What attracted you to the horse racing industry? I was introduced to racing by a friend who was a regular horseplayer. On the first day we went, we split a pick 3 or pick 4 tickets that ended up winning, and it was a signer to boot. That’s all it took to get me to be a fan.
What aspect of horse racing do you enjoy the most? I enjoy so many parts of the sport: the puzzle that each race presents to me as a handicapper; the people in the community that I have met; sometimes just being outside on a nice day watching horses run, and taking my daughter to the racetrack and enjoying the time we spend together.
Why did you join the Wasabi Ventures Co-Owner Club? I had previously looked at several partnership/syndicate opportunities. I had seen TK post a number of videos to the horse racing subreddit. Later, I saw a contest where you could win 1% of a racehorse, and I looked further into what the club had to offer, joined the club that day, and bought into my first horse.
Who is your favourite horse? My favorite horse ever is Presious Passion (yes, it’s spelled right even though it’s spelled wrong). He was a turf horse who was very fast out of the gate and who had a very high cruising speed. He was known to leave the rest of the field 15-20 lengths behind before the race was halfway over, and then hold on to win as the rest of the field tried to catch him late. Not only was he a speed freak, but he also had heart. I was very happy to hear that he is still doing well in retirement and that Adam Parker and his wife visit him often.
What issues in the industry would you like to see addressed? The sport has many issues, but I think public relations is the biggest. You can’t grow a sport with the way it is portrayed right now, which is almost if not completely negative. And you can’t afford to wait until you’ve made the sport completely safe and gotten rid of all the cheaters before you work on message, because you might never meet the standards that the anti-racing lobby would impose.
What is the most exciting part of being an ambassador? Meeting members, both new and established; and giving club members opportunities to meet up, and share good times and ideas. It’s great to work to help the club. It has given me a lot of great experiences and brought me into a wonderful community. By being a WVS ambassador, I also get to act as an ambassador for the sport.
