Horses for causes

James Thomas chats with Phil Hawthorne of The Good Racing Company, the racing club that sends all of its profits to charity

THE GOOD Racing Company is no ordinary ownership group. With all profits the club generates going directly to charity, this is less horses for courses and more horses for causes.

The concept, the brainchild of Phil Hawthorne, began with the Burrow Seven Racing Club, which was set up in honour of rugby league legend Rob Burrow. The former England and Leeds Rhinos star, who wore the number seven jersey throughout a career littered with iconic moments, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in December 2019, prompting his equine namesake to be paired with the MND Association.

The initiative proved so successful that Hawthorne has broadened his horizons, with other racehorses being paired with various worthy causes under The Good Racing Company banner. Much-needed funds have been raised while members get to enjoy the ownership experience at an affordable entry point.

Hawthorne, 65, has been a life-long racing fan having first visited his local course during a bygone era of steeplechasing celebrities.

“My first recollection of racing is my father taking me to Haydock Park when we lived in Wigan, I was about ten or 11,” he says. “I remember getting hooked on the sights, the sounds, it was just great.

“Even though I never saw him in the flesh, I was always told about a horse called Flyingbolt. My dad had a strong opinion, which I know Ted Walsh shares, that he was actually better than Arkle – as controversial as that is!”

The qualified accountant has since owned shares in various syndicates and nominates the victories of the Nick Williams-trained Theocritus and the John Upson-trained Agincourt as the standout moments, albeit the latter’s Wetherby win back in 2001 so nearly ended in disaster.

“The day Agincourt won at Wetherby was quite an event,” he recalls. “It was a bit unexpected as he was a 25-1 outsider under a jockey called Marvin Mello. I ran off to greet him into the winners’ enclosure and popped a calf muscle and ended up in intensive care with suspected deep vein thrombosis!”

Thankfully the origins of the Burrow Seven Racing Club proved much less dramatic. Hawthorne explains that the idea came to him following a chat with his friend and Sky Sports rugby league pundit Barrie McDermott, a former teammate of Burrow during their Leeds Rhinos days.

“I’ve got a little bar in my house and I was sitting there having a glass of wine and listening to racing podcasts,” he says. “I’d been speaking to Barrie McDermott and we were having a chat about life, and when we put the phone down was when I thought why can’t we put together a racing club to help Rob and MND?”

The Good Luck Beep Beep Burrow Open Maiden National Hunt Flat race, during the Sky Bet day at Doncaster in January

Hawthorne had the idea but now needed the horse. Next came a call to renowned pinhooker Mark Dwyer, who had been sponsored by a business Hawthorne was involved in during his days as a NH jockey. The Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning rider pointed his associate in the direction of Henrietta Knight, who in turn recommended a well-bred son of Kayf Tara. He became known as Burrow Seven.

Identifying a suitable trainer was another crucial part of the process, but Dwyer knew just the man for the job.

“Mark described Jedd O’Keeffe as a really good bloke who’s open and honest,” says Hawthorne. “I didn’t know what kind of reaction we’d get [when we launched] but I did know that, at least to start with, we needed a trainer who’d be receptive to interviews, the media, open days and TV cameras.

“I went along to see Jedd and when we were sitting in his kitchen having a cup of coffee and explaining the idea, I think he and his wife Andrea thought I was going mad! Within a matter of months we’d pulled it off though and Jedd and Andrea and their team played a big part in that. They’ve been brilliant.”

The racing club opened for business in late-2020, back when Britain was in the thick of Covid-19 lockdown. Annual membership was offered at just £59. The response was immediate.

“We’d hoped for some reaction but the positivity behind the idea was absolutely huge,” says Hawthorne. “It was during lockdown and people were looking for something to get involved with while they couldn’t go out. I sold the club on the basis that it was inclusive and that it would support MND and it was, at the time, Covid friendly because people could get involved without having to leave their lounge.

“The timing was good but I think the concept was a bit different too, especially with the links to the rugby league and MND communities. But I didn’t expect the reception we got. People such as Barrie McDermott and other ambassadors got onboard and were sharing our stuff on social media. That aspect was especially strong. Guys like Graham Lee, Paul Hanagan, Niall Hannity and Paul Mulrennan, whatever they could do, they did.”

Once the word was out members signed up from far and wide. Other racing stables were so struck with the idea that Hawthorne says “nearly everyone” in Middleham signed up, while new members got on board from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, China and North America. Individual members were joined by over 40 businesses, who signed up at a cost of £777.

