Zac’s Yuppie Syndicate Is Flying

Rainbow Lorikeet’s gutsy victory in the SplashOut Gr3 Victress Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last Saturday was a defining moment in the life and passion of a young man who lives, works, eats and sleeps racing.

A Cape Town-born professional doing his accounting articles with a leading international audit firm in London, Zac Bloch was planning his annual leave and summer break in his hometown a few months ago, and went into his boss’ office to ask if he could take the time off.

“From when to when do you need it?” asked his boss paging through a calendar.

Normal people talk in dates. Zac’s reply was – “from the Cape Guineas to the Cape Town Met will work for me, please.”

Such is the racing spirit of the energetic Zac Bloch who lives in a multi-dimensional universe of racing – even though he insists his life is very balanced and he even finds time for gym on a Saturday morning. That is, if it doesn’t encroach into his racing time!

Zac is the nominee of the Yuppie Syndicate and the 24 year old accounting graduate is determined to see the sport of horse racing grow and flourish.

“Racing doesn’t have a future without bringing in the twentysomethings, they are,  after all the next generation. The demographics were never an issue in the days when my Dad and yourself were introduced to the game via your family, ten cent jackpots, and the Cape Hunt & Polo Club racemeetings in your school holidays. It was the only game in town. Today it’s competing for Millennial and Generation Zee attention with a host of other distractions – but it remains a sport that offers plenty,” enthuses Zac as he tells of his journey with the nine-strong Yuppie Syndicate.

Zac’s Grandparents were the Schonwalds, who ran a powerful breeding operation in the Cape, standing the likes of French Tutor and Rainbow Dream, and Dad Jonathan has been involved forever.

“It’s a cliché, I suppose, but I was born with racing in my blood. My Dad used to sit and watch the racing on television and I’d be fascinated by the horses, their names and the numbers. It intrigued me – I must have been 5 years old. The bug had bitten.”

He became close mates with Judd Bortz while still at school, and the teenagers enjoyed coming racing, shouting Greg’s horses home, and dreaming of one day owning a Met winner together.

Despite his solid foundation around horses, Zac concedes that his first horse was not chosen with science, but caught his eye in the catalogue as a result of the name.

“We used to be avid viewers of the Fawlty Towers series and there was an episode where Basil Fawlty’s horse Dragonfly wins and he has to get his staffmember Manuel to zip his lip about it. Basil famously said to Manuel – ‘you know nothing.’ It was hilarious. So Dragonfly jumped out of the catalogue!” he laughs.

But back to the fairytale that is the Yuppie Syndicate.

“I thought let me bring in say ten young professionals. I had a 10% share for each in my head. So it was big enough to feel the benefit of a stake cheque, but small enough that nobody would get hurt if we got a slow horse,” he laughs as he explains that his idea was to give tomorrow’s big earners a positive introduction to racing.

“They are all around my age – we don’t have a lot of capital to throw around, so I then mulled over asking them each for say R5 000 to buy a horse. I thought that is not going to work – after all a Kommetdieding champion cheapie doesn’t come by every day. Through Jehan Malherbe I approached Mary Slack. The champion breeders keep their best-bred fillies to race, so I asked if we could lease a filly. That way there was no capex outlay on the part of the syndicate members. Mrs Slack was amazing. She loved the idea and so arrived the beautifully-bred Rainbow Lorikeet. She happened to also be bred on the Querari-Silvano cross that has worked so well.”

Zac recalls the day Rainbow Lorikeet made her debut over 1000m.

“She started 80-1. It was a wet Cape May day. The ground was soft. Normally there is talk if a horse is decent, but this time there was nothing. I remember walking into the parade ring thinking she was going to run last and I was about to lose 8 friends.”

He tells that there he was, full of buzz, excitement and nerves – while trying to tell the syndicate members that she’s bred for ground, will mature with age and let’s just hope she runs on and is in the first half of the field.

“I felt like a trainer giving the excuses before the run. At the same time one of my best friends who is in the syndicate and has never missed a race, Raphi was telling everyone she will shit in! What fun this was. It wasn’t exactly glamorous I know, but everybody was over the moon when she ran sixth, just over 4 lengths off the more experienced winner. I was relieved! She then ran two places and won at her fourth start. The Yuppie Syndicate was on the road! Rainbow Lorikeet has earned at almost every start since – she’s won five races, including Saturday’s Grade 3 pinnacle! And now we live in hope and dream of participating in the Cartier Gr1 Paddock Stakes!”

Zac says that the syndicate has worked in forging friendships and it’s an almost 90% attendance when she runs, assuming everyone is in town.

“Cameron Braun and myself, for example, have clicked and become firm mates. He’s based in Sydney and much like me, he does all he can to watch every Cape race and is as sick for the game as I proudly am! We feel like we have been friends for life”

Zac has also dabbled in trading horses and is excited about Wecangoallnight who runs in the De Grendel Gr2 Cape Merchants on Sunday.

On the answers to rebuild racing, Zac says that Greg Bortz and Hollywoodbets have struck gold at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

“Service by their world-class staff and the facilities are outstanding. It makes marketing the game to a new generation a tad easier. And I was at Epsom for the Derby. I would still choose Cape Racing’s HQ!”

He says ultimately racing horses has to be about ‘fun’.

“That is the answer. Make it fun. Nobody is expecting to become a multi out of it! But we all love fun!”

The Snaith Racing Team epitomizes the total ownership experience in Zac’s view.

“Every trainer runs their yard in their unique way. We have enjoyed experiencing a variety of them, and while I chat to Mr Marshall almost every week, and he is just a master of his art, he gives me the time of day and is always willing to impart knowledge and to listen. That’s top-class for me as an owner!”

Zac tells that as a team to market the concept of ownership, he feels Snaith Racing have found the sweet spot.

“They are professional and whether you have 5% of a maiden or own 5 Grade 1 horses, they treat you the same. Their door is always open, and their beach outings are simply special,” reflects Zac.

On his future plans, Zac explains that he only moved to London to gain international experience.

“I can’t be too far away from Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for too long. So my GPS is very focused he laughs.”