I have $25,000

[elhelmete]

Hypothetically.

What's the best way to get into the game as an (new) owner?

Assumptions:

I've enjoyed the game as a (non-whale) bettor for a while.

I live in a major market...A or B level track where the purse/claim structure would allow my $25K to get me into something.

I do not have Triple Crown stars in my eyes.

[Stillriledup]

Don't 'trust' trainers to make decisions on who to claim, when and where to race unless that trainer is a family member or Mother Teresa.

[onefast99]

To get your feet wet look for a claimer who is popular in the claim box. Get a trainer who will give you the costs upfront as well as look after your 1st purchase as if it was his/hers. Make sure you ask questions before the claim, many grooms or past trainers know what the issues were with certain horses they had and after 2 cups of coffee will tell you everything you need to know about the horse you want to claim and then some. Always go for a single, home runs are a rarity unless you happen to stumble upon a Lava Man type! Good luck to you and remember if it was easy making money in this game no one would need to work!

[HUSKER55]

there a couple trainers who post here off and on. give them a shout out.

[Steve R]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

Hypothetically.

What's the best way to get into the game as an (new) owner?

Assumptions:

I've enjoyed the game as a (non-whale) bettor for a while.

I live in a major market...A or B level track where the purse/claim structure would allow my $25K to get me into something.

I do not have Triple Crown stars in my eyes.

Not enough money if you're on your own. Assuming your first horse is a claim there won't be enough left to cover training expenses, vet bills, medication and other fees, and the kind of horse you're likely claim off that budget has a remote chance of earning enough to cover your annual costs.

You could use the $25K to join a racing syndicate in the style of West Point Thoroughbreds, Team Valor, etc, although I don't know how much of an investment is required by the higher end groups (i.e., those most likely to race at the better venues).

[brivolta]

I made my first claim in June and it turned out to be one of those home runs, though I was just looking for a hit by pitch.

In hindsight I will say that the biggest key for me was the selection of a trainer. And for me it sort of happened by luck. I didn't put a ton of thought into it at the time. But luckily it worked out.

I tried to claim no fewer than 5 horses before I got the one I ended up with. All were favorites going into their race and looked great on paper. Every time, we would get to the paddock area and my trainer would point out something (too small, funny looking ankle, etc) he didn't like and we would pass. It started to really make me mad after a while.

When I finally ended up with my claimer, it was a horse that went off at 13/1 in a $7500 claiming race. But the horse was state bred, and was obviously sound. It was clear she didn't like the polytrack she had been running on, but had had some success on dirt. It wasn't nearly as sexy of a claim as the others would have been, but strategically it was the one that made the most sense.

However, of the other five, three haven't won since and one hasn't raced since. They have all had extended layoffs at some point. The one we ended up claiming has gone on to win 5 of 10 for almost 90k, blow through her allowance conditions, and is as sound as they come.

Point being, had I selected a different trainer there is a good chance I would have ended up with one of the other horses just to fill a stall for the trainer. Instead we have built a little bankroll that has allowed us to claim another one. You have to select a trainer who you think is looking out for your long term best interest. Ask to speak with some of their owners, and don't land on a trainer until you feel totally comfortable with them.

[HPFridays]

Brivolta,

Very good job and luck on your part. How did you decide on your trainer? Was it someone you admired from the pp's, a referral from another owner, or some other reason? What circuit does the horse race?

[elhelmete]

Thanks everyone including the person who DM'd me.

However I was asking it as a hypothetical question as I was party to a discussion on another forum ( ) where some methods of ownership were being touted and/or derided.

The genesis of my question is I'm kind of thinking that getting someone to have some skin in the game might be just as beneficial to the health of the sport as is getting that person to push money through the windows.

In theory, my $25000 example was for someone who had an inclination to get involved and didn't expect miracles...but was looking for guidance.

So choice-wise...

Claim a single horse for say $12.5 and hope to run him and keep him sound for a while?

Enter a well-known partnership/syndicate for horses currently racing?

Ditto for an unraced yearling or 2-yo?

Give up on seeing your horse race live, and find a way to claim a few ham-and-egger $5K runners at a lower-level track elsewhere?

Go in on a horse with a partner or two (outside the structure of a larger syndicate)?

Something else?

[brivolta]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

Thanks everyone including the person who DM'd me.

However I was asking it as a hypothetical question as I was party to a discussion on another forum ( ) where some methods of ownership were being touted and/or derided.

The genesis of my question is I'm kind of thinking that getting someone to have some skin in the game might be just as beneficial to the health of the sport as is getting that person to push money through the windows.

In theory, my $25000 example was for someone who had an inclination to get involved and didn't expect miracles...but was looking for guidance.

So choice-wise...

Claim a single horse for say $12.5 and hope to run him and keep him sound for a while?

Enter a well-known partnership/syndicate for horses currently racing?

Ditto for an unraced yearling or 2-yo?

Give up on seeing your horse race live, and find a way to claim a few ham-and-egger $5K runners at a lower-level track elsewhere?

Go in on a horse with a partner or two (outside the structure of a larger syndicate)?

Something else?

Definitely not this one.

[lamboguy]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

Thanks everyone including the person who DM'd me.

However I was asking it as a hypothetical question as I was party to a discussion on another forum ( ) where some methods of ownership were being touted and/or derided.

