The Select Racing Club has received widespread press coverage for its revolutionary and exciting new racing concept:

THE RACING POST, 4 Mar 2010:

Select Racing Club's festival tilt a victory for democracy

HOW many times will you read of a horse heading to thev festival with a vote of confidence?  Well, it's true in the case of Triumph Hurdle hope Rupestrian.  Literally.

Rupestrian is owned by the Select Racing Club, whose members, for one payment of £89, decide who trains the club's horses, who rides them and where they run.  And the club's first horse, Rupestrian - a four-time hurdle winner - is heading to Cheltenham after 300 enthusiastic members voted by a majority verdict to have a crack at the Triumph. 

Select Racing Club is the brainchild of manager Nathaniel Barnett, who likens the idea to that of Myfootballclub, which owns conference club Ebbsfleet United.

"No-one thought that members of the public could run a football club but it works.  Why not try it with racing?" says Barnett.

"I wanted to offer people who love racing and who may not be able to afford ownership the opportunity to be involved in a racing club.

The beauty of Select Racing Club is that everyone knows exactly what is happening with the horses.  Members can have the final say and it get everyone involved," says Barnett.

So, what does having a runner at the Festival mean and, more importantly, what chance of a Cheltenham winner in the first year of the club?

Barnett says: "I've been going to the Festival since I was a child and it's always the highlight of my year.  Rupestrian's journey has been brillliant, incredibly exciting and we're very lucky.

"The Triumph is very different from those early juvenile races but it does not look a great year and he wouldn't have been disgraced in any juvenile hurdle run in England this season.

"We never thought ten months ago we would be at this point, but if he could sneak into the top six I'd be delighted."

THE SUN, 13 Feb 2010:

"Rupestrian, the £4,000 Arab cast-off owned by the Select Racing Club has already won £20,000.  Now he could be heading for a fairytale bid for Cheltenham Festival's Triumph Hurdle.

The SRC is unique as members vote for which jockey they engage and which races he goes for.

They are good judges because Rupestrian rattled off four quick wins for trainer Tim Vaughan.  

Now they have to vote for the Triumph or the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle.  My spies tell me 70 per cent have opted for the Triumph, for which he is 33-1.

A win for the 300 owners would certainly give Cheltenham's heavy-handed winner's enclosure bouncers a right headache.

These are the same delightful jobsworths who once tried to chuck Aidan O'Brien out of the holy of holies."

THE SUN, 4 July 2009, Claude Duval's racing column:

"RACING syndicates come in all shapes and sizes - and that's only the cheque-books...but now meet the cheapest and the newest syndicate with a 100% record - the Select Racing Club.

It's the most democratic syndicate of them all and members vote where their horse runs next. Select Racing was only started in the spring... Talk about a fairytale - they have just one horse Rupestrian and he has won ALL his three hurdle races.

Nathaniel Barnett, who also works for trainer Andrew Balding, is the mastermind who likens the Select Racing Club to playing fantasy football. You pick your own team.

"When we reach 750 members they will vote on our next horse and trainer." Tim Vaughan will be damned unlucky to lose the vote.

Barnett added: "We bought the three-year-old gelding from Mark Johnston for 4,000 guineas at Doncaster sales and sent him to Tim as our first trainer.

"He is now unbeaten after three races and at one time had won three of the first four juvenile hurdles of the new jumps season."

RACING POST, 1 June 2009

Rupestrian impresses in colours of new racing club

"The Select Racing Club enjoyed their first taste of racehorse ownership with a winner courtesy of Rupestrian in the opener for in-form trainer Tim Vaughan.

The winner outclassed his opponents much to the delight of the new owners, many of whom were at the track to shout the winner home. Nathaniel Barnett, representing the racing club, hopes the win will entice new members into the partnership, which only opened for business last weekend.

The club is not about owning shares in any one horse, it is a club... anybody can join. The club is run in a democratic way where the owners get to vote on where we run and who rides. We currently have 40 members and will buy our next horse when we get to 750. Anyone is welcome and what better way to advertise than with a winner?" said Barnett."

BILD.com, 12 June 2009

Fans get their horseracing club off to winning start

Being a racehorse owner has always been beyond the means of most normal punters – something the world’s first democratic horseracing club aims to change.

‘Power to Punters’ is the motto of the Select Racing Club, which gives armchair pundits and horseracing enthusiasts the chance to run their own racing stable.

Members pay a low yearly subscription fee and can then vote online to decide which horses the club buys, where they run and which jockey rides them. Any prize money is then shared between the members.

And they’ve managed to get the newly-launched club off to a flying start - its first horse, Rupestrian, has had three wins in three runs after members chose the winning combination of race and jockey.

Trained by top trainer Tim Vaughan, the club’s followers will be expecting plenty more from Rupestrian.

PRESS ENQUIRIES

We would love to share our unique horse racing club concept with the world and bring more young people into racing - and we hope you can help us!

We will be happy to provide you with any press material that you need regarding the revolutionary Select Racing Club, our story and what we have planned for the future. 

For any press enquiries please contact the club manager via email: nathaniel.barnett@select-racing-club.co.uk.

BLOGGERS:

We will be starting a blog roll of useful racing sites soon - if you feel we should include your site, please send an email to our club manager: nathaniel.barnett@select-racing-club.co.uk

We would of course also be delighted if you could help us spread the word about our unique Club. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions.