OwnerView's second Thoroughbred Owner Conference wrapped up a two-day stand Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, with prominent horse owner and radio and TV personality Jim Rome delivering the day's keynote address. Some 200 attendees were on hand for the conference, which was sponsored by Keeneland Association, the New York Racing Association, The Stronach Group and Woodbine Entertainment Group. The next ownership conference will be held to coincide with this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita.
“Our first two owner conferences have been very well received, and we thank The Stronach Group for hosting this edition as well as our third conference to be held in November 2016,” said William M. Lear Jr., vice president of The Jockey Club. “Holding the next one during Breeders' Cup week will allow current and prospective owners to experience the sport of horse racing at one of its finest hours.”
Craig Fravel, president and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited, added, “We are thrilled that the next owner conference will coincide with the Breeders' Cup World Championships. Competing in the Breeders' Cup represents the pinnacle of success for an owner, and we anticipate that prospective owners will be impressed by the unparalleled racing and entertainment experience offered by the Breeders' Cup and our hosts, Santa Anita Park.”
During his speech Wednesday morning, Rome, who campaigned two-time GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Mizdirection and the late champion Shared Belief, was effusive in describing his love for the sport.
“I've been doing radio and TV work for 30 years, and I have a great job,” he said. “But my best days at work are not as good as the most electric, surreal days I've enjoyed at the track.”
During Tuesday's opening day of the conference, Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club, gave those on hand some advice, drawing on his personal experience as an owner and breeder.
“I am proud of what the stable has achieved over the last quarter-century,” he told those on hand. “We have won great races, including the Kentucky Derby with Orb, operated profitably, and built significant residual value in the stable. More importantly, we have enjoyed great moments as a family that more than compensate for the disappointments along the way.”
In addition to advising prospective owners to have a 'good plan,' Janney III also encouraged candid conversation with the team surrounding a horse, to truly understand the game, not feel the need to 'be a know-it-all' and to consider the 'entire career' of any horse that a buyer may own. That, said Janney, 'will produce a winning environment and something you can truly be proud of.'
OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.
The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.
World's Richest Horserace Proposed
Plans were unveiled Tuesday morning by Frank Stronach, founder and honorary chairman of The Stronach Group–parent company of Gulfstream Park–for the track to host the Pegasus Classic, whose purse money of $12 million would make it the richest race in the world.
The proposal calls for the race to be conducted over the classic distance of 10 furlongs at either Gulfstream Park or Santa Anita Park in mid-January, thereby avoiding a conflict with the Breeders' Cup and Dubai World Cup. The plan calls for 12 equal shareholders to put up $1 million each. The shareholders would have the opportunity to lease the facilities at either track to stage the race.
Shareholders would be entitled to one spot for each share owned and if a shareholder does not have a suitable horse, they are entitled to make arrangements with another owner and race that horse in that spot. The Stronach Group would underwrite the race to 'make sure it is conducted to the highest standards' and will guarantee that all income, including handle, media rights, and sponsorship minus expenses, will be split 70% shareholders and 30% The Stronach Group.
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