MiRunners owners come from every walk of life. For most, a single unit on a single horse is a good starting point.
But for owner Craig Sherwood, one was never going to be enough. He owns a unit in three horses: Not A Royal Doubt, Zoushack, and Rubick x Slainte.
“Until now, I guess like many other miRunners owners, I’d not been able to afford to consider buying a racehorse,” he says.
“My children have now grown up, and I’m in a position to be able to consider being an owner. All of us make these types of decision, and for me family obviously came first financially. But now I can, if you like, put myself first – which is nice!”
Craig likes the affordability of miRunners units – as he explains,“I have a friend who shares in a syndicated racehorse, but the costs are quite a lot more than I could afford. My friend’s horse is based in Queensland, so he doesn’t get to see it.”
“I’ve already met Not A Royal Doubt twice, and Zoushack and Rubick x Slainte once each. MiRunners is more than just owning a horse, it’s about being part of a group of people with a similar interest, and sharing the journey with these new friends.”
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Why three horses? “When I discovered miRunners, I realized I could now afford to buy into thoroughbred racehorses. Having units in more than one horse seems to make great sense to me. Money isn’t everything and you can’t take it with you, and overall it is a minimal amount.”
Because of the quality of breeding, Craig then encouraged his partner to buy a unit in Zoushack, so that they can enjoy the journey together.
“One of the things I like about miRunners is that you’re buying into very good quality horses with great breeding pedigrees, and that means there are good opportunities for them to potentially be quite competitive. And they are trained by three top trainers.”
As to the order in which he bought his units, “I bought Not A Royal Doubt, then Zoushack one week later.”
“As Rubick x Slainte was being trained at Warwick Farm, which is close to where I live, I had to buy the third unit! I went to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s training premises and the miRunners event at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre in May. Meeting the horses, trainers and other owners was very special.”
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His love of horses comes from his childhood in Christchurch in New Zealand: “Christchurch is a big part of New Zealand’s racing hub, and it’s also the home of the New Zealand trotting and galloping cups, so racing was always part of my early life.”
Craig tells a story from his school days: with the New Zealand trotting cup about to be run, one of his teachers reminded pupils about not taking a day off school to go to the race, but that was not an option for Craig. Off he went, only to bump into the teacher in the bar on-course.
As Craig puts it, “I got into a lot of trouble as I was sprung big-time!”
Craig also spent a year in his early teens gearing trotters for the family of the legendary New Zealand veterinary surgeon Cliff Irvine.
Irvine was one of the world’s leading vets, with a special interest in thoroughbreds, and his work on equine endocrinology, particularly in relation to reproduction, growth and stress in mares, was ground-breaking research.
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Craig later travelled the world. He was lucky enough to go to Royal Ascot to witness the legendary Dancing Brave, and later saw many other champions over the years at Rosehill and Randwick.
The best day of racing for Craig is the Golden Slipper day. “Over the years I have been lucky enough to back several winners of the great race, many trained by Gai Waterhouse. Maybe there’s chance of having one of the three horse I own win the Golden Slipper in 2019. I have been lucky enough to watch all the great galloping and trotting champions over the years.”
“One of ours could end up being champion. Who knows? I am the extreme optimist!”
