Horse racing is one of the most exciting sports there is. Whether you are a fan, a handicapper, or a part-owner, there's nothing more exciting than watching your horse come bounding down the stretch to the wire and hopefully finish first. Many people have said it's an out-of-body experience. You're jumping up and down, screaming, yelling, banging strangers on the back. When your horse comes in, you end up kissing and hugging everybody within shouting distance, and all is good with the world. For one split second, you are on top of it!! What many people don't realize is how easy it is to become a licensed owner of your own sports team. Your players are the trainer, the jockey, the groom, and of course, your horse. You may share this experience with a small group of co-owners, which makes it even more fun.
Over the years, we've introduced and licensed over 600 individuals into this fabulous game we call horse racing. Even though TV only shows millionaires, billionaires, high-priced horses, and celebrities, those people represent a very small percentage of those who truly keep this game afloat. And unfortunately, when people hear about the millionaires, billionaires, and celebrities who own the high-priced horses, they get the wrong idea that it takes oodles of money to get into this game.
First, you don't need a lot of money to get involved.
Second, just because a horse costs a lot of money doesn't guarantee success. This isn't like buying a car. If you spend a lot more money on a Mercedes or a Bentley or a fancy Land Rover with all the bells and whistles presumably you will get a better vehicle. Exactly the opposite with horses. Even though the press loves to talk about the million dollar horses you'd be surprised how many of those million dollar horses a never make it to the races or be end up running for $12,500 at Tampa Bay Bay in a maiden claimer. Ever hear of the Green Monkey?
The beauty of it is that horses do not know what they cost. They either want to run and be first to the wire (like the herd leaders) or they like running around the groomed surface with a bunch of horses (like the herd followers). Our job is to find the herd leaders, the competitive horses that intrinsically know that they need to get to the wire first. Somehow genetically they know. It's up to us to find out which are the ones that know. And many times those aren't the expensive ones. So don't be impressed by the fancy big numbers. The key is to join a nice group led by an expert, such as myself who will educate you, communicate with you regularly so you know when and where your horse is running, and allow you to visit in the morning to pet and feed them and watch them run in the afternoon.
The bottom line is that it's extremely high risk. Your partner is Mother Nature. You could have the 6/5 in the eighth race, the gates open, the horse stumbles, and there goes the 6/5. So I urge people to only use money they can afford to lose. But if you do have disposable income, there's nothing more exciting you can do with it. Yes, you could take that money and go on a cruise, visit the midnight buffet, and sail around the world with a bunch of cruisers who, by the way, constantly compare one cruise line to another. But ultimately, the money is gone. When the cruise is over, either you loved it and will do it again, or you got seasick and will never do it again.
The nice thing about horse racing is that you can take the money invest it in a good horse, and if you pick the right one, it could pay for your vacation. With the purses these days, it only takes a consistent horse to really break even. But let's face it it's not about breaking even it's about winning the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders' Cup classic or the Dubai World Cup. Those are the horses we are all looking for and if you keep at it long enough, you will eventually find that great horse. And he doesn't have to be a world-beater, just a big handsome athletic monster standing next to you in the Winner's circle.
This time of year, Derby fever is right around the corner, and everyone has visions of red roses being draped over their horse. Horse racing is in the air, take a nice deep breath and inhale it, and let's get you in on the most exciting game outdoors!!!