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Hello all,
Firstly, it feels good to be right in the heart of the national hunt season and at the start of the Cheltenham/Aintree arguments!
One of my pet topics at the moment is regarding owners. I find it very interesting to learn where they make their money to be able to afford buying and keeping racehorses. I have been doing some research and looking at some of our beloved owners like Trevor Hemmings (Pontins/Littlewoods pools), Sir Robert Ogden (Property development), Harry Findlay (Gambling), Andy Stewart (Hedge funds) and JP McManus (Bookmaker). Some of the more popular owners actually appear on the Times Rich List.
I was wondering if anyone knew how Clive Smith made his millions or had any other interesting owner stories, with regards to their life away from racing.
Ha Ha no, I was just searching online but cannot find out any history on Mr Smith. I only ask about him as he is quite high profile with Kauto and MM.
Golf,what a lovely life
Smith’s first early experience of racing was walking three miles to Ascot from home with his mother and brother.He remembers watching spellbound from the infield as Doug Smith come from last to first on Supertello to win the 1950 Ascot Gold Cup.
Soon, his attention switched to golf,a sport that would eventually provide the funds to buy his racehorses.
"I couldn’t work out where the ordinary guy liked to play. So I set out to build one for people to pay and play," he explains.
He advertised for a site, leased a farm in Surrey and raised the funds by selling his house, his car and some shares, then borrowed as much money as he could from his bank manager, who happened to be a fellow member of Camberley golf club.
"We opened in May 1978 and people poured through the door from the start," he said.
Later, he built two more courses and named his first racehorse Hawthorn Hill Lad after one of them.
A chance visit to Paul Nicholls’ yard in 2003 catapulted him into the limelight.
"I was in Somerset for my brother’s birthday and called into Paul’s yard. I was looking for a trainer who could be friendly and open with me. From what I’d seen, I felt he was the man.
"I was in my early 60s and decided to put aside £1 million to spend on racing as a fun investment."
Kauto Star, bought from France for 400,000 euros, was hugely impressive on his chasing debut at Newbury in December 2004. And the rest is history.
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