PRESS RELEASE

The fourth installment in the 2025 OwnerView webinar series was held on June 10 and featured panelists from multiple organizations discussing how they promote Thoroughbred ownership.

The conference is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Keeneland and Stoll Keenon Ogden. The panel was sponsored by Justice Real Estate and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association.

A Q&A was sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds and attendees were able to ask questions through a Q&A link.

Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView, moderated the panel with guests Michael Behrens, founder and CEO of MyRacehorse; Price Bell, general manager of Mill Ridge Farm and co-founder of Light Up Racing; Erin Birkenhauer, chief operating officer at West Point Thoroughbreds; Tina Bond, president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, who played a pivotal role in the creation of The Heart of Horse Racing campaign; Rachel Miller, digital marketing manager at America’s Best Racing; and Tom Rooney, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The webinar began a discussion of the importance and validity of the RACE Act, a bill announced by Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr that amends the Securities Act of 1933.

Rooney explained that with current system, when a company submits an offering (a horse) to the SEC, it can take months for the offering to be accepted or denied.

“What the RACE Act essentially does is, once the first offering, the first horse, is approved, similar future offerings would be automatically approved. So, they don’t have to go through this every time there’s a new horse submitted,” Rooney said. “It maintains strong governance standards and consumer protections by reducing unnecessary qualification delays for experienced indicators. It allows syndication to begin immediately after following the required disclosure, closely mirroring successful regulatory models used internationally.”

The panel progress with a discussion of the importance of a solid, growing ownership base for the horse racing industry. Falter noted that with owners’ being the most important investors in the sport, it is paramount that we incentivize new owners to enter horse racing. Each panelist discussed how their organization works to promote Thoroughbred ownership.

Behrens explained that MyRacehorse is trying to change the game of racehorse ownership by giving everyone the means to becoming a racehorse owner, not just the wealthy, and that MyRacehorse is a sustainable industry initiative that is actively attracting and engaging new people to the sport.

Miller discussed the accomplishments of ABR’s A Stake in Stardom initiative. A Stake in Stardom was created to immerse influencers into the world of horse racing as new owners, offering the opportunity to attend major racing events, visit historic destination venues, receive insiders access, and get a taste for the thrill of Thoroughbred ownership.

West Point Thoroughbreds was the first partner in a Stake in Stardom and Birkenhauer highlighted the importance of bringing a younger audience into the industry. Through Griffin Johnson and Sandman, West Point Thoroughbreds and ABR have made great progress in catching the attention of younger generations.

Bond described what it means to be involved in the sport of horse racing and to be able to grow the number of fans, handicappers, and owners by sharing horse racing’s story. Bond interviewed industry stakeholders as a “call to action” to illicit change, resulting in The Heart of Horse Racing video, which is shared via social media. Bond plans for a paid marketing campaign to launch this year.

Bell said Light Up Racing’s mission is to address misinformation about the sport of horse racing and provide transparency and awareness while driving positive change and pushing for adoption of best practices.

The replay of Tuesday’s Thoroughbred Owner Conference panel is available at bit.ly/OVVideos.

 

Six additional Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels are scheduled for 2025. The next session, “Developing Young Horses,” will be held July 1 at 2 p.m. EST. A full schedule can be found here: bit.ly/OVSchedule.

There is no registration fee for the 2025 virtual conference series, but registration is required. For more information about the owner conference series, including the schedule and registration page, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at 859.224.2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

Return to the June 13 issue of Wire to Wire