A ROYAL Ascot win has been a dream come true for Ladbrokes’ Westbury manager John Clithero.
John, who was manager at Westbury Racing for many years before it closed, is part of the syndicate ‘Melksham Craic’, which owns the race horse Sagramor. Last week, Sagramor, a three year old colt, won the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot by half a length.
John said, “You dream of things like this, but you don’t think it’s going to happen. It was a very good win, unbelievable.”
John and the rest of the syndicate nervously watched the race from the owners’ enclosure and says the moment Sagramor crossed the line was a fantastic – but surreal – moment. “I just couldn’t take it in!” he said. “I was hoping we’d get placed, but never thought we’d win.
“As soon as it was over we were off to the winner’s enclosure and to meet the jockey – he had tears in his eyes. He said it was a dream come true for him as well – the best day of his racing life.” Jockey, Nicky Makay, had waited seven years for his second Royal Ascot winning ride.
The Melksham Craic syndicate began with a group of five school friends from Melksham, along with two other friends, who decided to invest together. John explained, “It started years ago; we started buying shares together but that was a nightmare because we were rubbish! So we decided, right, we’ll buy a horse.”
The friends purchased Jasmick, Sagramor’s mother, for £6,500. When Jasmick retired, the syndicate tried to breed another one like her. Isabel Eavis, owner of the stallion Pastoral Pursuits, allowed a free mating between the two if she could have a share in the offspring, and the result was Sagramor.
As a yearling, Sagramor went through the sales ring, just in case anyone wanted to pay £15,000 for him. The Melksham syndicate bought him back, unopposed, for £500 and sent him to Hughie Morrison, who has now trained him to win more than 200 times that amount.
Following their win, the syndicate paid a visit to Sagramor’s stable in Newbury to congratulate the training staff who have all contributed to his success.
