Cover image courtesy of Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Now boasting a stable of over 60 horses and a growing community of more than 55,000 customers, MyRacehorse Australia is showing no signs of slowing down. With a focus on accessibility, premium experiences and top-tier bloodstock, they're not just growing, they’re redefining what modern racehorse ownership can look like.

The Thoroughbred Report caught up with MyRacehorse Managing Director Ben Willis to reflect on a standout season, explore the evolution of micro-syndication, discuss the company’s commitment to horse welfare, and get a glimpse into what’s next for the fast-growing ownership platform.

Last week kicked off in emphatic style for MyRacehorse, with a dominant victory at Ballarat on Tuesday, where the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained 2-year-old Volkano (Too Darn Hot {GB}) surged to an impressive 4.5l win on debut.

The momentum continued at Canterbury on Wednesday, where the team landed a double. The Bjorn Baker-trained 2-year-old Sapphire Rose (Blue Point {Ire}) notched her second win from just three starts, followed by a thrilling back-marker victory from Centenario (NZ) (Contributer {Ire}), trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who also claimed his second win.

“Last week was a pretty good week for us, we had three winners, including a double at Canterbury, and a fourth. We have also had plenty of good triallers,” Willis said.

Reflecting on the journey so far, Willis highlighted just how far the team has come in a short space of time.

“We have now had 100 winners in total. We have only been going since June 2021, so it has been about four years, and it took about six to 12 months before we got runners to the races.

“It’s been a fun journey, and everything is going well. Hopefully, we have more weeks like we have just had.”

The year that was: MyRacehorse wins a Group 1 Classic

It’s been a fantastic year for MyRacehorse, but undoubtedly the standout has been Willydoit (NZ) (Tarzino {NZ}), who won four of his seven starts from 1400 metres up to 2400 metres, including the prestigious G1 New Zealand Derby, he also ran a credible fourth in the G1 Australian Derby for trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy.

Willydoit, a son of Tarzino (NZ) out of Willamette (More Than Ready {USA}), was originally purchased by his original trainer Shaun Clotworthy for NZ$75,000 from the draft of Westbury Stud, at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale.

“We have had plenty of good results, but there is no doubt winning the New Zealand Derby with Willydoit was the highlight,” said Willis.

“We spotted him from a trial, and were really impressed with his stride length. We were lucky enough to buy half of him from Shaun and his team, and he has been fantastic. He was exactly what we were looking for.

“We have 3500 owners in him, and we have been able to share in the joy and excitement with them. Shaun and Emma have been great to deal with, even though the horse was New Zealand-based, they enabled us great access and insight to the horse. The owners have felt really connected to the horse.”

Willydoit also gave MyRacehorse the opportunity to bring a big team to Ellerslie on the inaugural Champions Day, where he triumphed in the Derby, a day that also featured the first running of the R. Listed New Zealand Bloodstock The Kiwi.

“We had between 200 and 300 owners with us at Ellerslie for the Derby, and when he kicked again at the 200 metres, the celebrations were wild. The crowd at Ellerslie was huge.

"New Zealand Racing, New Zealand Bloodstock, and Ellerslie did a great job with the inaugural Champions Day, and hopefully we are back again.”

Following the Australian Derby, Willydoit was transferred to Ciaron Maher and has enjoyed a spell in Queensland’s warmer climate.

“Willydoit is now with Ciaron Maher, and from all reports he is coming up well.

“Ciaron has actually just had him DNA tested to see what his most suitable racing distance is. It is something that we like doing, and Ciaron does also, it provides a data point to work off.”

“Interestingly, he came out as CC long, which means his optimum could be the 1400–1600-metre range. He was very impressive winning at a mile at Ellerslie against older horses and carrying weight, so you never know, even though he is a Derby winner.

"It enables Ciaron to give him a feel for him, but maybe this spring he could be campaigned towards a Golden Eagle, or a Champions Mile.

“But if he is racing like he wants ground, maybe the Caulfield Cup could be a good race. Then again, we could give him a light spring as he may be better next autumn or even next spring. Watch this space, he is going very well, but Ciaron will choose the best path for him.”

