Stop me if you have heard it before.
A Scotsman walks into a bar, orders a beer and sells four drinkers a share in a racehorse.
The tagline is the horse they named The Vowels, on the advice of another drinker who said all they ever did was talk in vowels – A-E-I-O-U – has now won five races on the trot with ambitious plans ahead.
Jimmy Livingston, two other Scots, an Englishman, and an Irishman make up part of The Vowels’ ownership group.
“We are just a bunch of normal people who love a beer, a bet, a joke, and a good time,” said Livingston, who has raced hoses for almost a decade.
“None of them have ever had an interest in a racehorse before, so they are living the dream at the moment.”
Their love of a beer and a bet is paying off at the moment with The Vowels, a three-year-old by Better Than Ready out of the Desleigh Forster-trained Mareeza, having won his last four starts.
The Vowels came from near last on the home turn to race away with a 1600m Benchmark 72 at Eagle Farm last weekend to keep his picket-fence streak going.
It was a peach of a ride by Jimmy Orman, who took advantage of dream rails run to drive him to the lead and draw away from his rivals over the final 100 metres being eased down near the post.
Eagle Farm R9 replay | 18/2/2023 | The Vowels (1st)
Trainer Toby Edmonds is now eyeing off the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm on April 29 as The Vowels’ main mission this campaign, and the gelding has met every challenge assigned to him so far.
Originally from Glasgow, Livingston took a shine to a yearling during at a trade day at Edmonds’ Gold Coast stable in 2021.
His wife Avril, who also loves a punt, tapped him on the shoulder and said: “What share of him are we taking?”
That prompted Livingstone to have a beer with the horse’s breeder and convince him to sell a part share because, at the time, he was not for sale.
The breeder kept a majority share in the horse, who also has part-owners based in Darwin.
Edmonds advised the owners to geld the horse after its first start because he was proving a handful around the stables.
“It has settled him down a lot, but he is still a very lazy worker on the track,” said Livingston.
Livingston and the other part-owners meet for drinks at the Commercial Hotel at Redbank every Friday night and usually watch the races there together most Saturdays.
“We take the mickey out of each other, but the banter is always good-natured, and we have a great time,” said Livingston.
“They’re a great bunch and guys and we’ve been having so much fun with this horse who is going pretty good right now.”
Livingston is no stranger to owning horses; he’s been involved with more than 20 in the past seven years.
While he and his fellow part-owners are having a lot of fun with The Vowels, who has now won in excess of $180,000 in prizemoney, it hasn’t always been the case with a few of his horses not making it to the racetrack.
He spent $240,000 on a filly at the 2019 Magic Millions sales, but because of an ongoing legal dispute and an injury, the horse has so far not made it to racing.
But, right now, the unusual collection of drinking partners plan to enjoy the ride and see how far The Vowels can take them.
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