Fox and Paddison become racehorse owners

Ryan Fox with his standardbred pacer Franco Nandor. Photo credit: Lincoln Farms.

It’s off to the trots for New Zealand professional golfers Ryan Fox and Gareth Paddison.

The pair won shares in standardbred pacers after finishing first and second in the Wairakei Invitational last month.

Fox won a 20 percent share in a horse called Franco Nandor who cost $140,000 at the National Standardbred Yearling Sales in Christchurch last year.

Paddison won a 10 percent share in a different horse called Captain Nemo. He cost $110,000 at the same yearling sale.

The horse shares were provided by John Street of Lincoln Farms, which is one of New Zealand’s biggest racehorse ownership operators. The shares are free of training fees, which means Fox and Paddison will have no on-going costs.

Fox’s horse Franco Nandor has already raced four times for a best placing of second and is currently being readied for three-year-old races of the new racing season which begins on August 1.

Street, himself a keen golfer who played at Wairakei, had no hesitation in offering the prizes and commented on Fox’s horse Franco Nandor.

“Of course there are no guarantees with racehorses but this horse is looking promising,” Street said.

Fox got to see the horse recently at the Pukekohe stables of Ray Green and hoped his golf form would rub off.

“Hopefully he’ll have a bit of the form that I had at Wairakei,” Fox said.

“I’ve always enjoyed a little flutter on the horses now and again and to have a vested interest is awesome.”

Fox once had a small share in a galloper with Auckland businessman Gerard Peterson. That horse was named Five Off The Tee and the horse won twice in 2015-16. Fox also helped name another horse called Hosel Rocket.

The last time Fox came into close contact with a horse was about the age of 12 when he rode one which bolted on him. His mother also had to give up riding after badly breaking her shoulder in a fall.

It seems Fox will have the chance to see Franco Nandor race at least once this month before he heads back to England where it is hoped the European Tour will restart with the British Masters scheduled for July 22.

Paddison’s horse Captain Nemo finished a good third in a recent trial race and trainer Ray Green has high hopes for him.

“He’s coming up really well,’’ Green said of Captain Nemo. 

“He’s a big, powerful colt and this will be his year. I’m high on him and think he will really excel. He’s one of our big hopes for the three-year-old races.”

Captain Nemo and Franco Nandor had their first races for the new part-owners at Alexandra Park in Auckland on July 1. Captain Nemo finished fourth and Franco Nandor was fifth.