My 1 Percent Horse

The original “My 1 Percent Horses” page about Standardbred fractional ownership has become very outdated. My interest in owning Standardbreds has not. Fractional ownership has provided me a path back into owning racehorses. It has been really exciting being back as a Standardbred racehorse owner. This page will be an overview of the new Charles Davis Stables.

Standardbred Fractional Ownership AKA My 1 Percent Owner

Fractional ownership of racehorses is not a new concept. Racing syndicates have been around for decades. However, they were normally created to buy very expensive racehorses. The stable.ca page gives some information about how that company works. I am going to give up the highlights as it works for me.

There are a few concepts to keep in mind. Fractional ownership in this organization is a form of entertainment. While the possibility of profit is always there, the entertainment value is what is stressed. Each horse has 100 shares so each share is 1% ownership.

Racehorses are a high-risk investment. The highest risk in horse racing is to buy a horse before they have started training. Standardbreds can start racing as 2-year-olds, however, some are not mature enough to start racing until they are three. Many horses never make a start. These horses are athletes, and some are better than others. It is not just the physical side of racing, there is a mental attitude as well. Some can not “get their heads into the game”.

Getting Started as a “My 1 Percent” Fractional ownership

Breeders will sell yearlings at auctions held in late summer or early fall. Horse have generally been trained for line driving before entering the sales. Line driving is steering a horse with a bit and long reins. The Stable.ca concept is to look for horses with good breeding and confirmation that are undervalued at the auction. Many factors could cause a good horse to be overlooked. When a horse has been bought at auction, shipping, and other expenses are added to the purchase priced. Based on this total price, shares of the horse may be bought.
When they reach the farm, the horses are evaluated, and a training plan developed for each one. The training process is long at least eight months. Horses that mature slower than the other could be turned out for a few months before starting training again.

If you buy a horse and own all of it, you will have almost a year of training fees, vet work, blacksmith, and other costs before you know if your horse will be good enough to race. While cost varies by location and the horse’s needs, you should expect $30,000 in addition to the cost of the horse. If you only own 1%, then you are looking at $300 a year. So for the price of dinner, I get a month’s worth of entertainment.
The stable.ca is very open when it comes to keeping owners informed. There are weekly videos giving an update on all horses and every two weeks they have a drone record a training session. I can follow MY horse’s progress. Many of the owners have commented that it is almost like watching their child grow.

Another feature of Stables.ca’s program is the marketplace. Owners can post their horses if they wish to sell them. They are free to set their own prices.

Deweyann

This is from my first My 1 Percent Horses page:  Deweyann was a close second on my list at the winter open house, and my share was purchased shortly after. She has been training very well, however, it is clear that she is still growing. Deweyann was turned out and after a number of months, returned to training. She came back to the races and won her first race. However, it seems like she was still growing and not ready for full-time racing. So she was turned back out. After a few weeks, she returned to training. Deweyann seems to need more time. While most horses would have been sold out, the Stable.ca is suggesting holding on to her for a while. Maybe give her another chance. If that not work there is a possible future as a broodmare as she does have outstanding breeding and a lifetime mark.

 

Update: Well, She did not get any better, so the owners voted between selling her or breeding here. The vote was a landslide to breeding her. She was bred to an Ontario stud named MVP.

Deweyann was one of two mares bred last year for the stables.ca. Their breeding was the first for the organization. Deweyann delivered first, a colt. As an owner of the mom, I received a share of the colt. Deweyann was bred back to the same stallion, so another one is on its way.

 

My 1 Percent

Interesting name for a racehorse that I own 1% in. This is the colt from Deweyann. The stable.ca held a contest open to her owners to come up with a name for the colt. Then the owners of other horses voted for the best name. My selection came in second, but I won. The most voted name already had a horse using it. So Deweyann’s colt became “My One Percent”. Being a foal of 2020, he is now a weanling. January first is horse racing’s universal birthday, and he will become a yearling. My 1 percent will start training in the late spring or early summer of 2021.

Momma Knows Best

Momma Knows Best is a trotting filly and a foal of 2018. I bought my share of her when she was first purchased at auction, last year. She was purchased for only around $4,000 and turned out to be one of the best horses of the year. Her racing for 2020 is over. She had nine races including 2 wins, and a lifetime mark of 1:58.2. That is a decent time. Her earnings for those races were $28,500 CAD so about $22,000.
She will have a few months break, and then come back and train to race in the spring.

Confedrate Cruiser

 

 

Confedrate Cruiser

This is my most recent purchase. He is pacing colt, a foal of 2019. I enjoyed watching the sales on-line, however, was not going to purchase a yearling this year. Confedrate Cruiser had been purchased by the stable.ca and rapidly sold out. I was greatly surprised to see a share appear on the marketplace. All the reviews about him were very good, so I purchased the share before anyone else did. Looking forward to watching this young colt becoming a racehorse.

Rockingdownunder

When I had Sir Chas Stable, I raced in a number of states and even a few races in Canada. However, Rockingdownunder expands my new stable truly international. I have a horse racing in Australia. It not as easy to follow this horse, but I have seen a few races live on the internet.

Keeping Track of My Fractional ownership Horses

The Stable.ca is very good with keeping me and other owners well-informed. I also have a few other resources. Trackmaster  has a free service that will alert you when a horse has been entered into a race. I get an email when a horse is entered. I also get a text message 50 minutes before the race. Feel free to open your own account and follow my horses.

On Race Day, for US and Canadian tracks, I sign in to my Racing Television Network (RTN) account and watch the live simulcast of my horse racing. This is the same service that off-track betting uses to show races. I pay just $10 a month and able to view all the harness racing in the US and Canada, except for a few small tracks that do not simulcast.