George liked him so we’re happy to get him. We don’t know an awful lot about him and what he’s been doing but we liked his condition and he’ll go straight to George’s from here and we’ll let him work away. Hopefully, George can work his magic.” Pompey Ventures also secured three lots at last week’s Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale, with the trio costing a combined £128,000. Prior to that they struck at 17,000gns, for Mulciber during the March Sale. On the backstory to the syndicate, Haly said: “It was started by myself and Ned Sangster and our first group of purchases were at last year’s Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale. We picked up Media Shooter and Oliver Show and they’ve been great servants over the winter. Media Shooter has nearly won what we paid for him in prize-money already and Oliver Show has been a bit of a project but George has done a great job with him. “The whole aim was to get younger people into ownership and I’d say a vast amount of our shareholders are under the age of 35. We offer shares that go from two per cent up to 50 per cent.” Expanding on the group’s approach to sourcing stock, Haly said: “With buying yearlings and breeze-up horses there are more unknowns, but we’ve always liked trying to find horses with form we think we can improve and looking for angles. It’s a big game of opinions so we’re looking for things other people might not see.” “I’m a working class lad and my first racing memory was Royal Ascot in 2015 with a couple of mates. Ever since then I’ve been a form student. I met Ned through a mutual friend and his pedigree and that surname speaks for itself in racing.” In keeping with their aim of appealing to a younger generation of owners, the syndicate recently tweeted a photo of its members with the caption of “Not a grey hair in sight.” When asked if this was an official policy or mere coincidence, Haly laughed and said: “We do accept people with grey hair!”
Billy wins on Oliver Show, 15th April 2024
Billy wins on Oliver Show, 29th August 2024
Pompey Ventures On The Up
Thoroughbred Daily News, 1st May 2024
Owning racehorses is an expensive game. For all the fun that comes with having some skin in this great game, the reality is that the majority of horses don't cover their costs, regardless of whether they win a race or not. The exploits of Media Shooter (GB) (Advertise {GB}) and Oliver Show (Ire) (No Nay Never), two of the poster boys for the burgeoning Pompey Ventures syndicate, have gone some way to driving further investment for the group that struck at 36,000gns--through Sam Haggas's Hurworth Bloodstock--for the unraced Disco Spirit (Acclamation {GB}) (lot 49) from the Dance dispersal. Like Oliver Show, the syndicate's new purchase will be trained by George Boughey, who has sent out Oliver Show to win two races for the syndicate on the all-weather in Britain in recent months. Pompey Ventures is headed by Owen Haly, who explained that the group has 10 horses in training and that its ultimate aim is to attract young people to the sport. Haly said, "Pompey Ventures is a syndicate started up by myself with Ned Sangster. Our first purchases were made at the Autumn-Horses-In-Training Sale where we picked up Media Shooter and Oliver Show. Both have been great servants over the winter and Media Shooter has won back what we paid for him in prize-money already." He added, "This horse is going to George Boughey, who has been training Oliver Show. We liked this horse's physique, I think we are getting a bit of value with the unknown aspect through the John Dance dispersal. We had a look at the horse and George liked him. He will go straight to George now and we will let him work his magic and see what happens. "The vast majority of our shareholders are under the age of 35, they invest from two per cent up to 50 per cent in each horse with training fees included to a certain level. When you buy yearlings and breeze-up horses, there are a lot of unknowns. We like the angle of buying form horses who we think we can improve."
