Horse racing through the eyes of a small-time owner
About the Author
LINKS
Bottom left: Katskill Bay in the winner’s circle after his maiden-breaking win out at Aqueduct. Top right: the view from the rail out at Aqueduct.
I am a small-time horse owner in New York, where I live and work.
My passion for horses started when I was about ten years old. My father would bring me along with him to the countryside of Virginia- Warrenton, Middleburg, and New Kent- where we would spend long afternoons under blue skies watching the jumpers. I can remember autumn days, my face pressed against the wooden fence, grass above my shoes, a thundering herd of horses racing by, leaping into the air, the back of their hooves thumping the bristles and jumps underneath.
About the Author
When I was older, my family and I started making annual visits to my aunt’s house in Florida. It was there that I got my first introduction to the thoroughbreds. Calder, Gulfstream, and Hialeah became fixtures in our family vacations- familiar spots in a foreign state. I was hooked.
Over the last four years, I have called New York home. Saratoga, Belmont, and Aqueduct have become part of an annual rotation in my life as sure as the seasons. My passion for horse racing has also taken me to tracks from Bangkok to Buenos Aires to British Columbia. In late 2007, I finally took the plunge into horse ownership- via my first horse partnership- at the age of 26. I have since entered one subsequent venture.
I originally started this site with a simple purpose- to keep family and friends updated on my quixotic horse adventures. But as I begin putting this site together, it grew into much more.
Horse racing is a magical sport full of great people. My purpose for this site is to do my part, however small, highlighting the bright side of horse racing.
The sport is currently saddled with many obstacles. Ask a longtime fan about the state of the game, and you’re likely to get a response full of gripes, moans, and long pauses. While there are many problems with the sport in its current state, for many fans it still has the allure that has helped to make it one of the oldest, ongoing sports in the world. Also, because of the advent of horse partnerships and the broad marketing of those partnerships through new technologies, horse racing is enjoying a renaissance of new owners.
I intend to tell the story of my miniscule part in this new dawn of racing, and the story of the people who have helped me along the way.
Tyler Brown
Inside the paddock at Santa Anita, 2008 Breeder’s Cup.
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES