Syndicate on target for £1m win

Date Published: 30-Dec-2009

TWO down, one to go. The odds are decreasing sharply on a Galway racing syndicate landing an incredible £1m sterling bonus after Go Native pulled off another successful big race cross-channel raid at Kempton on St. Stephen’s Day.

The Docado Syndicate will now be keeping their fingers crossed over the next ten weeks that their pride and joy stays on course for the third and final leg of the WBX £1m bonus, the Champion Hurdle, at the prestigious Cheltenham National Hunt festival.

Having already sprung a 25/1 shock in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in November, Go Native showed that big race win was no fluke when just holding off the desperate late challenge of Starluck in the Williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton last Saturday.

It was the second leg of the WBX bonus and the Noel Meade trained six-year-old was sent off the second favourite at 5/2 to keep his owners’ dream of a massive pay day at Cheltenham next March alive . . . and all seemed to be going to plan as the leaders approached the last.

Go Native was travelling like a winner under Davy Condon, again deputising for the suspended Paul Carberry, and the partnership quickly shot three lengths clear after the last flight, but the Irish raider began to idle in front and in a desperate finish just prevailed by a short head from Starluck.

Winner of the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the 2009 Cheltenham festival, Go Native has again had his odds sliced – best priced at 6/1 – to land the Champion Hurdle itself on March 16 after once more showing an electric turn of foot off a relatively modest pace.

Not surprisingly, the six-person Docada Syndicate are ‘living the dream’ as Go Native, now the winner of well over £300,000 sterling in prizemoney, continues to go from strength to strength and which will have significant Galway support when he bids for the most coveted prize in hurdling at the upcoming Cheltenham festival.

Representing the successful syndicate, Kitty Carr said immediately after Go Native’s thrilling triumph at Kempton that they could hardly believe their continuing good fortune with the horse after purchasing him from well known Athenry based dealer, Martin Cullinane, about three years ago.

“He’s a wonderful horse and to win the bonus would be absolutely fantastic, but the main thing for us is that Go Native and the jockey always come back safe,” said Carr, who along with fellow syndicate member, Wexford native, Eamon Doyle, own the Park House Hotel in Galway.

Originally from Claregalway, Kitty is joined in the syndicate by her sister Maura, her husband Sylvie Dowd and their son, Tom, and daughter, Ann Marie, who is also a Director of the Park House Hotel.

For more on this see page 32 of this week’s Connacht Tribune