SANDS OF MALI COLT EXCITES POMPEY VENTURES
European Bloodstock News, 29th March 2024
Ned Sangster was active at Tattersalls on Wednesday, buying the three-year-old Advertise colt Mulciber for his fledgling syndicate Pompey Ventures, and the grandson of the late Robert, so integral to the breeding world, was in buoyant mood after riding out one of Pompey’s brightest juvenile prospects yesterday morning. “I have just finished riding out the Sands Of Mali colt Bob Mali,” Sangster immediately informed, “who will hopefully be an early type for Ollie Sangster. He was a €16,000 purchase from Fairyhouse and all of the lads in the yard love him. He should be out in the first few weeks in April and his work has been very good. He should be competitive on debut.“ Through the unraced colt, the syndicate has aspirations of a first ever Royal Ascot runner. “Royal Ascot is the goal and there has been a lot of talk about it, but we are taking things one step at a time. Ollie is my first cousin and we grew up together; he is very dedicated to the game and is on an upward trajectory as a trainer.” Sangster, who builds software as his main profession, has not long returned from Australia, where he rode out for Chris Waller, which he described as a “great experience.” He runs Pompey Ventures alongside four friends and the five partners vote on any big decision and work as a team. “Zach is our accountant, or the diligent bean counter, as we call him!” Sangster informed. “He does all our books, which is useful. Then we have a guy called Owen, who is a great salesman and does all our social media, keeping everyone updated. We also have another partner, who watches all the videos and is very good at form. Our final partner is an Irish breeder, David Byrne, who owns Rochestown Lodge Stud and is very handy at the sales; working out who we should buy off, especially at the Breeze-Up sales. It really helps to have people that are well-connected and who have ridden horses, as they can make a judgement. Overall, we have a balanced set of partners.” It is fair to say that the syndicate is very forward-facing and you can expect to see Sangster at upcoming sales. “We have big plans for the future,” he explained. “We aim to have up to 15 horses by the end of the year and will be buying two or three Breeze-Up horses to go to Ollie Sangster, Dylan Cunha and George Boughey. We also want to grow our base and improve the quality of our horses.” Explaining a bit more about the workings of the syndicate, Sangster continued: “We will take anyone of any age. We just want to divide a horse into two and a half, five and ten per cent shares and we don’t want to be charging big management fees. A lot of the big syndicates charge extortionate management fees and our aim is to make it as affordable as possible. ”Perhaps the biggest goal of the syndicate is to make racing an enjoyable hobby for its members. “We want to make it really good fun and put on fixtures [for Pompey Ventures members],” explained Sangster. “We might take six clients out to a football match and get some dinner afterwards. Our goal is just to make things really fun. We also record footage on the gallops and members will get regular video communication of their horses. We just want to give people an out, if people have a stressful job then we want to make their hobby as fun and interactive as possible. That really is our mantra here at Pompey Ventures.” Pompey Ventures is also unequivocal in its belief that more young people need to become immersed into racing. “The demographic of the sport is dying and there is a lack of young people coming through,” Sangster began. “You can see that at the racecourses and I was speaking to a jockey at the Lincoln meeting, who said the old buzz just wasn’t there. It is important to get young going racing and loving it, as they are the next generation. If they own two and a half per cent of a horse, who happens to win a race, then they are more than likely to get their friends to come in too. This can only be good for our sport and, if you read any of the tabloids, our sport is sadly shrinking, as others are just better marketed.” Being a part of the famous Sangster dynasty, Ned had a firm footing in the game from a young age. “My earliest racing memory would be John Gosden training at Manton,” Sangster began. “I was lucky to go to the races and walk the track with him quite a bit. We had a good horse named Percussionist, out of a good mare Magnificient Style [Silver Hawk], whose daughter Playful Act [Sadler’s Wells] was sold at Keeneland for a lot of money. Percussionist won a Derby trial by ten lengths at Lingfield, I remember it well; he beat a horse in red colours named Hazyview [Cape Cross]. As a 12 and 13-year-old, Manton was amazing. I was surrounded by great horses, like Oasis Dream [Green Desert], who used to be ridden by a lad named Sean Mulvey, and I just remember driving them all mad in the stables!”
Shameless plug for PV! Good work Ned!
Press Enquiries
For all media enquiries or interviews, please get in touch with the Pompey Ventures team. We are always happy to chat horse racing!
📩 Email: pvteam@pompeyventures.co.uk