What Are The Odds? Racing syndicate with ‘no-dickheads’ policy having fun time with its growing number of horse

Racing syndicate What Are The Odds has been on a dream ride with quirky galloper Skyforger and the group of mates are not done with yet.

Les Tilley winning the Country Cups Final on Skyforger at Doomben in November last year.

Like the Sydney Swans’ famous recruitment strategy during coach Paul Roos’ time at the helm, Austin Finlayson jokes that horse racing syndicate What Are The Odds (WATO) has a “no-dickheads policy”.

Finlayson and his 12 other syndicate members are part-owners in five-year-old gelding Skyforger, who will run in a Benchmark 85 (1615m) at Doomben this Saturday, with Les “Bubba” Tilley to ride.

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WATO, a group of 13 mates from Moree and surrounding areas in country NSW, couldn’t believe their luck when Skyforger won a race in Dubbo just two days after Luke Berger Racing leased a spot in the gelding to the syndicate.

“About half the syndicate were virgin racegoers so I had to tell them ‘it doesn’t always work like that’,” said Finlayson, whose 88-year-old dad Murray is part of the group.

“The boys were going, ‘s--t this is easy’. We’ve had a great ride with him.”

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Since being transferred from Clint Lundholm’s stables to Toowoomba trainer Pat Webster in July last year, Skyforger has won six races.

The highlight was securing the $200,000 Country Cups Final (1630m) on a heavy track at Doomben last November, with $116,000 going to triumphant connections.

“We took over Brisbane for five minutes when he won the Country Cups Final up there,” Finlayson said.

“Pat’s done a wonderful job. He’s a nice fella, he picks his races really well and there’s no bulls--t with him.”

Connections of Skyforger with jockey Les Tilley at Doomben after winning the $200,000 Country Cups Final.

WATO initially started as a syndicate designed to invest in horses for country picnic events but “we were having too much fun in the bigger races”, Finlayson said.

It now has shares in six horses – Skyforger, Freewheeler, My Name Is, rising talent Restonica, Shamedy and two-time Group 3 winner and ex-Victorian gelding It’sourtime.

“We’re not worried about money, we’re in it for fun,” Finlayson said.

“Skyforger put us on the front foot but these other fellas are paying their way.

“My blokes are starting to work out there’s a bit of luck involved. They were expecting to win every start but I said, ‘give them two or three runs when they come back from a spell’.”

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Skyforger was purchased by Luke Berger Racing on behalf of Danny Bourke Bloodstock for $35,000 and his career earnings are now close to $350,000.

With up to 25mm of rain predicted for Brisbane on Saturday, Webster expects mudlark Skyforger (heavy tracks 6:2-1-0) to relish the cut in the ground.

“He’s been good since he came to us, we probably just got him at the right time,” the trainer said about Skyforger, who finished runner-up to Logan Street Lion in this month’s $150,000 Rockhampton Cup (1600m).

“He’s come back from Rocky pretty well so we thought we’d try and knock one off in town with the winter carnival being over.

“He’s a quirky horse, sometimes he can be hard to catch in his stable.

“You have to con him a bit and get him to come around your way.

“He’s not an easy horse to ride in trackwork but Les Tilley does a good job there.”

Originally published as What Are The Odds? Racing syndicate with ‘no-dickheads’ policy having fun time with its growing number of horse