A RACING syndicate with strong links to Portland is dreaming big, but for that dream to become a reality it needs public support.

Ninja Racing, a syndicate of 20 members including ex-Portlanders Anthony Englezos and Glenn Wilson and current Portlander Denis Belden – all former cricket teammates during the 1990s – holds a five per cent share in four-year-old thoroughbred Flying Mascot.

The Tavistock-Lucky Mascot mare has won four of her 10 starts, including the Group 3 Tesio Stakes at Moonee Valley back in October on Cox Plate Day, a win that gained her a start in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington the following week, where she hit the front at the clock tower before fading to finish fifth, beaten 2.2 lengths.

After a long spell, she is about to hit the track again, with the grand aim a start in the All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 19 – the world’s richest 1600m race with $5 million prizemoney, including $2.25 million for the winner.

But to get a start in the field of 15 she must be voted in by the public.

“That’s why we are trying to drum up some support,” Belden said.

“Ten places in the field are determined by public vote, and the other five are wildcards picked at the discretion of the Racing Victoria.

“Anyone who votes also goes into a draw to become a race ambassador for each of the 15 horses, and if your horse wins then you take home $250,000.

“Last year to get a start you needed more than 6000 votes, so we have a bit of work to do.

“With our links to South West Victoria we are hoping we can get a bit of support here.

“Anthony and Glenn were two of the best cricketers in Portland during the late 1980s and early 1990s before they moved to Melbourne, so there will be plenty of former cricketers about who would have memories of them.”

$25,000 purchase

Flying Mascot was purchased for just $25,000 at the 2019 Gold Coast National Yearling Sale by Flying Start Syndications, who subsequently on-sold shares, including a five per cent slice to Ninja Racing (the syndicate was named in honour of the group’s most successful horse to date, Shadow Ninja).

“Syndicates are a very popular way of getting into horse racing,” Belden said.

“None of us could afford to purchase a horse ourselves, and when the syndicate was set up by Anthony Englezos more than 10 years ago it was more a social connection where a bunch of like-minded people could have an interest in a horse or two without the big outlay.

“We each chip in $7.50 a week, less than the price of a couple of coffees, but we have the excitement of following our horses and an excuse to catch up socially, and we aren’t hit with the big training and entry fees.

“We’re never going to get rich doing it this way, but that’s not the idea of the syndicate.

“When you split a five per cent share 20 ways, it’s not much of the horse you actually own.”

Warrnambool-based

Trained by Tom Dabernig at Warrnambool, Flying Mascot has so far had 10 starts for four wins and three placings, and has won $247,475.

“She had wins at Cranbourne and Caulfield last autumn and Tom took her over to Adelaide to target the big three-year-old races there but she wasn’t up to it then.

“But she really matured over the winter and had a lot of success during the spring.”

Indeed, from four starts during the spring she had wins at Cranbourne and Moonee Valley and was beaten 0.2-lengths at Ballarat, before running fifth in the $1 million Empire Rose Stakes on Derby Day.

“We had no idea she would be this good a horse.

“In the Empire Rose Stakes she had to back up after a week, which you wouldn’t usually do, but the horse was fit and healthy and the lure of a Group 1 was too much to resist.

“She ran a great race, did a lot of the hard work at the head of the field and hit the front a couple of hundred metres from home.

“It was pretty exciting, and probably a better run that the week before when she won the Group 3 Tesio.”

Flying Mascot is almost ready to return to the track, having had a trial at Geelong on Tuesday.

All going well she will contest the Group 3 Bellmaine Stakes over 1200m on February 12 at Caulfield and then the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes over 1400m a fortnight later.

“Those races themselves are pretty exciting races, big races, but the All-Star Mile is another planet in terms of the quality of horses.

“There are some seriously good horse nominated, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner amongst them, but we’re hoping the public can get behind an underdog and vote us into the field.

“If we can get a start who knows what could happen.”

Vote and win

Voting for the All-Star Mile, which can be done at www.allstarmile.com.au, opened on Sunday and as of Thursday morning Flying Mascot was ranked just inside the top 10 of the 78 horses nominated with almost 1000 votes.

Voting closes on February 13, the top 10 vote-getters announced the following week, and the actual race to be held at Flemington on March 19.

Verry Elleegant (2021 Melbourne Cup winner), Zaaki (three-time Group 1 winner) and I’m Thunderstruck (Golden Eagle winner) are dominating the voting so far.

Apart from the $250,000 on offer for the winning ambassador promotion, Flying Start Syndications is also running its own competition with anyone who votes for Flying Mascot going into the draw to win a 2.5 per share in the horse for All-Star Mile day, which makes the winner eligible for a slice of the prizemoney.

To enter that competition, simply vote for Flying Mascot and forward your confirmation email to win@flyingstartsyndications.com.au (full details are available at www.flyingstartsyndications.com.au).

 Flying Mascot is one of three horses currently part-owned by Ninja Racing with Crimson Light, trained by Michael Kent, and Bring Me To Life, trained by Price Kent Racing, likely to have their first races in the coming months.