Jack Hobbs' Irish Derby Bid

I am approaching Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.

I am a part-owner of the favourite Jack Hobbs with two close friends from my student days at Cambridge, as well as Godolphin, who bought a share of the colt before he finished an impressive second in the Investec Derby at Epsom.

We are flattered that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed wanted Godolphin to buy into the horse. For us, it is the thrill of a lifetime and I don't believe we'll be in this position again.

My Cambridge pals are George Bailey, formerly of Sotheby's, and Nicholas Hall, who practiced company law. Long before I met John (Gosden), my husband, they were my two serious racing friends, the ones carrying around form books and pouring over copies of the Sporting Life and Sporting Chronicle between lectures.

For the three of us, the owning adventure started six or seven years ago when we bought a horse, Trumpington Street, named after the main street in Cambridge. Our naming policy has been to maintain a Cambridge theme, so next to come along was a famous former resident of the city, Thomas Hobson (of Hobson's Choice fame).

Trumpington Street won two races for us, and Thomas Hobson did even better, winning four of his nine starts. We had the best fun, but what we have experienced with Jack Hobbs has exceeded all that.

To use a person's name on a horse (without their permission), that person must be dead for 50 years. We named this colt after Cambridge-born Jack Hobbs, the famous England cricketer, who died in 1963. We were fortunate that nobody had applied for the name.

I am not much of a cricket fan, but the boys stepped in and said that we must name this colt Jack Hobbs. He has done us proud, finishing second in the Derby behind his stablemate Golden Horn, and now he has a very strong chance of winning the Irish Derby.

When you are around a stable prior to a Classic, there is tremendous excitement, and a certain amount of anxiety. The atmosphere is really tangible.
Charlie Whittingham, the great American trainer, had a saying: 'Horses are like strawberries. They spoil real easy.' He is right. As an owner, you know things can go wrong, but I gave up getting nervous before big races a long time ago.

I was lucky enough to be part of the ownership of Arctic Cosmos, who won the St Leger in 2010, and before that race at Doncaster, somebody asked me: "Aren't you nervous?" I replied, "Why should I be, this is such a thrill."

As an owner, you get the best of both worlds. You have the excitement, yet you are not hands-on. As for pressure, I don't feel it. And I think John just absorbs it. He manages it well.

I find that top trainers are usually very sensitive people. John is meticulous about every aspect of training racehorses. Add to that a sixth sense, plus the sensitivity, and you have the complete package.

I feel incredibly privileged to be part of the Jack Hobbs team. We go to Ireland hopeful, but we could do with a little rain before the race.

Rachel Hood, who graduated as a lawyer from Cambridge, is an English Classic-winning owner, a former Mayor of Newmarket, and President of the Racehorse Owners' Association. Married to Newmarket trainer John Gosden, she is a mother of four. Jack Hobbs, the Irish Derby favourite, is her best horse to date.