Touch Gold Racing owns some of the most popular Dubai World Cup Carnival horses such as Raven’s Corner. Ten Furlongs chats with Touch Gold’s Founder and Principal, Mike Kaye, a former odds compiler with a strong background in both form study and paddock analysis.
Q: What do you think syndicate partners and potential partners can expect from your horses, especially Raven’s Corner, Welford, Speedy Move and recent purchase First Down?
A: There are several things that all owners should expect from us with every horse. Firstly that each one is treated as an individual investment and that we will strive to maximise profit and minimise losses at all times, whatever their level. Secondly, they should expect honesty and transparency from us. By providing as many regular updates as we can, whether they be positive or negative, we wish to keep everyone deeply involved and make the whole experience as enjoyable as possible. Lastly, through extensive data analysis and study of the condition book, we aim to run horses in the right races, our goal always to achieve an 'in-the-money' finish.
Q: If I’m looking for something special in your band of horses-in-training where should I start?
A: Our most successful horse currently in training is Raven's Corner. Since being purchased for 135,000 AED at the September 2016 Racing In Dubai Sale, he has amassed over 1,130,000 AED in prize money and currently holds the 1400m track record on the dirt at Meydan. On Thursday 3rd January he became our first Group winner, with a brilliant performance in the Dubai Stakes, finally putting it all together in very impressive fashion. He will stick to 1200m and will hopefully next be seen in the Al Shindagha Sprint 31st January.
Q: Which particular horse purchase in recent years gave you the most pleasant surprise with the sale price and what did you put it down to afterwards?
A: Au Coeur has been a little star. He cost just 45,000 AED when we had a budget of 3 times that for him. He's run 7 times, winning twice and never finishing out of the money for us. For a horse to be that consistent is very rare and he's an absolute pleasure to work with. I think he likely sold cheaply as he's very small but that isn't something that would deter us, as long as the horses nicely proportioned and muscular.
Q: Do you have any new horses that you are particularly looking forward to getting onto the track?
A: We're really interested to see how 2 horses that we brought over from the US will get on. Pop The Hood (rated 95) and Shanghai Schwartz (75) both seem to have taken the transition well so far and we look forward to seeing how their US form stacks up against horses that have largely come from Europe and turf backgrounds. If we can have success with these horses it will hopefully open the door to bringing over more horses from the US this coming summer.
Q: What journey took you to start a syndicate?
A: I moved to Dubai with only a 6-month plan, to learn more about the racing industry in the UAE and potentially look for a career here. With the unparalleled prize money and very favourable stabling costs, it seemed a great idea to invest in a horse as an owner, so I put together a small syndicate of people I had met in my short time in Dubai, and we purchased our first horse, Dubai Iconic, in March of 2014. After selling him for a profit the following year, some of the syndicate members were keen to reinvest, and we have expanded from there.
Q: When you’re not working how do you like to spend your time?
A: I'm keen on all sports but a lot of my free time is spent playing golf. The UAE has some world-class courses and with sunshine all year round it's an amazing place to enjoy the game. Many of the owners that are now involved, I have in fact met on the golf course.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
A: I think the best advice you can adhere to in horse racing, and you hear it a lot from the top trainers and owners, is that patience is key. It can be a very frustrating game at times and particularly here in the UAE where the season is less than 6 months it is very easy to run your horses too often or not give them the necessary time that they need to recover after picking up niggles or injuries. This year, the season has been extended for the first time in my years here, and that is absolutely fantastic for everyone involved. The additional meetings at Meydan in April look to have been engineered towards horses of all levels and with races on both turf and dirt, I think the ERA has done a great job of giving owners the opportunity to get an additional run into their horses.
Q: What are you reading currently?
A: The only book I have any time for is the Condition Book. With details of all of the races for the entire season provided in advance, barely a day goes by where won't refresh me on all available options for the horses and make sure they are pointed to the most suitable races and that these races fit nicely towards any long term goals.
Published In Tenfurlongs Journey To The Dubai World Cup Vol - III
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