Micro-shares and a one-time payment

Launched in Australia in 2021, MyRacehorse offers a unique business model, micro-shares in racehorses available to the public through an ASIC-compliant Managed Investment Scheme. Every share includes a one-time payment that covers the horse purchase, training and management fees, ongoing care, and retirement fund contributions.

Willis went on to comment, “Our business is only about four years old, and some good advice we were given was that if you last your first two years, you will continue to grow, and that has been the case.

“We now have roughly 60 horses with 10–12 different trainers, and we have about 55,000 customers. We are not unhappy with how everything is going.”

Gateway to racing ownership

Traditional racehorse ownership is typically capped at 20 named owners, but the Rules of Racing only require that ownership add up to 100 per cent, regardless of how that’s divided. This allows for innovative models like MyRacehorse, which offers micro-share syndicates.

For example, if MyRacehorse owns 60 per cent of a horse, they may offer 6000 micro-shares at 0.01 per cent each. These micro-shareholders are collectively listed in the racebook under the MyRacehorse banner.

“MyRacehorse as a brand has become a gateway for racing fans to get into ownership. Micro-shares overcome the biggest hurdle to ownership, the expense, and now we are seeing that the experience our owners are having is opening them up to being hooked on racehorse ownership,” Willis said.

“75 per cent of our owners had never owned horses before, so this was their first experience of ownership.

“20 to 30 per cent of our owners have gone on to take bigger shares in horses with other trainers, and we are also very flexible in terms of enabling people to take bigger shares, or take them in a more orthodox style of 5 per cent or more. We have very varied buyer behaviour and the model is efficient to cater for this.

“With our micro-share model you are also paying for ongoing costs as well. It may look expensive when you are doing all the figures, but it all adds up if you work it out, as the costs of training a horse are very high.”

The MyRacehorse model means quite a large following of their horses, as they have such a wide and large ownership base.

“Our owners buy in as they want to feel involved. The feelings of tribalism and patriotism are huge factors for us, and a metric of success for us is judging how many people are turning up.” Willis said.

“Some owners religiously take a share in every horse we offer, some are selective. We have a great spread, and what we sell is an entertainment experience, so we take that very seriously and try and make it as fun as possible and keep our owners informed as much as we can.

“People love connection and meeting people - whether through stable tours, race day experience, or online portals. To feel connected means that you become more immersed. More the merrier should be encouraged in race horse ownership, we want to shift the paradigm.”

Have economic pressures affected MyRacehorse?

With rising living costs and general financial pressures, many sectors of the racing industry are feeling the pinch. However, Willis believes that MyRacehorse has been resilient.

“Going by numbers we don’t appear to be too affected by the economy pressures. We have a price point as low as a one-off fee of $65, so I guess our model is very affordable if that is what the consumer is wanting, as it is not a big expense.

“We really are at the growth stage, and maybe if the economy was healthier, we may have accelerated quicker. It really is hard for us to judge, but initial thoughts are that we have managed to not be too affected.

“If people are finding it tough at the moment, and choose to take micro-shares with us, and then move on to bigger ownership, that is fine also. We feel we play an important role in bringing in owners and helping grow the sport.”

What is the Horse Super Fund - and why does it matter

With every micro-share purchase, a portion goes directly into the Horse Super Fund, supporting a horse’s post-racing care. Additionally, 10 per cent of profits from Mane Street merchandise are donated to the fund. These funds help cover rehoming, surgery, retraining, or long-term care.

“The model was founded in the United States, and we liked the concept. We want a robust equine welfare plan. We know that horses retire relatively early in their life and live on. We want to give every one of our horses a great life after racing.” Willis said.

“With every micro-share we sell, a small percentage goes to a set welfare account. From there, we allocate funds to individual horses, whether they need surgery, rehabbing, or re-homing.

“We also push this concept to our owners. We have been lucky, and even some of our shareholders have taken horses after retirement, which is great.”

Willis points to Katsumoto (NZ) (Unusual Suspect {USA} as a success story.

