Tom Lynch’s Tigers are unlikely to feature in September but the AFL star may yet have reason to get excited for the spring if his namesake horse, Lynch, a galloper he part-owns with several teammates, can continue his emergence over the next few months.
The Michael Hickmott-trained two-year-old posted a dominant maiden win at Gawler on Wednesday and is likely to now target feature races in the final two months of the season.
Bought by Hickmott in partnership with passionate Richmond supporter John O’Neill, Lynch is raced by several current and former Tigers’ stars including Josh Gibcus, Sam Banks, Kane McAuliffe, Tyler Young, Judson Clarke and Sam Lloyd.
Michael Hickmott’s racing manager Josh Hickmott said the Richmond connection via O’Neill is something the stable is proud of.
He said Lynch is a favourite around the stable, not just because of his name and who owns him but given his backstory that included a near-death bout of colic.
“Tom is always our main man, he’s a great racing lover and such a humble, easy-to-talk-to guy so we’re more than happy to have a nice, fast one named after him,” Hickmott said.
“We’re team Tom, he’s kicking the lights and he’s had a couple of bags (of goals) in the last few weeks so he’ll be up and about.”
“There are a fair few Tigers boys in the ownership so I’m sure they got a big kick out of the horse winning.”
“He’s had a pretty tough time this horse, he suffered a bad bout of colic when he was ready to get to the races as an early spring two-year-old and we nearly lost him.”
“He’s a real fighter and we’ve got a soft spot for him given what he’s been through and how he’s responded to it.”
Lynch is no stranger to success as a racehorse owner, including a small share in 2023 Melbourne Cup runner-up Soulcombe.
Hickmott and O’Neill also race Lalor, who was placed in the SA Magic Millions 2YO Classic in March, and three-time winner Dyer in the Richmond colours, with several other big-name Tigers involved.
