I sell £500,000 supercars to footballers but the horsepower at Royal Ascot is all I care about
CAR SALESMEN Ollie and Roy Humphrey will switch their attention to horsepower on four legs rather than four wheels at Royal Ascot.
The grandfather and grandson team from Eye in Suffolk, who are business partners in the luxury car Roy Humphrey Group, are excited to run The Wizard Of Eye.
They have already enjoyed a rollercoaster journey with the dashing grey as he bids to motor down the fast lane.
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Since making his debut at Salisbury back in 2021 The Wizard Of Eye has taken them to races in France, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
And following a winter switch from Stan Moore to Charlie Fellowes the five-year-old made the perfect start to life in Newmarket when conjuring up victory in the Victoria Cup at Ascot.
But the pair now hope The Wizard Of Eye, who they own with Roy’s partner Alison Favell, can show speed like the Ferraris and Porsches on sale at their prestige car showroom on his Group 1 return in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.
Ollie, 26, said: “He has taken us to different places, but to go to one of these races at Royal Ascot with a live chance is so exciting.
“The name of the horse is quite sentimental as well. Between me, and the other grandchildren, we call Roy the wizard, and he lives in Eye, so it just all fell together.
“To have grandad, and all the close people to us, there at the Victoria Cup you couldn’t put a price on it.
“But to now go to Royal Ascot, all dressed up in top hat and tails, with a real live chance is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“There are racing powerhouses running horses in the race, then there is little old us from Eye running in it, which is not only exciting, but gives us an immense amount of pride.”
The Wizard Of Eye offered glimpses of his potential at two before running in the Saudi Derby, the English 2000 Guineas and German 2000 Guineas at three.
However, after failing to feature last year it was felt that a change of direction was needed if he was to hit the heights they hoped he would as a youngster.
Ollie said: “Last year he seemed to lose his way a little bit and we thought we had to change something so we made the decision at the end of the year to move him.
“We gave him a nice long holiday with the Ayers family, who are good family friends, and they did a great job with him, plus we gelded him as well.
“We had a great journey with Stan, and his team, and he took us all around the world and we will always be thankful for those opportunities.
“Charlie came very highly recommended. I had a brief conversation with Charlie, and met him as well, and we hit it off straight away.
“This is a level we always thought, and believed that he would get to, but then to have Charlie come forward and back up what we dreamed and hoped would come true is great.”
Rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous is all part of the novelty at the Royal meeting, however dealing with familiar faces from the world of sport and television is something that Ollie and Roy have become used to through their supercar showroom.
Ollie said: “We sell between 300 and 350 cars a year in the prestige salesroom and these cars can range from £50,000 up to around £500,000.
“A big part of it is the discrete service we offer so I can’t say any names, but we have sold cars to a few footballers.
“We have been fortunate enough to sell a few cars to trainers and jockeys as well and there have also been one or two television stars that have purchased a car from us.”
While acknowledging The Wizard Of Eye needs to step forward again if he is to record a first Group One success Ollie believes he is more than capable of that in an open division.
Ollie added: “There was a fair bit of confidence in him ahead of the Victoria Cup based on his homework so to have it come off was great. To get him back to that level was so rewarding.
“We weren’t on the finish line and as they came past us I thought he was going to be a really unlucky second, but he got there.
“It was a tense watch but Tom (Marquand) gave him an absolutely brilliant ride.
“If you went on his last race he looked like he needed every yard of the seven furlongs, but Charlie has said all along he has so much speed so the drop back in trip should be fine.
“I’ve had a few conversations with Charlie and there is not a strong favourite in the race and it looks quite open.
“It would be brilliant for Charlie if he could be his first Group 1 winner and for everyone involved really.”
But above everything else Ollie insists victory would be especially fitting for his 77-year-old grandad as a reward for all the hard work he has put in developing the business since starting out as a mechanic more than half a century ago.
He added: “Roy is one of a kind and he really is a special man. He took the plunge to go it alone all those years ago and to look at what he has built today is fantastic. We have a 150 acre site with nearly 200 staff on the books.
“Roy wouldn’t get the spanners out now, but this place is his life. It is hard to beat him here in the mornings as he lives and breathes it.
“To tell all the people he has known for years that he has a runner at Royal Ascot he gets a great amount of pride from as it is unheard of around here.
“We are not big drinkers, but I’m sure there will be a drink or two if he does the business at Royal Ascot.”
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