KEMBOY TOOK THE headlines, but he served a purpose to expose the mess that Supreme Racing has gotten itself into, as we commence an iconic weekend of jumps racing at Down Royal, for some the start of the National Hunt campaign in all but name.

Kemboy is many people’s idea of a Gold Cup winner, 2020 vision and all of that, but Willie Mullins, as evidenced by his having not a single entry for Down Royal today, does not run his proper horses this early in the campaign. Though he had an entry, it seems highly improbable Kemboy would have gone to the Maze to run in Saturday’s feature.

However, that Kemboy was barred from running by the Irish authorities — in addition to everyone else under the Supreme banner — was useful in bringing an exceptionally worrying matter to the fore.

This dispute, bound for the courts, will make people wary of getting involved in clubs and syndicates and that is arguably a good thing.

As of Monday of last week, Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Kemboy is not allowed to race following a ban on entries and declarations registered in the ownership of Supreme Horse Racing Club.

The syndicate has more than 20 horses with champion trainer Mullins, who has been left in a difficult situation, having the option of saying little other than that he hoped the matter would be resolved. He added that all Supreme’s training bills were paid.

In a statement HRI owner relations manager Aidan McGarry said: “Horse Racing Ireland has engaged with Supreme Horse Racing Club to seek information to resolve a number of queries and concerns.

“Following an unsatisfactory response from Supreme Horse Racing Club, Horse Racing Ireland, under Horse Racing Ireland Directive 15… suspended Supreme Horse Racing Club’s ownership accounts from all activity, including the running of horses from Monday, October 21.

At all times Supreme Horse Racing Club was aware that the penalty for the non-delivery of the information requested by Horse Racing Ireland would be that a hold would be put on all entries and declarations for horses registered by Supreme Horse Racing Club.”

HRI’s step was in response to allegations of financial misdemeanours involving the club, said to include claims of shares in horses being oversold. Members pay an up-front cost for a share in a horse and pay a monthly fee to cover costs. It is designed on the basis of a maximum 20 owners per syndicate.

This is a complex case but it is clear that some members who own or thought they owned part of Kemboy are not happy with what prize-money they subsequently accrued (echoes of Fergie and Rock Of Gibraltar), whilst the case of the sale of Listen Dear did the club no favours at a juncture that could hardly have been less timely.

It is understood that some of those involved in Listen Dear believe they had no say in her sale on 24 October (for what seemed a relatively low price of £38,000). It is also understood that the Supreme Horse Racing Club’s members that were never informed of the sale have now written to Goffs UK, HRI and her new owner to express their grave concerns over the circumstances surrounding the sale. According to irishracing.com, they are also seeking to take out an injunction to stop the horse changing ownership.

Supreme Racing in theory could have around 500 members. The Kemboy debacle entails being guilty by association: every Supreme horse is now barred from the track, even if many members have no complaints about the service.

One part-owner in Grade 1 winner Aramon told The42: “I’ve four horses and have been treated really well from day dot. I’ve always been paid what I’m owed. However, the stuff I’m hearing at the minute isn’t good about horses being over-sold and prize-money not paid up.”

What is especially alarming is how Supreme has dealt with HRI regarding this mess. After HRI contacted Supreme in August, it got no response. The optics are not good.

Supreme was set up by Steve Massey and Jim Balfry in 2011. I have met both Massey and Balfry several times and found them affable, honest and nice to deal with, though the concept of a racing club has never appealed to me in the slightest.

For one thing, you need to trust people you probably do not know very well, if at all. For another thing, the colours of the club are not my colours. For a third thing, disputes are almost inevitable.

Racing clubs are put forward as a means to let people have ownership at a small cost. The average racing club might entail an annual fee of €500.

This is relatively inexpensive to get involved in a horse, but you have no access to any prize-money accruing and are not even guaranteed a pass for the races if “your” horse runs.

Then again, there are advocates. “Syndicates of all shapes and sizes are the future of Irish racing,” says Jack Cantillon of the self-explanatory Syndicates.Racing, which notably was the buyer of Listen Dear.

“Our vision is a focus on value, accessibility and good fun can bring you right to the top table of Irish Racing. €210 could have got you 1pc of the Munster National winner Cabaret Queen and current favourite for the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, all in for the season with us. We’ve a special sport that provides access to its participant like no other — syndicates are the crucial link between the fan and the legends.”

Roughly one in every 310 people in Australia, where syndicates are more strictly regulated, are involved in racehorse ownership; that figure is closer to one in every 1,700 people on the island of Ireland. One man who attempted to set up a racing club was struck by the different attitude towards them among Irish people and British.

They just don’t seem to appeal to Irish people as much as English people,” he said. “It’s worth delving into their published T&Cs. I know from when I was researching, I came across some woeful stuff in the small print of a few well-known racing clubs.”

My advice is quite simple: if you want to get a leg or a bit of a leg of a horse but cannot afford full ownership (most cannot), join a syndicate with friends you trust and a trainer you have faith in. For roughly €100 a month you can have unbelievable craic, genuine ownership of a horse (whether or not worth boasting about) and colours that are truly those of yours and your friends, rather than you and 499 people you may have never met.

If the head of the syndicate is somebody you trust, everything should be above board, and if ever WhatsApp were made for anything, it is for a racing syndicate. The only dilemma is whether or not to include the trainer in the WhatsApp group.

Sean Flanagan on Operation Houdini (file pic). Cathal Noonan Cathal Noonan

The first horse which I was involved in, Operation Houdini, amounted to an amazing introduction. And as much as it was enjoyable watching him race, the real fun was in the build-up.

There was so much to debate: the intrigue; the trainer’s comments; will he run or will he not? Should we back him win or each-way? Who was the designated rider; who was the designated driver?

Where would we stash the winnings from the day at the races for fear we’d lose it later that night out on the town?

Curious Times indeed and the horse of that name looks well-handicapped ahead of his return in Saturday’s North Down Marquees Handicap Hurdle (1.50).

Getting back to Cabaret Queen, Progres Drive was a long way behind her at Limerick, but may be worth another chance in the Cork National (3.20) Sunday.

It was in the Cork National back in the day that Operation Houdini had his biggest win — or so we thought after being called the winner of a photo-finish that must have taken five minutes’ deliberation.

We celebrated like we’d won the lotto, only for the horse to be thrown out in a stewards enquiry.

Our trainer insisted we’d appeal, but apparently he forgot to do it before the deadline to appeal expired.

And they were the days before WhatsApp!

It’s Rugby World Cup final week! On the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly, Murray Kinsella joins Gavan Casey and Sean Farrell to preview Saturday’s showdown between England and South Africa.