Rogues Gallery Racing: what is it like to be part of the Royal Ascot-winning syndicate?

In our new weekly series on racing syndicates, we meet those involved, get their take on the ownership experience and outline the key details should you wish to join. This week: Rogues Gallery

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The Lowdown

How much does a share typically cost?
All shares are £1,000, with the number of owners in a given syndicate determined by the horse's purchasing price. A £100,000 horse, for example, would have 100 shares, but people are able to purchase more than one share if they wish. All other costs, including trainers' fees, are split equally by share.

What does it get you?
The experience is designed to provide everything exactly the same as being a sole owner, according to the Rogues Gallery's founder Tony Elliott. "We always get people into the racecourse and about 30 or 40 members are usually at the track for any given meeting," he said. "Most of our members own about 20 shares on multiple horses and it spreads everything out, plus they have horses running all the time."

Typically how many owners are there in each horse?
It depends on cost. Some Rogues Gallery horses cost £10,000 with a few people involved and their most expensive horse costs £200,000, with around 60 people involved.

Rogue Millennium: winner of the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker

How do you communicate with members?
There are three or four different WhatsApp groups depending on the level of involvement members are looking for. Some are designed towards discussion while others are geared exclusively towards horse updates.

How often do members get to see their horses at home?
Yard visits take place nearly every fortnight, particularly during the off season in the absence of racing.

Which type of horse does the syndicate like to buy?
Elliott said: "We're looking for that special horse all the time. We've used a few bloodstock agents but I've got my own criteria, and it always starts with horses I've singled out at the sales. Around five or six opinions will go into it."

What success have they had?
Rogue Millennium set the high standard for the syndicate with a dazzling career that included Royal Ascot glory and a runner-up finish in the 2023 Matron Stakes. She was also the operation's first Classic runner in the Oaks a year prior. Listed winner Rogue Lightning, who was sold to Wathnan Racing, was another standout performer while the syndicate have two current Classic hopefuls in Rogue Millions and Rogue Impact.

Rogue Lightning: Listed-winning sprinter for £1m at the end of 2023Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Is there any chance of a return on investment?
"The hope is the horses can do very well on the track and when we sell we can give people a return on their investment," Elliott said. "We've had two exceptional cases with Rogue Lightning, who sold for £1 million, and Rogue Millennium, who went for 1,650,000gns."

Which trainers do the syndicate use?
The training roster includes David O'Meara, Kevin Ryan, James Owen and Charlie Hills. The operation has also begun to expand into France with trainer Laura Vanska and Ireland with Paddy Twomey.

How many horses and members does the Rogues Gallery have at the moment?
There are around 45-50 horses in total, which includes horses in training and a breeding programme, and around 300 full syndicate members.

Where is the syndicate based?
Newmarket, Suffolk

More information available at roguesgalleryracing.com

The experience

Gerry Darling, 59, retired policeman based in Walkington in Yorkshire

When did you first get involved with the Rogues Gallery?
I used to be a policeman and when I retired I got a little job with the Tote. I was at Cartmel one day reading the paper and there was an advert for a horse called Crimewave. I thought policeman – Crimewave, it's a no-brainer. I was looking for a catch because it all seemed too good to be true but there was nothing added on, you got exactly what you paid for. Crimewave was great and won three races, and it just went on from there. 

How many shares have you had with them?
I've got more shares than I probably should admit at this point! We've had a winner at Royal Ascot, a runner in a Classic, we had two runners on Arc day, and I'm also getting money back when they sell. I was very lucky to be involved in Rogue Lightning and Rogue Millennium and we got a good return on both of them.

What's been the highlight on the track?
Crimewave will always be my favourite, but the successes of Rogue Lightning and Rogue Millennium were incredible. The best day may have been on Oaks day in 2022, when around 100 Rogues were on the finish line at Epsom to see Rogue Millennium. It was a glorious day.

Gerry and wife Rachel Darling with Rogue Millennium

And biggest disappointment?
When you lose a horse it's the worst thing, and we lost Squiggles this year. That was a terrible day at Plumpton, we went there full of expectation and you go from the highs of Epsom to a day like that.

What do you like about the way the Rogues Gallery do ownership?
The value for money and the honesty. You know exactly what you're paying for and what you're going to get. You get a chance to own horses competing at the top table.

How do you find sharing ownership with strangers?
You meet so many nice people from all over the country but I'm from a small village and there's about ten people from there alone involved. When there's a runner there's a bit of a party atmosphere.

Read more from Join The Club:

So, what's it like to be involved with Racing Club? 

What's it like to be part of a Quest Thoroughbreds syndicate? 

So, what's it like to be part of a Ross Burdon Racing Syndicate? 

'Their engagement is outstanding' - so, what's it like to be part of RaceShare? 

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