Burrow Seven’s racing career gave the club’s members plenty of excitement along the way, most notably when he finished runner-up at Wetherby in his second bumper outing and when third at Carlisle on his second run over hurdles. However, Hawthorne highlights that the club’s biggest and best results have been away from the racecourse.

To date the Burrow Seven venture and, latterly, The Good Racing Company have raised and donated an impressive £177,777 to the MND Association and the Rob Burrow 7 Personal Trust. Moreover, the club’s contribution goes much deeper than cold, hard cash.

Since Burrow’s diagnosis he has shared an unfiltered account of his journey, a selfless decision that has not only revealed his own superhuman resolve but helped bring awareness of MND to a much bigger audience.

He has been supported by another former teammate in Kevin Sinfield, who has helped to raise vital funds and awareness through a series of gruelling challenges such as seven marathons in seven days and running 101 miles in under 24 hours.

Thanks to the likes of Burrow, who was awarded an MBE for services to rugby and MND awareness, and Sinfield, the subject of MND has gained greater prominence among the public consciousness.

Burrow Seven’s popularity is, at least in part, down to being a part of the wider conversation that is now taking place, which in turn has given people an opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way through the somewhat unlikely vehicle of horseracing.

“We’ve had some fantastic partners, great members and supporters,” says Hawthorne. “Everyone has got behind us. It’s not just the money though, it’s about the awareness too. If we’ve played a small part in raising awareness for MND then that’s great.

“Going back even three or four years ago I don’t think MND is something people would’ve known a great deal about. Obviously with all the brilliant work that Kevin Sinfield and others have done, MND awareness is now as big as it’s ever been.”

WHILE THE CLUB makes obvious appeal for fans of racing and rugby league, Hawthorne is particularly proud of the close association that has been formed with the MND community. Burrow, his family, and others living with MND have taken an active part in the racing journey, including on race day.

Go Go Chicago

“To start with it was definitely rugby league fans before the racing audience picked it up,” says Hawthorne. “Then the MND community took it up and when Burrow Seven made his debut lots of people from that community were there. There’s been a lot of goodwill and support from the MND community.”

No racing venture is complete without a few ups and downs and unfortunately Burrow Seven sustained an injury that brought his time on the track to a premature end, although given the funds he has helped raise and goodwill generated it is arguable no four-race maiden has ever made a bigger impact. What’s more, an exciting new venture means he still has plenty to offer.

“We’ve obviously had more than our fair share of disappointments through injuries or poor performances but we’ve always managed to have a laugh at the end of the day,” says Hawthorne. “The club’s slogan is ‘Even when we lose, we win’ and we’ve done that because it’s still creating awareness and

The success of the initial Burrow Seven concept inspired Hawthorne to form The Good Racing Company. New horses were added and duly paired with other worthy

“My thinking was that if it could work for one kind of charity, in this case with MND, then it should be able to work for others,” he says. “Since the racing community had given a lot, we wanted to give something back.

“So we got another horse called Go Go Chicago with Fergal O’Brien and Graeme McPherson and the two charities we’re planning to support are Racing Welfare and John Blake’s Racing To School.”

Hawthorne is also on the cusp of launching the Rob Burrow Racing Club, which will give members a 360 degree ownership experience with a NH runner in Beep Beep Burrow, newly recruited Flat performer Family Ties and the old favourite Burrow Seven, who has begun a second career as an equine welfare horse with the retraining charity New Beginnings.

As ever, members will be encouraged to join the journey with stable visits, trips to the races as well as following Burrow Seven now that his racing days are behind him, all while contributing to a good cause.

At a time when attracting and retaining new fans and owners represents a major challenge, the efforts of The Good Racing Company prove what can be achieved by thinking outside of the sport’s usual confines. Moreover, the kind of positive approach taken by Hawthorne also strikes as exactly what is required as the thoroughbred industry strives to shore up its social licence.

“That’s something that I’d definitely like to build on by having a chat with the jockeys, trainers, administrators and asking how we can maximise the exposure of the sport,” he says. “There’s so many good news stories out there, so let’s tell them.”

While Hawthorne can feel no shortage of pride at what he and his associates have achieved in such a relatively short time, he already seems laser focussed on what lies ahead.

“This has always been part of a subconscious plan,” he says, reflecting on the success of his racing ventures. “Now we’ve been able to enact that plan, I’d like to think the progress in the next 12 months will be even swifter in the last 12.”

Watch this space.