After Group One-winning David Egan was announced as their new retained rider on Friday, many will be wondering – who are Amo Racing? Read on to see all you need to know about the horse racing owners.
Who Are Amo Racing And How Did They Come Around?
It’s fair to say that Amo Racing have had one of the most recognisable coloured silks in British racing over the last few years and they’ve also been in the news a lot too.
Recently Amo Racing were prominent in the media after the sacking of Kevin Stott, despite the Irish jockey delivering Group One success aboard Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes and claiming the King Edward VII Stakes with King Of Steel at Royal Ascot.
But, who are Amo Racing? They are a horse racing ownership group ran by businessman Kia Joorabchian and the boys in purple have seen plenty of big wins since their establishment in 2003.
Who Owns Amo Racing?
Amo Racing is owned by Kia Joorabchian, an Iranian-born businessman who has a past in football agency where he was involved with West Ham United’s players Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano back in 2006/07.
Joorabchian was also involved with both Everton and Reading, acting as an advisor to the latter. He also had connections with Manchester City and Newcastle United back in his football days.
However, now the famous owner can be seen on racetracks around the world supporting his horses, often alongside his family and other connections at Amo Racing.
Jockey David Egan Joins Amo Racing As First Rider
Amo Racing have been without a retain rider since the departure of Kevin Stott back in September, but now they have brought in David Egan to steer their horses.
Egan has been stable jockey for Roger Varian since he came over to England from Kildare, Ireland and the respected flat trainer has a lot of his horses owned by Amo.
Those include stable star King Of Steel, who was last seen at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita finishing fifth behind rival Auguste Rodin.
Egan has had his fair share of big wins himself, which you can see below.
David Egan Major Wins
- Irish St. Leger (2023) – Eldar Eldarov
- St Leger Stakes (2022) – Eldar Eldarov
- International Stakes (2021) – Mishriff
- Dubai Sheema Classic (2021) – Mishriff
Amo Racing owner Joorabchian was speaking on Egan’s appointment: “I’m very pleased to announce David as our first jockey. We have had a brilliant ongoing relationship over the years and used David consistently on our horses, going back to Mojo Star’s brilliant second in the [2021] Derby. We now feel it’s the perfect time to consolidate our team and having David on board will be a valuable addition.
“David is a talented, ambitious jockey with experience at the top of the sport having won races of the highest calibre all over the world, and growing up as Roger Varian’s stable jockey has given him invaluable experience and maturity. Aware of the size of our organisation, we must implement systems to ensure longevity and I have tremendous confidence in this decision.
“Having David on board for the next two years will help us develop long-term stability as a team. I would also like to thank Roger for his tremendous support, confidence and blessing in this decision.”
Rossa Ryan and most recently Kevin Stott were the previous retained riders at Amo, but now 24-year-old Egan takes over in the hot seat, with plenty of pressure on his shoulders.
What Top Horses Do Amo Racing Have In Training?
It is fair to say that Amo Racing own some brilliant horses, but which are their best thoroughbreds?
King Of Steel has been their best over the last 12 months, and the classy three-year-old has earned over £1.4million for his success on British soil.
He was led by Frankie Dettori back in October on British Champions Day when winning the Group 1 Champion Stakes, which was a sensational ride by the Italian.
That was the popular jockey’s final day racing in Britain, as he will now head to America to race in 2024 after a dramatic retirement u-turn.
Baradar is another one of the top horses owned by Amo Racing, a winner of three Class 2 races since joining the George Boughey yard in 2022.
They also had Persian Force, who was retired to stud last year, but he earned over £280,000 in the famous purple silks. One of his finer days came at Nermarket when taking home the July Stakes in 2022.
Also now retired, Mojo Star only actually won one race – but finished second in some of the most valuable contests in the horse racing calendar.
He finished second behind Kyprios in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2022, then runner-up behind Hurricane Lane in the St Leger in 2021 at Doncaster.
However one of his biggest paydays was his classy effort behind Adayar in the Epsom Derby, also in 2021. Unbelievably, he earned over £500,000, only winning once.
Another upcoming horse who Amo Racing have just a part ownership in is Valiant Force. The Adrian Murphy-trained two-year-old tremendously won the Norfolk Stakes at Ascot when sent off at 150/1 and was last seen finishing second behind the progressive Big Evs at the Breeders’ Cup.
So, now you know the answer to the question – Who Are Amo Racing? Keep an eye out on SportsLens for more updates on the ambitious owners.
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