FAQs

Given this is a Syndicate, not a Racing Club, anyone who purchases a share in a horse will legally own their relevant percentage of their horse.

Because this is genuine ownership, you keep your share for as long as monthly training contributions have been kept up to date and the horse remains with the Syndicate.

No. Imperium Racing are the registered owners and syndicators with the BHA. Any owners that join through the syndicate will be registered with the BHA as a syndicate member of the relevant horse or horses.

All owners are provided with an ownership certificate and also a signed contract that provides legal protection for all parties.

Owners are welcome to share any thoughts or ideas they have with their Racing Managers but the majority of the plans are decided upon by the trainer, with input from our Racing Managers.

Communication is a key part of keeping owners happy. The aim is always that owners go no more than a week without receiving an update and updates will be more common either side of each run.

Each horse is unique and running plans are determined by factors such as their constitution, their well being, their form, the distance they run over, the availability of suitable ground and the availability of suitable races.

In an ideal world a horse might be able to run monthly but different horses need different spacing between their races and there can always be unexpected hold ups.

All owners are entitled to their relevant share of prize money should their horse generate income.

Prize money is paid out to owners once per year on a set date. Trainers, jockeys and the syndicator all receive a small share and the rest is divided up between owners on a pro rata basis.

Keeping a horse in training is not cheap and this is the exact reason syndicates are so popular. Owners can experience the thrill of ownership but can split the costs associated with owning a racehorse.

Each trainer has a standard fee for keeping a horse in training and on top of that there are monthly vets fees and farriers fees. Each time a horse runs there are entry fees, transport costs, stable staff costs and jockey fees.

These costs will vary from runner to runner but on average they will often add up to just shy of £40,000 per year, per horse.

On top of the above costs of keeping each horse in training, we also incur a number of business costs such as banking fees, BHA registration, syndicate registration, staffing, IT, travel, advertising and content production.

All these fees and costs are accounted for in any mark ups on purchase price and the monthly fees paid by owners.

No. In exceptional circumstances, where a horse cost rises dramatically (usually when surgery is needed or if foreign travel is required), some fees may be deducted from the prize money fund. The prize money fund can never go into negative equity though meaning any further costs will be absorbed by Imperium Racing.

In addition to the sale price of the horse, there are often added extras such as auction fees, bloodstock fees, vetting and travel costs just to get the horse to its new home with its new trainer. Then there are possible training fees incurred in the time between the horse being bought by Imperium Racing and shares being issued plus retirement planning costs and capital risk, all of which have to be accounted for in the share price per horse.

Our horses are not insured but owners are encouraged to consider insuring their own share privately. We can provide assistance with this matter on request.

Any owner with a share of 10% or more is guaranteed owners’ badges for most race days. When demand for owners’ badges outweighs supply there will be a ballot where the chance of winning reflects the individual’s ownership. For example, someone owning a 5% share will have five times the chance of winning compared to someone who owns 1%.

Our trainers often have jockeys that are connected to their yards so the jockey choice can very much depend on which trainer the horse is with. For a variety of reasons there can be occasions where an ‘external’ jockey is used and in this scenario the trainer will seek the best possible jockey choice for the occasion.

Owners will get the opportunity to visit the yards where their horses are trained on set dates throughout the year. In circumstances where there are not enough places to satisfy demand a ballot will determine who can go, with the chance of winning reflected by the size of the shareholding.

If and when a horse is sold, all owners will receive the sales proceeds dictated by the percentage share they own, minus any applicable costs and fees.

The aim for many purchases is to keep hold of them for a year or two, to get the best possible return before sending the horses back to the sales. For some horses it may make sense to keep hold of them for longer.

If 90% of the ownership votes in favour of selling at any point the relevant horse can be entered into an upcoming auction.

No individual can purchase more than 20% of a horse syndicated by Imperium Racing unless given clear permission to do so.

Depending on the level of ownership involved, communication is likely to come from at least one of Whatsapp or email.

We aim to maximise possible returns for all our racehorses but in most cases the costs of having a horse in training will outweigh any prize money received so ownership should always be considered entertainment and should not be considered an investment.

For each purchase there is a 14 day ‘cooling off’ period where a new owner may request a full refund. After the first 14 days, no refunds can be given under any circumstances as all shares are sold and purchased in good faith and subject to the terms of the contract provided to new owners.

If a horse is failing to live up to its potential then it’s possible they will run in a claiming race or a selling race. This effectively puts the horse up for sale after the race, but does not guarantee a sale. Depending on the circumstances, we may put in a ‘friendly claim’ in order to attempt to keep the horse within the ownership of syndicate members.

Unfortunately injuries to racehorses are not uncommon and they can vary significantly in severity. Our aim is always to try to buy horses that have a proven history of physical resilience but it’s inevitable some will sustain injuries that require time out of training and perhaps surgery.

Some injuries and physical problems will require more than just time off and surgery may be an option. The cost of surgery will come out of the prize money pool although in the cases of minor surgery, Imperium Racing will settle the costs without the need to use the prize money pool.

In some circumstances it may be deemed retirement from racing is deemed necessary for the wellbeing of a horse. Imperium Racing takes horse welfare very seriously and will seek the best possible resolution and placement for any retired horses. In case of retirement the value of a horse becomes £0 and Imperium Racing will cover the costs of any rehoming.

Some injuries and illnesses can lead to the death of a horse. In this unfortunate circumstance the syndicate for the horse will end and the prize money fund (if applicable) will be distributed to owners as soon as possible. No extras fees will be incurred and no compensation can be paid out (although owners are welcome to organise their own private insurance for their shares).

In most circumstances, Imperium Racing horses will be geldings with no possible breeding value. In the event that a horse did have breeding value after retirement it can be sold or a breeding syndicate can be arranged with a breeding syndicate contract created to look after all owners’ interests.

Failure to keep up to date with the monthly payments can result in forfeiture of the shares held in the applicable horse.

Imperium Racing strictly complies with the terms of the Syndicate Code Of Conduct, set out by the BHA. More information about the Syndicate Code Of Conduct can be found here.