Talking Horses: ex-policeman and friends hoping for Sprint Cup glory

Racing’s heaviest hitters tend to dominate the big races and the Betfair Sprint Cup on Saturday is no exception, owners involved including the deputy ruler of Dubai, the dominant Coolmore bloodstock empire and the racing vehicle of the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. But in among them, enjoying his very first taste of the big time, will be a former policeman from Northampton.

Ian Maggs is one of 12 people with a share in Glen Shiel, a Godolphin castoff picked up at the sales last year for £45,000 by the Hambleton Racing syndicate operation. It is beginning to look like a shrewd piece of business, the plucky chestnut having taken them to the winner’s enclosure four times already this year and he is now a 16-1 shot to land Saturday’s £133,000 pot.

“It’s the stuff of dreams,” says the 48-year-old Maggs, who, like so many other racing fans, was introduced to the game by an enthusiastic parent. “My dad, bless him, used to love a Saturday afternoon, doing Lucky 15 bets on the racing and watching it on the telly. Sometimes he’d take me to Lingfield.”

Actually owning horses was not to be thought of, then or for many years after. But Maggs has a bit more disposable income these days, having quit the force after 20 years and built his own business as a financial crime investigator, working for banks. He decided he could stretch to a share in a racer, his first dabble coming in time for his father, now sadly no longer with us, to share in the thrill.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an addiction but you get into it and I’ve been lucky. I think this is my seventh syndicate with Hambleton and all bar two have won a race at some point. I’ve been lucky.

“We’re all very down to earth. I’ve a close friend in a syndicate who’s a builder. One owns a kitchen company. Another guy is a business analyst in the City. We’re not made of money but we share a love of horse racing.”

Trying to improve a horse that had been trained by Andre Fabre might seem a forlorn mission and Glen Shiel showed little immediate promise on arrival at Archie Watson’s Lambourn yard. But eventually the decision was made to give up on the middle-distance contests in which he was failing and move back towards sprinting.

After three wins on Newcastle’s all-weather, his owners mused that he might be a “one-track wonder” but he improved again when tried in Group Three races on turf, running second at Deauville and outbattling a pack of rivals at The Curragh. He loves the mud and will surely get it at Haydock after 63mm of rain last week. Some excited WhatsApp messages have been flying about between the syndicatees.

Adding to the thrill, Glen Shiel will be a first Group One ride in Britain for Hollie Doyle, the jockey of the moment after eight winners last weekend. “Hollie’s superb,” Maggs says. “We met her in Deauville and Newcastle.

“She makes time for you, so down to earth, such a fun character. And the good thing is, she rides Glen out every day, so she knows everything about him.”

If it turns out that Glen Shiel is flying too high on Saturday, there will be plenty of other races he can win. The worst that can happen is that Maggs and his new friends will have a very big day out. Understandably, he is fully on-board with the view of many senior officials, that such syndicate ownership must be a key part of the sport’s future.

“Your general person in the street can’t afford to pay the millions paid by the foreign investors. It’s getting away from that elitist side of things. They can’t afford to rely on 10 very, very wealthy owners investing in racing. You need the likes of me to get involved as well.”