We end 2020 with a chat with the founders of a new racing club – Seven Worlds Racing Club.
We find out everything you need to know about the Racing Club from Conception to reality, how many horses they have, Price, Joining & when their first runner will be on track…..
How did the idea of a Racing Club come about?
This journey began in January 2020 with a visit to Darren Bunyan’s stables on the Curragh by three close friends who met a very special 3yo gelding that we fell in love with.
He is a gorgeous son of No Nay Never named Seven Worlds.
The 3 close friends included two people who have spent years dedicated to building and running the 2 top fan sites in the horse racing industry: Paul Rhodes of AOBFS and Anne Alston of JOBFS.
They are also known for the best-selling book “The Greatness of Galileo”. Sue Maguire, who has a life-long passion for horses, was the 3rd friend and she brought them together with 3 members of the Bunyan family (Darren, Susan, Brian) to form the club.
The Bunyan family are steeped in decades of experience in the training of racehorses. Darren was always keen to start a club but held off until he felt it involved the right people and horses to make it successful.
Together these 6 people are the club committee and are determined to ensure the club is run to the highest standards and provides value for money and a wonderful experience for all members.
When the idea of the Racing Club was first mooted, how long did it take from Idea to Conception?
It has been almost a year in the making from when first discussed. The main reason for that amount of time is we wanted to ensure we had the right horses to make it successful.
The committee also spent months of meetings, emails, brainstorming sessions and App chats on how we can bring to members the best racing club experience possible as well as supporting a smaller training yard in the industry we cherish. The dream has become a reality after all that groundwork. One vision unites us all – that of the horse.
Where did the name for the Racing Club come from?
The club is named after our horse Seven Worlds. He’s a gorgeous son of No Nay Never and becomes a big favourite of everyone who meets him. A lovely friendly horse with a great temperament who laps up all the attention he gets. He’s the club mascot and will also be racing for the club.
Another reason we chose the name Seven Worlds for the club is because it fits well with one of our key objectives which is to make this a club for everyone. Regardless of where you are located in the world you can come on a journey with our horses and have a wonderful experience being part of the club.
And how did you go out choosing the Racing Club Colours?
The club committee had much deliberation before deciding on a set of colours. Anne, our Social Media Secretary, came up with the winning idea. She chose royal blue and yellow since that matches the stable colours of our trainer (Darren Bunyan) who is strongly committed to the club and sees it as a central part of his plans going forward.
Everyone agreed that having the club colours match Darren’s stable colours was a very good idea. The committee also particularly liked Anne’s idea for the specific design combing seams and stars. The feedback we have received about the colours has been fantastic.
They are lovely colours and really stand out. Our club merchandise is also using the same theme and we are very happy with that also.
How many horses do the club have & who is training them?
We have started with 2 horses – Seven Worlds and Brokers Tip.
As membership grows additional horses will be added as follows:
Seven Worlds is a 3yo son of No Nay Never. He initially took time to come to hand, but Darren has applied a patient approach with him and that has paid off. Things have really started to fall into place for him in his 2 most recent runs when he was 3rd at Fairyhouse and then 2nd at Navan. We feel he’s a winner in waiting and will provide lots of fun going forward. He’s effective on the all-weather and on turf. He will run at Dundalk when the winter all-weather programme recommences in January and after that will run on turf when the 2021 flat season kicks off in March.
Brokers Tip is a flashy 2yo son of Anjaal who is improving with each run. In his 3 most recent runs he was a close third on two occasions at Dundalk and followed those up with a comfortable win in a competitive nursery. Darren has always rated him highly and thinks he has a very bright future. He’s equally at home on turf or on the all-weather. He’ll run at Dundalk when the winter all-weather programme recommences in January and after that will run on turf when the 2021 flat season kicks off in March. He’s an exciting young horse.
Darren Bunyan‘s stables are located at the magnificent Curragh Training Grounds in Kildare. He is a multiple group and listed race winning trainer with wins in Ireland, UK and UAE. Darren has been working in horse racing for 30+ years in a range of roles, including as groom, work rider, jockey, and assistant trainer before he took out his own training license and so he knows the business from the ground up.
As you will see if you visit Darren’s stables, he has surrounded himself with an amazing team of talented and likeminded individuals. Together they leave no stone unturned to ensure the horses get the very best of everything.
Darren’s motto is “Dare To Dream”.
He has set his sights high on what he wants to achieve in his training career, and he has the courage and the conviction to make that happen. He sees the full potential of what the club wants to achieve and is firm in his support of us. With his dedication to his horses, we know that the training and welfare of the club’s horses is in safe hands.
Is the Racing Club fully registered & how long did that take to get sorted?
Yes, the club is registered with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI). Before we launched the club, we thought it was important to talk with HRI so that we could learn from their experience with clubs. Not just the things they have seen that worked well but also where they identified issues with previous clubs.
We also asked HRI to review our Club Agreement & Code of Conduct before we published it. The HRI team were most helpful and we are looking forward to working with them as the club grows. We had done a lot of homework before we submitted our Club Registration Form to HRI. From the time it was submitted it was just a couple of days before the Club was registered.
If anyone is interested in the Racing Club, what are the benefits of Joining?
The club has an extensive range of benefits for members as follows:
How do people go about joining the Racing Club & how much will it cost them?
Annual membership is €300 and there are no hidden costs.
Membership can be purchased on our website:https://sevenworldsracingclub.com
If anyone has a question they can contact us via email:info@sevenworldsracingclub.com
We can also be found on social media:
Twitter: @Sevenworldsrac1
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Sevenworldsracingclub/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user107626866
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sevenworldsracingclub/
And finally, when will your first runner be heading to the track?
Brokers Tip and Seven Worlds are ready to run when the winter all-weather programme resumes at Dundalk in January. After that they will also run during the new flat season on turf which begins towards the end of March.
Q&A by Rich Williams
Images – Copyright Seven Worlds Racing Club.
We would like to wish the Committee & Racing Club all the best of success going forward & we look forward to seeing their horses on the track & in the winners enclosure in the future….
arseonlineracing 