As the sector for the $2 million Preakness Stakes swings into the Pimlico Race Course homestretch Could 18, they are going to be greeted by the roar of hundreds of followers that fill the grandstand. A wall of noise will encapsulate the eight Thoroughbreds and their jockeys, but when one grey or roan colt listens shut sufficient, he’ll hear his title being shouted and cheered not simply by his loyal supporters that traveled to Baltimore, however from hundreds extra throughout the nation.
The horse is Seize the Gray, skilled by Corridor of Fame coach D. Wayne Lukas and sired by the late Arrogate.
Bred in Kentucky by Jamm and consigned by Mill Ridge Gross sales on the 2022 The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s choose yearling sale, Seize the Gray was launched to a brand new degree of stardom because the hammer got here down for $300,000 in favor of MyRacehorse, a fractional possession app that permits racing followers a style of possession for a a lot decrease price.
“We syndicate horses to make the dream and thrills of possession accessible to everybody,” MyRacehorse founder and CEO Michael Behrens mentioned.
Upon their buy of the yearling, Seize the Gray was provided on the MyRacehorse app for $127 per share for 0.02% fairness. In keeping with Behrens, Seize the Gray will race within the Preakness on behalf of two,570 shareholders.
Behrens is aware of what it’s like to offer a basic win to many racing followers who would have by no means dreamed of proudly owning their very own racehorse. MyRacehorse was a co-owner of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Genuine, who would return a month later to complete a detailed second within the Preakness. Seize the Gray shall be their first starter within the Triple Crown since.
“There are lots of people who’re actually pumped up and excited,” Behrens mentioned. “It seems to be like an incredible race and we’re actually excited to be right here.”
One of many perks of being concerned with MyRacehorse is having the curtain pulled again on the behind the scenes of creating a racehorse. By way of posts and occasions, Seize the Gray’s shareholders have had a possibility to observe each step of the horse’s profession.
MyRacehorse’s expertise supervisor, Caitlin Dunne, is aware of Seize the Gray higher than most. After MyRacehorse bought the colt, Seize the Gray was despatched to Wavertree Stables in Ocala, Fla., to start his preliminary coaching along with her mother and father, Ciaran and Amy Dunne.
“He was type of a chubby little Arrogate colt,” Dunne mentioned. “I believe for just a little bit my dad obtained nervous that he would not develop.”
Regardless of his seems to be, Seize the Gray impressed early on together with his relaxed demeanor.
“My dad at all times says, horses which have his sort of demeanor, it is often a fairly good factor as a result of they handle themselves within the barn,” Dunne mentioned. “I believe we had an concept that he was both going to be actually, actually good or in that mid-section. You’ll be able to’t measure coronary heart while you’re on the farm, you see it after they begin racing.”
Alongside for each step of his growth from a lazy yearling to a hard-knocking racehorse had been his plentiful house owners hoping that their beloved colt would blossom right into a star. Their endurance was rewarded July 29, 2023, when Seize the Gray received his first race throughout his second begin, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Saratoga Race Course. Pleasure constructed as he participated on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby and, though he barely missed qualifying for the Could 4 Derby, broke by way of with a signature victory Derby day within the Pat Day Mile Stakes introduced by SAP to earn a visit to the Preakness.
“I noticed his first win from Del Mar,” remembered Mike Dusterhoff of California, certainly one of Seize the Gray’s shareholders. “I by no means thought I might ever see him in particular person, however I mentioned I used to be going to make the journey out to Pimlico and right here we’re.”
Dusterhoff is certainly one of tons of of shareholders who’ve traveled from all corners of the nation to Pimlico to have a good time their colt working in a Triple Crown occasion. For Dusterhoff, initially born in Washington, D.C., Seize the Gray has created a homecoming, and the shareholder has spent the week seeing not simply Seize the Gray, however members of the family he hasn’t seen in near a decade. He was on the barn Could 16 as a part of a MyRacehorse occasion group led by Dunne.
“I adopted [Seize the Grey] round, I flew right here from Florida to be right here on the Preakness,” mentioned Will Diaz of Palm Metropolis, Fla. “The thrill is unbelievable.”
“I obtained into MyRacehorse as a result of I at all times liked horse racing from the time I used to be just a little child,” mentioned Janice Mackenzie of Phoenix. “This has been implausible. To me, [the morning] is extra enjoyable than race day. You get near the horses, hear lots about them, find out about them. Simply see how they are going about their each day routine. That is what I really like essentially the most.”
Seize the Gray has not solely offered a once-in-a-lifetime journey expertise for a lot of of his house owners however has additionally offered an additional particular Preakness for his shareholders who’re primarily based round Baltimore.
“I obtained into MyRacehorse as a result of it was the one manner I might get near a race just like the Preakness,” mentioned Baltimore’s Rob Thomsen. “Now that we’re truly right here, I obtained to attend the put up place draw which is one thing I by no means thought I might have the ability to do. It is simply an incredible expertise.”
For the long-time racing followers turned house owners that traveled to Pimlico, goals are already coming true as they unlock the thrill of getting ready a horse they’re related to for one of the fashionable races in the USA.
“(Seeing the shareholders’ expertise) has been the very best factor about him,” Dunne mentioned. “Seeing how a lot they love and care about him, you’ll have thought they had been within the barn each single day with him. … The house owners love him like they might love any animal in their very own dwelling.”
Ought to Seize the Gray pull off the upset and race his manner into the Preakness winner’s circle, it can trigger a celebration that won’t quickly be forgotten, not simply at Pimlico, however within the homes of greater than 2,000 people who shall be cheering their horse dwelling.
