And while the partnership that now comprises seven members basks in the warm glow of their first success at the elite level, they are savouring the promise of more to come through a substantial investment in the New Zealand racing and breeding industry.
De Souza first met friends Todd Hartley, Doug Painter and Paul Vawdrey, who are
all involved in the trucking and transport industry in Melbourne, when they
contacted him through the website of thoroughbred training establishment
Riverend Park."I had actually left Riverend Park when the guys tried to contact me but my name was still on the website and the people there gave them my number," explained de Souza.
"They were keen to get into the racing game and wanted to give it a decent crack so we talked about the options that were available and ended up forming a partnership where we each had a 25% share in the horses we bought.
"As things developed Doug and Paul had three other friends in Jim Lark, Scott Brown and Jim Robertson who were also keen to get involved so we changed the mix to the original four holding 20% each and those three combine to hold the remaining 20% share.
"I had been a regular visitor to both the Yearling and Ready To Run sales at Karaka and we began to purchase horses from those sales and that's where we found Turn Me Loose (pictured Trish Dunnell)."
De Souza first saw the Iffraaj colt that was going through the 2013 Ready To Run sale of two-year-olds from George and Maryanne Simon's Mana Park draft, when watching the pre-sale breeze up video clips and immediately knew this was one they had to have.
"He caught my eye so much watching his breeze up video and during the sale that I actually rang the boys and said this was one we just had to have," he said.
"They said go for it and get him for whatever it takes which actually turned out to be a lot less that what I figured it might.
"I guess the rest is history but I can't stress enough how fortunate we were to firstly buy him and now to have him become a Group One winner at just his sixth start is simply unreal."
The deeds of multiple Group One winner Dundeel had convinced the syndicate they wanted Cambridge trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman to mentor the horse with de Souza fulsome in his praise of the duo.
"Murray and Andrew had done a fantastic job with Dundeel so we were keen to get a horse with them and thankfully they agreed to take him," he said.
"They have been simply superb in the way they have brought him along as he can be a real handful but I think you saw on Saturday that he may have turned the corner as his racing manners were first class and that is a credit to the stable."
Saturday's success has boosted the prospects of a future breeding career for the son of Iffraaj which is something the syndicate is keen to further as they expand their involvement in that side of the thoroughbred industry.
"He has provided us with the first major success of our venture and I guess we will need to look carefully at where he goes now because of his potential value at stud," noted de Souza.
"That will most probably mean he will race in Australia at some stage to try and further those prospects but any decisions will be made in consultation with Murray and Andrew further down the track."
With the syndicate currently having horses with both the Baker/Forsman team and Shaune Ritchie at Cambridge they have also expanded into the breeding game with their five Danehill broodmares currently based at Auckland's Haunui Farm.
"Each of our mares is going to Iffraaj this season as we believe in that cross which has produced some phenomenal results to date," said de Souza.
"Iffraaj has had something like five Group One winners in the Northern Hemisphere and with Turn Me Loose now his first here we think he has a lot to offer and there is plenty of potential in those matings.
"We said right from when we started we wanted to do this properly and the expansion of our racing and breeding interests has been a steady progression.
"The result on Saturday is something you dream about and I guess what we are all thinking now is long may it continue!"
New Zealand Racing Desk