The genesis of my question is I'm kind of thinking that getting someone to have some skin in the game might be just as beneficial to the health of the sport as is getting that person to push money through the windows.

In theory, my $25000 example was for someone who had an inclination to get involved and didn't expect miracles...but was looking for guidance.

So choice-wise...

Claim a single horse for say $12.5 and hope to run him and keep him sound for a while?

Enter a well-known partnership/syndicate for horses currently racing?

Ditto for an unraced yearling or 2-yo?

Give up on seeing your horse race live, and find a way to claim a few ham-and-egger $5K runners at a lower-level track elsewhere?

Go in on a horse with a partner or two (outside the structure of a larger syndicate)?

Something else?

from experience, get more of a bankroll and buy yearlings, break them and train them, then give them to a good trainer. you can buy winning yearlings for less than $5000 if you have or have someone that has a good eye that can win maiden $25,000 all day long. if things go right, the horse might get claimed from you at the full price.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

...So choice-wise...

Claim a single horse for say $12.5 and hope to run him and keep him sound for a while?

Enter a well-known partnership/syndicate for horses currently racing?

Ditto for an unraced yearling or 2-yo?

Give up on seeing your horse race live, and find a way to claim a few ham-and-egger $5K runners at a lower-level track elsewhere?

Go in on a horse with a partner or two (outside the structure of a larger syndicate)?

Something else?

Step A:

Be realistic about what you expect to enjoy about being an owner.

Do you want the emotional attachment of raising one, naming it, breaking it, and watching it go from an awkward goof to a racehorse making its debut?

Do you want action - no attachment and the ability to engage the strategies of making the most of a relatively known quantity?

Do you need to have control? Do you want to fight with partners over how to manage the horse? What type of person are you when it comes to laying down your money for an asset (or liability) and the degree of input in how that money is used?

Basically, the notion that the FIRST thing to do is to evaluate and find a trainer is, in my mind, wrong. The first thing to do is to evaluate yourself as a person independent of racehorses and how that will affect your experience in each situation. Every option posed has upsides, downsides, and all bear a baseline degree of risk at a minimum. If you want to enjoy the experience and not piss away your money, no matter how much money you start with, you need to be honest about yourself and let that decide how you approach ownership.

[brivolta]

Originally Posted by HPFridays

Brivolta,

Very good job and luck on your part. How did you decide on your trainer? Was it someone you admired from the pp's, a referral from another owner, or some other reason? What circuit does the horse race?

As I said I lucked out. My trainer (Steve Manley) does very well at my home track, Fairmount Park. He also is somewhat successful in Chicago. I wanted to claim a horse to run at Fairmount, but I thought I would be better served claiming a cheap horse in Chicago and bringing it to FP than simply claiming at FP.

Knowing that he was in both places and was very successful at FP, I decided to try to track him down. We claimed my filly (Camagin) at Arlington for $7,500 knowing that she could come to FP and run on her preferred surface. They write a $15,000 NW3/L race at FP and that's where we decided she fit best. After two failed tries, she won on her third attempt by 7 lengths and hasn't looked back since. She won next out by 14 in an allowance race at FP and then we sent her to Hawthorne for the fall. She went 3 for 5 at Hawthorne and blew through her allowance conditions.

The ironic part is I wanted a horse to race at FP, but she's done so well that she most likely won't run here very often this coming meet. Since those first two races off the claim, she has been 5 for 8 and has never been out of the superfecta. You won't find a horse that tries harder than she does, and she's always as happy as they come. I couldn't have asked for a better first claim.

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

Hypothetically.

What's the best way to get into the game as an (new) owner?

Assumptions:

I've enjoyed the game as a (non-whale) bettor for a while.

I live in a major market...A or B level track where the purse/claim structure would allow my $25K to get me into something.

I do not have Triple Crown stars in my eyes.

My advice is to put in a swimming pool. T-bred ownership will eat your 25k without a burp, sir.

[HPFridays]

Originally Posted by brivolta

As I said I lucked out. My trainer (Steve Manley) does very well at my home track, Fairmount Park. He also is somewhat successful in Chicago. I wanted to claim a horse to run at Fairmount, but I thought I would be better served claiming a cheap horse in Chicago and bringing it to FP than simply claiming at FP.

Knowing that he was in both places and was very successful at FP, I decided to try to track him down. We claimed my filly (Camagin) at Arlington for $7,500 knowing that she could come to FP and run on her preferred surface. They write a $15,000 NW3/L race at FP and that's where we decided she fit best. After two failed tries, she won on her third attempt by 7 lengths and hasn't looked back since. She won next out by 14 in an allowance race at FP and then we sent her to Hawthorne for the fall. She went 3 for 5 at Hawthorne and blew through her allowance conditions.

The ironic part is I wanted a horse to race at FP, but she's done so well that she most likely won't run here very often this coming meet. Since those first two races off the claim, she has been 5 for 8 and has never been out of the superfecta. You won't find a horse that tries harder than she does, and she's always as happy as they come. I couldn't have asked for a better first claim.

nice....thanks for sharing your story and continued good luck to you and Camagin.

[brivolta]

Originally Posted by HPFridays

nice....thanks for sharing your story and continued good luck to you and Camagin.

Thank you very much!