Frank Mowatt is a prime example of what a number of Gold and Green members represent, a long-standing commitment and deep passion for horse racing. 

His fixation for the sport emanates from childhood, his earliest memory of racing was eagerly viewing Red Rum win his first Grand National on TV. The 57-year-old from Chingford had been contemplating joining the Gold and Green crowd community for some time but was hastened into action by a cost that was just too good to resist. 

Although cost was what initiated his journey, a primary factor of his continued involvement distils down to the fact that membership offers engagement in many horses, rather than just one. Frank has also taken the next step and also now owns shares in a few of Gold and Green string: Aced it, Touch of Thunder, and the recently retired Obsidian Gold. 

He was enticed into the owner side of racing after attending a race in Chelmsford, where his companions had raved about their experiences of ownership in several horses, so when shares in Aced it came along, he seized the opportunity. Aced It is a firm favourite among the syndicate for exceeding all expectations in a bounty of exciting performances, but the gelding is particularly special for Frank as it was this horse that sparked his syndicate journey. 

The buzz of a win is what satiates his long-standing appetite for horse racing. Frank depicted this incomprehensible feeling as “hard to put into words, but elation would be a good way to sum it up”. The term elation has been depicted as ‘the quality or state of being filled with joy or pride’ which perfectly aligns with the great happiness and exhilaration that transpires when your horse hits the finishing line in front. 

One enduring superstition Frank is adamant about is, “at a racecourse I will stand in the same spot once I have backed a winner but stand in different places when I back losers”. Luck or placement, this tradition has served him well in his racing endeavours and his favourite racecourse to enact it is Huntington, which he enjoys because of “its atmosphere and view of the track”.

Frank recognises the inescapable frustration that occurs in such a high-stake sport. He recollected his most disappointing moment in racing to be “attending the Grand National for the first and only time in 1997 when the IRA bomb warning scuppered the racing”. Such a dramatic event tore down the immense wall of built-up excitement and anticipation of such a significant race day. An annoyance of the unprecedented event prevails for Frank, as many believed it was merely a hoax. Regarding disappointing performances on race days Frank stressed the importance of planning and looking forward, rather of dwelling on the past. The best advice Frank has acquired in the racing world is making planning the next meeting a number one priority. 

Frank Mowatt’s dream racing dinner party would include Richard Dunwoody, Bryony Frost, Matty Batchelor, Mick Fitzgerald and Matt Chapman. He particularly holds a high degree of admiration for Bryony Frost because she has not let the adversity, she’s faced affect her performance and is still achieving spectacular wins. Similarly, he respects underdog young jockey Tabitha Worsley who won at every meeting Frank attended last year despite not being among the favourites. 

Frank is very enthusiastic about the amount of high calibre young jockeys emerging in UK racing, and believes the latest generation of apprentices is exceptional strong and is delighted to see The Gold and Green Crowd giving support to the likes of Laura Pearson, Christian Howarth and Ray Dawson.