Barnaby Zelman
On the success Fortuna has brought me...
I have had dealings with six different Thoroughbred Syndication Companies spread across four countries, USA, Australia, New Zealand and England. Given such diversity I feel I can speak with some authority on how Fortuna stands far above the others. I am not here to degrade any other firm, all considered to be "top notch" in their respective countries.
My very first impression about John Galvin well before buying into my first horse was his integrity of character. He never once tried to 'sell' a share in a horse to me. Where other syndicators hit me with sales pitches on why I "just had to be involved in this horse or that one", John acted as a consultant and always helped guide my decision making process with practical information, financial facts, and educational information about the business which was still somewhat new to me. There were never any "stupid questions", as he understood that I was new in the sport and always gave me intelligent and thoughtful answers to my “newbie” questions.
During a short visit to New Zealand in 2011, John became not only a thoroughbred advisor but also a trusted friend. And I don't say that lightly. Trust is important in life anyway, but more so when you're laying out thousands of dollars for a share in a thoroughbred. John's advice made each horse fit like a glove in terms of my goals, budget, long term expectations, etc. for my “virtual stable”. I say virtual because as a resident of Thailand, I would not be on hand for most of the races, so my computer is my “stable” with John as commentator and advisor via email nearly 24/7.
Let's not forget the horses that John goes about acquiring for syndication. As an intelligent and astute businessman he understands that buying a potential champion is extremely difficult and never guaranteed. To mitigate the risks, he works with the experts at Te Akau Racing who scrutinise every horse being considered for acquisition. John gets the benefit of Te Akau's decades of thoroughbred experience by working with them well in advance of auction day. The symbiotic relationship between Fortuna Ltd. and Te Akau Racing cannot be found elsewhere (I know, I've looked!) and it works like a precision Swiss watch in selecting only top prospective horses for Fortuna's clients.
In conclusion, what John has created with Fortuna Ltd. is a business model that has been well honed and works superbly. From selection of the best possible horses to treating clients like myself with sincere interest, respect, and patience, it's a winning formula. Without extraordinary client communications you will not enjoy the ownership experience. Let's just say that of all the syndication companies I've dealt with only John Galvin at Fortuna adds his plain language commentary prior to printing the trainer's more technical verbatim report below. The time and effort that he puts into client communication alone is priceless.
I have just purchased shares in my 7th horse from Fortuna and each time I get involved it feels like the very first time. There's an air of excitement that you just can't help feeling as you know you've just bought into a potentially terrific, dare I say, possibly a “champion” horse.
Barnaby Zelman