It is doubtful that Seymour racecourse has ever heard a roar anything like that which went up when Zoushack (Zoustar) was declared the winner in the final race on Thursday.
There are 560 owners of the 3-year-old, who took his record to two wins from three starts with his thrilling success in the North Central Hire BM64 H., and with about 100 of them on track, the action in the mounting yard post-race would have given Flemington on Derby Day a run for its money.
The atmosphere built even more through the tension of the finish, with Zoushack seemingly set to be run over late in the 1100 metre race by a fast-finishing Deploys Alone (Sepoy), only for the Lindsay Park gelding to put his nose down on the line. The judge took an age to semaphore the numbers, but when he did put up No.13, the throng of owners erupted.
Zoushack and Deploys Alone going head-to-head
It was the third win for miRunners, the concept headed up by CEO Steve Brown, which breaks horse ownership down to 1000 units per horse.
"When you see things like that, it talks to the power of the thoroughbred and the power of ownership," he said. "People have just fallen in love with this animal."
"People have just fallen in love with this animal." - Steve Brown
"There are people who have driven from Adelaide to be at Seymour today and most of them are first time owners. They have met new people and formed new friendships."
Beyond the benefit to the owners themselves, there is also a broader benefit to the industry of having so many people willing to have that on-track experience.
"They’ve been there from Race 1 to Race 10, so they’ve had lunch, and food and beverage all day. Both horses started favourites, so they have bet as well, it's reached a lot of areas," Brown said.
Another miRunners horse, Bellarine Beauty (Not A Single Doubt), marketed to the residents of Geelong, made her debut on the day as well. She finished a creditable fourth for Leon and Troy Corstens, bolstering numbers even further.
"People who are involved with another miRunners horse are actually turning up to the races to watch our other horses," Brown said.
"People who are involved with another miRunners horse are actually turning up to the races to watch our other horses." - Steve Brown
The key marketing point for miRunners is that it makes expensive horses much more affordable. Zoushack was a $250,000 purchase from the 2018 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, a price usually out of the reach of most people via syndication, but broken down into 1000 x $275 units, makes it much more attainable.
Bred by Baramul Stud, he is a half-brother to stakes-placed Metonymy (Hotel Grand) and Love Shack Baby (All Too Hard).
Post-race, co-trainer Tom Dabernig said that they would look to a city race next for the progressive gelding, which would be a significant boost to both his owners and whichever race club gets to host him.
"We are not buying cheap horses, so we are hoping the city is where they end up," Brown said. "We feel the quality factor is coming to the fore and people will get the chance to compete at the top end for not a lot of money."
