Union Island

Racehorse Syndicate

(OWNERS GROUP)

Buy a Share for £42 (inc. VAT)

Union Island is a three-year-old bay gelding by U S Navy Flag. U S Navy Flag won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes (6f) and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes (7f) at two and at three he won the 2018 Group 1 July Cup.

Union Island ran an excellent first race at Hamilton in July 2023, before slightly losing his way in three subsequent starts as a two-year-old. He has since been gelded and will hopefully show improved form this season.

Union Island is in training with Charlie Johnston at his wonderful base in Middleham, North Yorkshire. Charlie Johnston took over the training licence at Kingsley House at the beginning of last year, having been assistant trainer to his father, Mark, for many years, and named on a dual licence for a short time.

Union Island has a current British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Flat (Turf) rating of 76 (the average rating is 67).

This syndicate term lasts until 1 May 2025, with no commitment to continue at the end of the syndicate period. Please click here for full details of the end of term process.

This syndicate is divided into 2,900 shares and each share costs £42 (including VAT). View price transparency. There will be nothing extra to pay, no matter what costs are incurred during the syndicate period. The syndicate is subject to the usual 'Owners Group' terms and conditions. The current maximum number of shares that can be purchased by one person is 10. There are no partners or others sharing this horse and therefore 2,900 shares represents 100% of the ownership of the horse.

• The share price is £42. The full price breakdown is:
• The capital value of Union Island is £20,000 which works out as £6.90 per share.
• Our management and service provision fee is set at £13.00 per share.
• The all-inclusive keep/racing/training/vetting cost is set at £14.47 per share.
• The cost for mortality insurance (covered for £20,000) is £0.20 per share.
• The racehorse rehabilitation contribution is £0.43 per share.
• The VAT is £7.00 per share.
• There will be nothing extra to pay for the syndicate period, no matter what costs are incurred.

Racehorse Heights

The height of a racehorse is always a hot topic, with trainers, breeders and sales consignors often quick to make assumptions about scope and even ability based on how high a horse stands. A horse is measured in 'hands' (equivalent to four inches) from the ground to the top of the wither.

In general, Flat horses are smaller than Jumps horses, although as with humans, it's impossible to pigeon-hole horses to that extent. New Seeker, a very successful Flat horse for Elite Racing Club, was rejected by many top agents as a yearling as he was considered too big. Standing at almost 17hh, New Seeker proved most judges wrong and won twice at Royal Ascot as well as six other races. Conversely, Alan King trained the diminutive Katchit to win both the Triumph Hurdle and Champion Hurdle. Standing at 'barely 15.2hh', Katchit, would be considered by many to be too small for the Jumps game, but he was one of the most successful hurdlers of his era and had more guts than many of his bigger rivals. Top Notch, one of Nicky Henderson's most successful current inmates, was a very good hurdler and finished fifth in the 2016 Champion Hurdle. A few eyebrows were raised when Nicky sent Top Notch chasing the following season, but the 'tiny' son of Poliglote took to the bigger fences like a duck to water and landed the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase at Sandown in April.

Paul Nicholls is renowned for training top-class chasers and despite Big Buck's' prowess over hurdles, connections were always keen to send him over fences because of his size and scope. However, after a couple of failed attempts, including a high-profile unseating of Sam Thomas in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup, Paul decided to shelve the chasing route and stick to hurdles. To look at Big Buck's, he was the classic chaser, but it's possible that his large size (17.1hh) compromised his ability to be athletic over the larger obstacles.

All horses are different and it's wise not to make too many predictions about a horse's future capabilities based on its size, until a horse proves it themselves. It would not be unusual for a 15.2hh horse to have more scope than a 16.2hh horse once on the move. Natural athleticism might mean that a small horse covers more ground than a bigger horse despite that looking unlikely when simply stood up and 'judged'. It's a fascinating subject and as with many things with racehorses, there are seemingly no rules.

Heights of a few famous racehorses:

• ZENYATTA (dual Breeders Cup Classic winner) - 17.2hh
• SECRETARIAT (1973 Triple Crown winner) - 16.2hh
• HYPERION (Derby and St Leger winner) - 15.1hh
• RED RUM (three-time Grand National winner) - 16.2hh
• FRANKEL (ten-time Group 1 winner) - 16.1hh
• MILL REEF (Derby and Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe winner) - 15.2hh