Kentucky Derby: Ownership reflects modern trend

In recent years, the club model of Thoroughbred ownership has grown in popularity, attracting new owners to Thoroughbred racing by offering interested parties a chance to buy a small share in a horse with a small single payment. This approach to ownership offers some of the experiences with no additional costs or risks – but also few, if any, financial rewards.

Not all of the rewards are financial, though, and this week, the partners in two of those groups can say they own a share, albeit minuscule, in a Kentucky Derby horse. Authentic’s large partnership includes a stake from My Racehorse, while Max Player is co-owned by George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds.

California-based MyRacehorse.com, which treats investment horses as though they are registered securities, offers “micro shares” in its horses. The company has often teamed with Spendthrift since its inception in 2018. Spendthrift, which is known for its innovative breeding incentive programs, partnered not only to campaign horses, but to put its own stamp on the program via its “Future Racing Challenge” rewards tied to a colt’s eventual stud career. Shareholders are not only eligible to receive a portion of any revenue the colt generates on or off the track, but can participate in Spendthrift's stallion value incentive.

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Authentic was a yearling purchase by SF Racing and Starlight Racing, with Fred Hertrich III, John D. Fielding, Golconda Stables, and Madaket Stables also joining his ownership group. Spendthrift then acquired the majority interest to campaign the colt with Starlight and Madaket, with SF, Hertrich, Fielding, and Golconda selling their respective interests. Spendthrift then offered My Racehorse the opportunity to join the group and sell shares to its members.

SportBLX is a financial technology company that has built a marketplace for various sports assets. The low buy-in ownership enterprise envisioned its members as buying into the entire life of a horse, including potential breeding and bloodstock revenue. The company’s initial portfolio of four offerings was led by Max Player, who was already a Grade 3 winner on the Kentucky Derby trail.

SportBLX enables fans and investors to purchase shares in sports assets via an online platform, including revenue-share interests in player earnings and equity interests in teams. The company partners with existing brokers/dealers that distribute the securities. With offerings in basketball, baseball, soccer, and golf, SportBLX president Joe De Perio said he hopes fans of those sports will become intrigued with racing, bringing new owners into the sport.

“Horse racing can be a little bit daunting today if you’re not involved and you don’t understand it,” he said. “If we can make it tech-enabled and easy, we should be able to migrate a lot of investors.”