HARRY Herbert grew up on the grounds of Highclere Castle — aka the real Downton Abbey. And while he’s a self-effacing Brit who doesn’t like to brag about the family pile, he’s made a name for himself in an altogether different world: the horse-mad set.
Herbert runs Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, a syndicate that puts racehorse ownership within the reach of the simply rich rather than just the fabulously wealthy. For as little as £6 950 (R122 966), Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its April 2015 issue, you can own a share in a racehorse managed by Herbert and his team of trainers.
“It’s like acting as personal racing manager to each and every share owner,” says Herbert, whose father was Queen Elizabeth II’s racing manager for nearly 40 years. “This is a way to start people in owning racehorses.”
Now, Herbert is exporting his brand of racehorse ownership to the US with Highclere America.
The goal: to buy proven British and European horses and fly them across the pond to run in US races, where prize pots can be 10 times what’s up for grabs at English races. Together with his US partner, Bradley Weisbord, Herbert bought a filly called Cay Dancer in September and sold shares in her to a group of five US investors. They plan to run her at a series of East Coast races this spring. – Bloomberg