WINNING IS A GREAT BONUS FOR ME

Interview with Patryk Gorczyca, the owner of racing horses

WINNING IS A GREAT BONUS FOR ME

If the youngest horse owners were awarded in the postseason elections, one of the main candidates for such an award would be Patryk Gorczyca, who has been in this role at races for two years. He is one of the seven partners of the Guitar Man derby winner, and in addition, the horses of his co-ownership with trainer Adam Wyrzyk won three races in 2021: three-year-old Alis Gloriae (2), two-year-old Groszek (1) and of his exclusive property a three-year-old filly Diamond Kitty (1).

In recent weeks, Patryk together with trainer Wyrzyk, who always has the decisive opinion when choosing horses, bought yearlings in Ireland, which will make their debut at the Służewiec Racecourse next season. For the season 2022, in addition to Guitar man, Patryk will include Elvas (at the age of 3 she started once, was fourth in the race in which she suffered an injury), Alis Gloriae, Sigismundus Rex and Groszek, who are already known to the Służewiec public, with two two-year-olds of his property and six horses in syndicates.

AUTHOR: JAN ZABIEGLIK PHOTOS: SŁUŻEWIEC RACECOURSE

Groszek and Joanna Wyrzyk

Where does your infatuation with horses and the desire to have them come from?

Patryk recalls that when he was a few years old, his mother, who worked in the racing box office, took him to the races for the first time. Later, when he was a high school student, he would go to the track on racing Wednesdays ... skipping school. But in fact, with his wife Paulina, they started to spend regular weekends on the track with their little daughter Lenka. „Instead of going to city parks, we used to go to the track, which is also a beautiful park, especially in spring, summer and autumn. Here you can admire the horses first during the presentation in the paddock, and then their exciting competition on the track. Sometimes we placed a bet at the box office. We were more attracted however to the beauty of this place and the racing, colorful performance itself” - Patryk begins his story.

Lenka enters the „game”

Patryk first got to know trainer Wyrzyk as the main character of the series „Życie na wyścigach” broadcasted on Planete +. He learned about the show from Lenka, who watched one episode and said „Dad, they show races on TV”. From that point on they watched it together. When in 2019, after the Derby, they were near the bomb on the main stand, Lenka noticed that Adam Wyrzyk was standing a few meters from them and asked her dad to take a photo „with this man”. The trainer agreed with a smile and after a short conversation he invited them to his stable. Their acquaintance began from that moment. After a couple of days, the first visit to Podbiel took place. That is when they met trainer’s wife Elżbieta, daughters Joanna, Monika, Zosia and son Michał.

A dream comes true

- „Me and Adam quickly found a common language and liked each other. Since my wife and I have always dreamed of having a racehorse, I asked if he had a place for it and if it was possible. He said that he had already brought a few yearlings from Ireland and had a horse for sale, but I asked him to take us on his next trip, this time to France, because we wanted to personally participate in the purchase with Paulina, to feel the atmosphere of the auction. We went to Deauville in November 2019. We allocated 10 thousand euro. The trainer chose two fillys for us. We bought Elvas for 3 thousand and Diamond Kitty for 6,5 thousand. When I was browsing the auction catalog, I really liked Alis Gloriae, which Adam bought for himself. After our arrival, he agreed for me to become her partner. Elvas won her debut as a two-year-old and was second in Efforty by the end of the season. Alis Gloriae took second place first (lost by the head), and then took first. Diamond Kitty, on the

Elvas and Szczepan Mazur

other hand, did not win, she was twice third, but we knew from the beginning that she was a distance filly. This season, as a 3-year-old, she won with an advantage of 8 lengths on 2000 m, in Solina Stakes she was fourth after a breakaway. She finished ninth in the Derby. „

Syndicate buys Guitar Man

- „In October last year we went to Newmarket, where together we bought, among others Sigismundus Rex, later in Doncaster we acquired Groszek for the company. Coronavirus ceased further travel plans, and the borders were closed. The trainer was still looking for a horse in training in the Derby Class. He proposed to me and the veterinarian Karolina Radwańska, with whom he has been cooperating for years, joint purchase of such a horse. Thanks to Tomek Szumski (he successfully trained horses in Partynice, and then worked in Ireland), we made contact with the famous Coolmore stud. We got an offer of five horses. We chose Guitar Man not only because of his top pedigree (he is Galileo’s son and Danehill’s maternal granddaughter of Beauty Bright), but we liked how he presented himself at his Dundalk debut on November 6, where he was sixth out of 14 horses. After fully examining the horse in Ireland, thanks to Karolina’s friends, we knew that we could buy him. Due to the fact that he participated in the purchase, Tomek Szumski also wanted to join the syndicate. Karolina made a surprise for her husband Łukasz and invited cousin Wioletta Pawelus to participate. I persuaded Marcin Biały, one of the best blacksmiths in Poland, who forges horses of Polish representatives in show jumping. He has the longest ownership in this syndicate, apart from Adam, of course. He was the owner of, among others, Dusigrosz, who after eighth place in the Derby 2016 won in St. Leger and then finished second in Sac - a - Papier ”.

