More like a footy membership: MyRacehorse owners chase G1 glory

With more members on the books than several AFL clubs, MyRacehorse is one of the fastest-growing ‘communities’ in Australian sport, and on Saturday the local arm of the global operation will chase three Group 1 wins in Sydney.

More than 8000 owners with micro-shares in Flight Stakes favourite Apocalyptic, Metropolitan contender Glory Daze and Group 1 NZ Derby winner-turned Cups aspirant Willydoit will be cheering for the red and black, including more than 1000 that are expected to be trackside.

Since launching in Australia in 2021, MyRacehorse has cornered the micro-share market, converted thousands of racing fans into first-time owners and enjoyed some milestone wins on the track.

Managing Director Ben Willis said there is still strong scope for growth, especially if their owners can share in the spoils of the spring’s biggest races.

“We’ve got 60,000 owners now which is phenomenal and about 75% of them are first-time owners that had never raced a horse before getting involved with MyRacehorse,” Willis said.

“In Apocalyptic herself, we have about 2000 owners.”

“I think the marketable and addressable audience of people that are interested in racing and sport more broadly is much bigger than 60,000 and we constantly see really good growth.”

“100,000 would be a great goal to strive for and I feel like that’s well within reach in the next couple of years.”

The micro-share model adopted by MyRacehorse leans into the ‘5% of the cost, 100% of the thrill’ philosophy that has seen racehorse syndication boom in Australia in the last two decades.

But given micro-shares are often as small as 0.001% of a horse, does the same mentality apply for owners, many of whom part with a couple of hundred dollars as their investment?

Willis likes to think so.

His job is to curate an experience that lends itself to reinvestment and one that can become the catalyst for his owners to spread the word to friends, family and colleagues.

“What we really try to deliver on is an entertainment experience,” he said.

“We don’t really see racing syndicators as our competitors, not because we’re ignorant or arrogant, but we find that what we provide is complementary to what they do.”

“We see our main competitors or core competition as AFL club memberships, or just the simple act of going to the footy on a weekend and being willing to part with $100 for three hours.”

“We’re just asking people to think about why they would do that when they can spend the same amount of money and get three years of entertainment.”

“That’s why you’ll always see us running events for our owners, up to three or four a month, whether it’s raceday experiences, events at pubs or going behind the scenes at racing stables.”

“There’s nothing better than having a lot of like-minded people all cheering for the same outcome.”

For many, the knock on the micro-share model has been the financial return, or lack thereof, when racing such small shares in horses.

After all, racehorse ownership is built on the dream of lucking into a good horse that can make you a fortune, either on the track or in the covering shed.

While few of his owners will retire on their dividend from the horses they race with MyRacehorse, Willis knows those lucky enough to be involved in Apocalyptic are enjoying the ride of their lives and are staring down a handsome return, both if the filly wins on Saturday and when she eventually retires to stud.

A daughter of boom stallion Extreme Choice that was purchased at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the filly has won a pair of Group 2 races and her current value is more than six times her original purchase price.

“Why Apocalyptic is good and why Willydoit and Just Fine have been good for us is, as well as being flag bearers, they have shown that it is still possible to make money through the micro-share model,” he said.

“And I guess that’s the difference between what we do and what you get paying a one-off fee for a footy club membership.”

“Our owners bought into Apocalyptic at a yearling purchase price of $400,000 and after winning her two Group 2 races, she is now valued at $2.5 million.”

“That will climb if she wins a Group 1 race so touch wood she stays sound and can keep racing on but even outside of prizemoney, when she retires from racing and sells to the breeding barn, the owners will receive a very good return on their investment.”

“You’re not buying micro shares to retire but if we can pick the right horse and these owners can make a little bit of money along the way, it’s a good thing.”

Apocalyptic heads Bet365’s Flight Stakes market at $2, while Willydoit is $9 in the Epsom and Glory Daze is at $67 in the Metropolitan.

At Flemington, another horse raced by MyRacehorse, Bur Dubai, will attempt to book his ticket to the Melbourne Cup when he tackles the G3 Bart Cummings.