Taunton celebrate Kap's National Glory
I hope that you are reading this with the sun shining outside and that you are looking forward to the rest of the summer Flat racing action. It might seem strange therefore that I have chosen to focus this month’s article on the winner of the Scottish Grand National, a race that took place at Ayr on April 18. However, the victory presents such an excellent shared ownership story that it deserved its place on this page.
This year’s renewal was won by Kap Vert. The If The Kap Fits syndicate acquired the horse after he finished seventh in a handicap hurdle at Punchestown in April 2025 – and what a 12 months he has delivered for his new owners.
The West Country-based syndicate were possibly only expecting to visit their lad at the stables and when he ran at smaller meetings; for most syndicates, the chance to have a runner at a Cheltenham meeting would be a real highlight. When they ticked that one off in November, finishing seventh in a handicap hurdle, the syndicate could only have dreamed of what was to lie ahead.
Switching to fences brought wins at Taunton in December and March and, in between, more Grade 1 tracks were visited with runs at Kempton and Ascot. The team then chanced their arm at big race success at Ayr, when the six-year-old produced an awesome performance to take the four-mile prize. Obviously, it is a long journey to Ayr, and several owners were unable to make the trip; however, through local racecourse support, they still got the chance to celebrate with their syndicate friends.
In an example of the attitude that many racecourses are now showing to shared ownership groups and their place in the local community, Taunton racecourse decided to invite Kap Vert and all his owners back to the scene of his two wins earlier in the season.
At their last meeting of the season on April 22, 17 owners were provided with owners’ and trainers’ badges, food vouchers and racecards, while the course also produced a short video collage showing Kap Vert’s achievements, which was played on the big screen and presented to each owner on a USB stick.
Kap Vert strutted his stuff in the paddock after the first race and was greeted with warm and spontaneous applause by the Taunton crowd, with Johnson White, who trains the gelding with Philip Hobbs, also bringing the Scottish National trophy to the course. After the parade, the syndicate owners were invited for a glass of celebratory champagne in the Directors’ Box.
This was a wonderful way to end the season for Taunton, one which saw them host the first Shared Ownership Day of the ROA’s new series in collaboration with the RSA, on March 24. Six of the seven races that day were sponsored by syndicate/racing club managers, who saw the opportunity to promote themselves on the day. The racecourse offered 50 complimentary admission tickets to each of the supporting syndicates and clubs to invite their members racing, with those who attended given access to the Exmoor Suite (Taunton’s syndicate facility) as a base for the day.
Patrick Davis, CEO at Taunton, said: “We are hugely grateful to all the connections of Kap Vert for bringing him to Taunton and joining us to celebrate such a momentous west country success in Scotland. At
Taunton, we fully recognise the importance of owners in the sport and do everything we can to make their visits with us as rewarding as possible.
“We also recognise the huge costs of buying and keeping horses in training and the critical role that syndicates and racing clubs play in providing an affordable introduction to the thrilling world of racehorse ownership.”
It is great to see our racecourses doing what they can to enhance the shared ownership experience. Such initiatives will surely help to grow the racehorse ownership base in the UK, which will be critical in bringing the next generation of owners into our sport.
Upcoming Shared Ownership Days
- Wolverhampton Sunday, June 28
- Stratford Tuesday, June 30
