It had seemed too good to be true for the 20 syndicate owners who each paid £14,000 for a share in two horses and saw both arrive well fancied for Epsom classics. Sure enough, the Derby weekend, dominated by that other indomitable syndicate from Coolmore, dashed their collective dreams, leaving Harry Herbert, managing director of Highclere Thoroughbreds, to speak yesterday of “regrouping” with fresh targets.
Herbert, his entrepreneurial spirit unquenched, is in China, working on “the last great frontier for racing to conquer”. From there, he admitted “bitter disappointment” over the Investec Derby flop of Bonfire. The Dante Stakes winner, trained by Andrew Balding, started second favourite behind Camelot but trailed in 14 lengths adrift in sixth.
The other great hope of the Pocohontas syndicate, Vow, fared much better in the Investec Oaks, but again without glory. She was beaten less than two lengths in fourth, behind Was, and Herbert revealed she is likely to run at Royal Ascot before contesting the Irish Oaks next month.
Anticipation within the syndicate had soared so high, after a flawless build-up and hectic publicity, that an element of deflation was inevitable on Saturday. Herbert explained: “With any syndicate, one of the difficulties when things don’t go right is that people tend to head off quickly with their tails between their legs.
“Thankfully, Epsom had provided a marquee for us and I was able to talk to everyone in one place after the Derby. Since then, there’s been a great exchange of emails. We are all regrouping and looking forward again.
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“The only one of the 20 unable to be at Epsom lives in America and watched it all on TV. There was a lot of excitement beforehand. Everyone appreciated how amazingly lucky they were but the disappointment still comes hard when, in your brain, you have computed you have a very good chance of winning a classic.
“There is no doubt that Bonfire was a bitter disappointment. For whatever reason, he completely lost his action down the hill. Jimmy [Fortune, the jockey] knew he was cooked. He was all over the shop and we all knew our fate a long way from home.
“The good thing is that he has come out of it fine. I’ve just spoken to Andrew and we’ve agreed we will take our time looking at options but I can say he won’t be going to Ascot. We both feel he should go back to ten furlongs for now, so the Coral-Eclipse is a likely target so long as the ground is not too fast.”
Vow, trained by William Haggas in Newmarket, lost her unbeaten record last Friday but remains “a filly of great potential”, according to Herbert. “We’ve missed the chance of an English classic, unless she takes on the Derby winner in the St Leger, but we will certainly aim at the Irish Oaks. There’s a fair time until then and she is very tough, so if William says she is ready, we could take in the Ribblesdale at Ascot first.”