Bode Miller joins ownership group of Fast and Accurate

Bode Miller, an Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing, is like all those who participate in that sport: a risk taker. Now, Miller is participating in another high-risk endeavor, horse racing, buying a small interest in Spiral Stakes winner Fast and Accurate ahead of the May 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Fast and Accurate’s majority owner, Kendall Hansen, said he is excited to have Miller as part of the colt’s ownership group, which has grown to include Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable since the Spiral victory. This won’t be the first time Hansen and Miller have partnered on a horse. They own the minor stakes winner En Hanse, and Hansen said the experience has been enjoyable.

Miller isn’t a newcomer to racing, having developed such a close friendship with Bob Baffert that the Hall of Fame trainer named his youngest son after the Olympian.

Fast and Accurate will be a longshot in the Kentucky Derby, having raced most effectively on Polytrack and turf. He finished a distant fifth in his lone start on dirt at Parx last fall. But that has not dissuaded parties from buying into the colt, who must be supplemented to the Triple Crown at a cost of $200,000.

Trainer Mike Maker said Friday that a rider for Fast and Accurate in the Kentucky Derby had not been finalized. The colt is scheduled to breeze Saturday at Churchill Downs Trackside in Louisville, although with rain in the forecast, that work could be delayed if Maker is dissatisfied with the condition of the track.