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

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: Middleham Park

• Read the full Join The Club series

The lowdown

How much does a share typically cost? It varies based on how much the horse was purchased for, but the smallest share is usually around 1.25 per cent and most people target a 2.5 per cent and above. A 1.25 per cent share in a horse that costs £100,000 would cost £1,250, and that share per month would be around £53pcm and double that for 2.5 per cent.

What does it get you? A 2.5 per cent share comes with a guaranteed owner's badge, 5 per cent comes with two badges. If a member buys 15 per cent share, they can name the horse if it is unraced, while if they own 25 per cent of the horse they get their name on the racecard. If someone owns half the horse, silks could be shared with the owners.

Typically how many owners are there in each horse? Each syndicate would average around 16 owners. A total of 90 per cent of the horses would be owned by Middleham Park, although a trainer may have some investment in the horse.

Do syndicate members get tickets every time their horse runs?  As mentioned, if members have 2.5 per cent in a horse they will get one owner's badge.

How do you communicate with members? The operation sends out a weekly bulletin to every member, while a monthly newsletter goes out to the owners and an annual review is also published. Each and every syndicate is also mutually exclusive.

How often do members get to see their horses at home? There are usually half a dozen open mornings at each yard each year.

Which type of horse does the syndicate like to buy? “We try to buy fast ones,” says Middleham Park founder Tim Palin. “We want to deliver quality and consistency. We want to get people to Saturdays and festivals rather than wet weekdays in the dark. You don’t hit the bullseye every time – not even Luke Littler does that!”

What success have they had? A lot. Middleham Park has had over 1,600 winners under both codes: six at Group 1 and Grade 1 level. Marie’s Rock, who was trained by Nicky Henderson, won at the top level at the Cheltenham Festival and Punchestown festival in 2022.

Is there any chance of a return on investment? “We more see it as leisure pounds,” says Palin. There can be times to get some money back depending on the horse, but it is not always the case, according to Palin.

How many horses and members do Middleham Park have at the moment? 120 horses and around 1,100 owners.

Where is the syndicate based? North Lincolnshire.

Which trainers do Middleham Park use? “We currently have 38 trainers and myself, Tom Palin and Mike Prince would look after around 40 horses each,” said Tim Palin. The Middleham Park trainers include Nicky Henderson, Paul Nicholls, Richard Hannon, Charlie Johnston, Richard Fahey, Karl Burke, Hugo Palmer, George Boughey, John and Thady Gosden, Roger Varian and Alice Haynes.

More information can be found at www.middlehamparkracing.net/

Members of the Middleham Park syndicate in Doha last February with Brave EmperorCredit: Edward Whitaker

The experience

Middleham Park syndicate member Steve Flint, 69, from Middlesbrough

When did you first get involved with Middleham Park? It was 2017 as I’d gone into semi-retirement and my wife, who has died since, asked me why don’t I get a couple of shares in a horse. I finished a big job in Switzerland and now that I’m retired it virtually takes up my life.

How many shares have you had with them? I’ve had over 30. The first winner I had was Simmy's Copshop, who beat Havana Grey first time out and it was actually the only time he did win. He was a really good horse. He was placed in Listed company but he never really kicked on.

What's been the highlight on the track?  I bought a share in Marie’s Diamond. He won seven times for us, including the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes, and he was second in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes, fourth in the Middle Park and fourth in the German Derby. He was an awesome horse. He was also third in the Group 1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot during Covid. I’ve also been in a share with The Platinum Queen, who won the Prix de l'Abbaye. That was some weekend!

And the biggest disappointment? We bought shares of a dual-purpose horse with Willie Mullins called Stoke The Fire. He’d already won a race and he was third in a Listed hurdle and fourth in a Grade 3. He won at Perth and you’d never seen an easier winner in your life. He was aiming for big races, but he had a routine canter and broke a leg. That was a desperate week because he was such a talented horse.

What do you like about the way Middleham Park does ownership? They’re dead honest and straightforward, and I’ve never had problems with them. They have always been good company and we always have good fun when we go out. I’ve met some lovely people through them.

How do you find sharing ownership with strangers? The one thing everyone has in common is the love for horse racing. You don’t make friends with everyone, but 95 per cent of the people I’ve dealt with are friendly and we meet up five or six times a year. It’s great and we become genuine friends. Middleham Park has been fantastic and I couldn’t recommend them more.

How can racecourses improve the experience for syndicate members? Sometimes racecourses put syndicate members in an area rather than with the owners. I understand they have to do that if there’s a lot of people, because there could be 50 people there, but you want to get involved and get into the paddock. I think they should be a bit more lenient and get more people involved.

Read more from the Join The Club series:

'They have a really good record, they're great at getting horses with winning potential and it's not massively expensive' 

So, what's it like to be part of Old Gold Racing? 

So, what's it like to be part of the Sam England Racing Club? 

Meet the 250-strong Ursa Major syndicate with 38 horses and 12 trainers - and why it feels like a 'big racing family'  

So, what's it like to be part of the Fakenham Race Club? 

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