Dawn Falvey

Dawn Falvey only owns one racehorse, but he is a good one -- the Queensland Horse of the Year in 2000 and winner of this year's Doomben 10,000, The Falvelon.

"When you've got a horse as good as The Falvelon, you only need one!" Dawn said.

Dawn said she had always been interested in racing and enjoyed going to the races but that was the extent of her involvement until her husband passed away some three years ago.

Dawn's husband was a trainer for 35 years but following his death, Dawn became a horse owner.

She said the thrill of watching your own horse racing could not be beaten.

"There's nothing like it when the horse you own steps out on a racetrack," Dawn said.

Dawn said she became a horse owner for friendship, for company and for fun. "Most of us have been friends in racing for 30-odd years," she said.

"If you go into racing, you do it because you love it. If we lose, we celebrate just as if we had won.

Dawn thinks horse owning is a great option if the prospective owner has the right attitude.

"You should look at the reasons you're going into it. You've got to love horses - The Falvelon is like a pet to us. You can't go in as a novice and expect to get a cheque back every time."

Angelo Efstathis

For Angelo Efstathis, owning racehorses is a business and he treats it as such.

The owner of Queensland Pine Furniture in the Raw also owns 60 thoroughbreds, making him one of Queensland's biggest racehorse owners.

"It's a division of our business -- no way is it a hobby," Angelo said.

Angelo said his racehorses helped promote his furniture business. His customers regularly contacted him to see how his horses fared at the races.

Born into a racing family, Angelo said the racing bug had bitten him when he was young. He had always been interested in racing but only got involved as an owner three years ago.

Angelo loves the roller-coaster experience of owning racehorses. "It's the only game where one minute you're in the penthouse and the next you're in the gutter!" according to Angelo.

He sees a bright future for the industry.

"Racing's in a lot better shape than when my father was racing horses and it's going to get better in the next three to five years," he said.

"The secret of success in racing is like anything else: keep it simple, pick five or six goals and concentrate on them.

"My advice to anyone who wants to be an owner is to go into it with your eyes open. You've got to be unemotional and treat it like a business. Surround yourself with people you can trust."