Meet The Ditcheat Thoroughbreds

Ever Wondered what it's like to be in a syndicate with one of the country's top racing trainers? We send writer Amy Moore to find out.

- Amy Moore

I MEET PAUL NICHOLLS at his racing yard in Ditcheat, Somerset, a few hours after he’s landed at Gatwick. He’s been away on a 10-day break (his only holiday of the year) and to say he’s hit the ground running is an understatement.

“I’m going racing this afternoon,” he tells me as he appears at the door, straight from watching a schooling session. “Life at the yard never stops. It’s completely hectic.”

But he says it with a smile on his face. That afternoon, he’s due to take one of his 10 syndicate horses (known collectively as the Ditcheat Thoroughbreds) to the races at Wincanton, about 20 minutes drive from the yard. I learn the next day that the 10-time National Hunt Champion trainer has done it again – his horse Monsieur Co wins the race, taking the total number of wins by the syndicate horses to nine since the group first formed in August 2016.*

With more than 2,700 wins under his belt, it’s no wonder that Paul was the first person that Ian Fogg, director of Ditcheat Thoroughbreds, thought of when he came up with the idea of having a syndicate.

“Paul’s very good at finding the right race for the right horse,” smiles Ian. “He’s a genius at it. He’s incredibly hands-on at the yard and there for all of the training. Our syndicate uses only Paul and his champion team at Ditcheat – and they happen to be one of the best.”

Making a syndicate

If, like me, you’ve never been to a racing yard before, it can be difficult to imagine how it feels to be the owner of a racehorse.