Alis Gloriae and Joanna Wyrzyk

Winning debut in Służewiec of the „Guitarist” during the season opening

- „Guitar Man arrived at the Rosłońce stable a week before Christmas Eve. Adam Wyrzyk was in no hurry to implement him into training, the most important thing was the several weeks of acclimatization. After that he trained normally. We calmly approached his first performance in the run for the General Anders Stakes (III gr., 1800m). Meanwhile “Guitar”, as we talk about him every day, surprised us very positively with a clear victory. After this win, Adam chose the main path to the Derby, i.e. Ruler Stakes (1600 m), and then Iwna Stakes (2200 m).”

Two third places and ... a sensational victory in the run for the blue ribbon!

In the Rulera Stakes and Iwna Stakes Guitar man finished third under Szczepan Mazur, first 4 lengths behind Young Thomas, then 6 lengths behind the same rival and Anator. Both of these horses were targeted head to head. Winning the blue ribbon by „Guitarist” in three weeks after this distance attempt seemed so unrealistic that Szczepan himself chose Adahlen, in whom he saw greater potential then, and trainer Wyrzyk in the pre-derby „Cynki z Rosłonieckiej stajni” said that „we have to wait for Guitar Man”. Adam Wyrzyk was not looking for another male hand, but signed up his daughter Joanna on Guitar Man. It was known that no woman had managed to win the

Derby in the history of Polish racing. Once, in 2004, when Małgorzata Maroszek passed the crosshair on Królowa Śniegu first, after a protest the Technical Commission moved this filly for crossing the final straight from the first to the third place. „Me and the other members of the syndicate were glad that Aśka would go. She is an incredibly brave girl who always gives her best. She did not win the Derby last year at the favorite Inter Royal Lady and then, in my opinion, a wave of hate poured over her unfairly. She’s a tough girl, what didn’t kill her, only made her stronger. Each of us quietly dreamed of victory, but I think that even a place in the top three we would consider a great success. Aśka did not have any pressure from us. We are positive people who enjoy the races, not just winning. She was riding Guitar Man for the first time. The horse had no. 1 and from the beginning it was led closest to the rail at the top of the race. Rainy weather helped us a lot. During the Derby, the track condition was not 3.5 as at the beginning of the day, but probably above four. Adam brilliantly assumed that most of the riders would most likely lead the horses onto the big circle when they entered the straight, thanks to which Aśka would have a good chance of escaping next to the kanat, clinging to the rail. Thanks to this, she gained the advantage of several lengths. However, 300 meters before the finishing line, German Nania finished quickly under the routine Czech jockey Jan Werner. She was already in front by the neck, but Aśka did not give up the fight to the last meter and Guitar Man, to our indescribable joy, won by a short head. Truth be told, more than the horse winning, we were all happy with the victory of our lady jockey, who was the first woman in the history of Polish racing to win the Derby. In this success we cannot overlook the team of the Rosłońce stable, which works hard every day to prepare the horses for races for what we thank them. „

Phlegmon the reason for the absence of the Derby winner in St. Leger and The Wielka Warszawska

- „After getting the blue ribbon, Guitar Man had a longer rest. Unfortunately, he contracted phlegmon, his rump was so swollen that he could hardly move. The performance in St. Leger was out of the question, but we kept him in the entry to the Wielka Warszawska until the end. Ultimately, we decided together that we did not want to expose him to great effort and he was withdrawn. He is now healthy and will be calmly prepared for next year’s performances. We are patiently waiting and we hope that he will positively surprise us more than once. „

Syndicate is it!

- „I like to experience racing emotions together with others, I do not look at horse performances through the prism of money. It is important but it is not the objective. Any victories are a great bonus for me. The most important thing is the horse, its health, being in contact with it, bond and emotions. Those in the stable and those in the races. The form of syndicate suits me very well. It allows you to own a horse with friends who have a common passion. Also in economic terms, the syndicate is beneficial, because the costs of buying and maintaining a horse in a stable are spread over several people. I encourage everyone who wants to feel the excitement of having a racehorse to join or start syndicates. Based on my example, I can say that it does not end with one „ - summarized Patryk Gorczyca