LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — One company is trying to involve more people in the horse industry by allowing people to buy a share in a thoroughbred. One of those thoroughbreds, authentic, is this year's Kentucky Derby winner.
This year, 4,500 shareholders celebrated having ownership in Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. It was all set up by MyRacehorse.
"The opportunity to come in and have an equity percentage. So, you've got the equity percentage, you've got the thrills of the wins and you also get to feel the pains of the losses," MyRaceHorse Founder Michael Behrens said.
Those emotions are what brings more fans inside the world of horse racing. MyRacehorse gave all of those shareholders behind the curtain access of Authentic's journey to the Derby, who is trained by Bob Baffert.
"We videoed him flying out and coming off the plane. We videoed his first gallop out there. We talked to Bob, I mean he was so generous with his time, almost daily updates on how the horse was doing, how he was feeling, how he was progressing," Behrens said.
The company hopes continuing to give a taste of ownership, will give people an appreciation for the sport in its totality.
"Racing is great because it is so multi-faceted. It's competition, it's gaming, it's a beautiful athlete, it's a bunch of talented people who have a unique expertise," Behrens said.
There are about 50 thoroughbreds who have shareholders across Kentucky, New York and California.
