That is how the 19-strong Four Codes syndicate came to own and race Needastar, who won on his hurdling debut at Wingatui yesterday.
Syndicate member Tim Mills, better known as the Canterbury Jockey Club chief executive, was joined by fellow members Bob Murphy, Dave Lucas and John Wood for a trip from Christchurch to Dunedin to watch the No Excuse Needed gelding's debut.
They were not disappointed as the promising jumper galloped away to win by six lengths for the syndicate and Riccarton trainer Danny Crozier.
The syndicate was formed over glasses of foamy suds at two Christchurch establishments to help out Crozier, who had just begun training at Riccarton last year.
''We got a syndicate together. That got him a paying client,'' Mills said.
''[The syndicate recruitment] started at half past five on a Friday at the Racecourse Hotel and carried on at 4 o'clock at the Bush Inn the next day,'' Mills said.''
It took us just a half an hour shy of 24 hours to get 19 guys who wanted to race a jumper.''
Needastar had won four races on the flat, but Mills described the mood of the syndicate and Crozier before the race as ''nervously confident''.
''He's jumped so well at home and Danny said all along the heavy track was probably the question mark because he hadn't performed that well on that the flat in the past.
''But his last couple of runs on wet going, he'd actually been quite solid.
''We were reasonably confident going at a slower tempo in a hurdle race that he'd handle the wet going.''
Keep It Tight continued his dominance of the Otago and Southland steeplechase scene with a 2-length victory in an entertaining running of the 3200m jumping race.
Gargamel threatened to steal the $20,000 feature off Keep It Tight but put in an average jump at the last to give the Kelly Thompson-trained 7yr-old the break he needed.
The son of Johar might be a victim of his own success, as Thompson works out what to do next with his jumping star.`We'll definitely miss Timaru and we'll have to work it out from there,'' he said.
Keep It Tight carried 69kg yesterday and his rating penalty for yesterday's win will help Thompson decide where to go next.
''That defines where he goes. We might have to look at something where there's others in there that will keep us in perspective,'' Thompson said.''
Down here, it's nice to win them but you get lumbered with weight very quickly.''
''Not breaking down, of course, is the first thing with jumpers and then you've got to win with a lot of weight on your back and he's rapidly getting that way.''
Supercharged also franked the Riverton form with a bold win in the Ron Williamson Otago Hurdle.
High Forty threatened the Great Western Hurdle winner in the straight, but jockey Alan Browne was dislodged at the final fence to leave Supercharged with a stroll to victory.
Supercharged's Yaldhurst trainer, Ross Beckett, said he had ''no big plans'' for the Casual Lies gelding.