“Katsumoto was a great example. He won a couple of races and then was hurt. For nine months, Katsumoto underwent rehabilitation at Torryburn Stud, where he received exceptional care from the Torryburn team. Katsumoto lives happily with owners that had a share in him, and lives a great life.”

Video: The post-racing journey of Katsumoto, vision courtesy of MyRacehorse

Another is Happy Casino, a So You Think (NZ) gelding.

“Happy Casino is another. He was very slow, and it was very obvious racing wasn’t for him. With help of the fund, he was re-trained, and has competed in a Melbourne three-day event, and holds his own, and is a happy horse.

“We are proud of these stories and the owners love it. We are committed and don’t do it because we have to do it, we want to do it and we love looking after these horses after racing.

“I think this view is very widespread across the industry. It is a great industry and welfare is taken very seriously. It is something we will always do and strive to do it the best that we can.”

Video: The post-racing journey for Happy Casino, vision courtesy of MyRacehorse

What’s next for MyRacehorse Australia?

When asked about the future, Willis is clear, “We want to keep growing. We enjoy buying horses from all sectors, whether that be yearlings, trial horses, or trialled horses, we want to be able to offer the best bloodstock we can to our owners.

“The business is still young, so consolidation is important, but I think we will keep growing...”

One key market for expansion is New Zealand, a country that has already played a big role in the company's short journey.

“Good racing in New Zealand is sublime,” Willis said.

“New Zealand-bred horses off trials or races excel in Australia, and we enjoy the racing in New Zealand.

“We really do see that as being our next big venture. We would love to expand there considerably over the next few months. They have had some good stake increases, and I would love to see more horses in New Zealand with the MyRacehorse colours having success for us like Willydoit.”

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Olentia (Zoustar) is an outstanding early entry for next month’s Magic Millions Virtual Sale, to be held on August 5. A filly that combines elite race performance with a high-quality pedigree, she would not be out of place in any world-class broodmare band.

A classy 3-year-old who got better with age

Olentia (Zoustar) launched her career in style as a Christmas-time 3-year-old, winning on debut at Doomben over 1200 metres on December 9. Just under three weeks later, she backed up that performance by annihilating a Class 1 field at Eagle Farm by nearly 5l. After a slightly disappointing fourth at her next start at the Gold Coast, she was given a freshen-up and quickly returned to winning form.

Resuming in the autumn, Olentia claimed a Benchmark 68 race at Hawkesbury before making a seamless leap into Group company. She delivered a commanding victory in the G3 James Carr Stakes on April 15, defeating Portray (Ribchester {Ire}) and Magic Time (Hellbent), who would later emerge as a Group 1 winner.

Although her spring campaign as a 4-year-old was somewhat below expectations, she rebounded impressively in the autumn. She placed in the G3 Triscay Stakes, and took out the G2 Emancipation Stakes in style. From that point on, she was a fixture in feature events, winning the G3 Nivison Stakes, placing in both the G2 Hot Danish Stakes and, running fourth in the G2 Expressway Stakes, G2 Guy Walter Stakes, and the G1 Coolmore Classic, at her final start, in the G1 Tattersall’s Tiara, she produced a slashing third behind Tashi (Sebring).

Olentia concluded her racing career with seven wins up to 1500 metres, three Group victories, and just under $1 million in prizemoney for Star Thoroughbreds. Throughout her consistent career, she defeated a host of high-profile Group 1 winners, including Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni {Fr}), Manaal (Tassort), Zougotcha (Zoustar), Fireburn (Rebel Dane), and Magic Time.

“She is a good, tough, sound and strong mare,” champion trainer Chris Waller said. “She is a great type – from conformation through to size and strength. She has a great temperament, great colour and has always been a healthy mare.

“She was an exciting racehorse who performed on all track surfaces.

“By a great stallion with a good pedigree – she's the type of mare we all go to the sales for, regardless of what the progeny is by, and buy the yearlings out of these mares,” Waller added.

Commercial class from a proven family

Olentia’s sire needs no introduction. Zoustar is poised to be crowned Australia’s Champion Sire for the 2024/25 season, currently holding a margin of more than $3.1 million over his nearest rival, Pride Of Dubai. A perennial top-line producer, Zoustar continues to make his presence felt both on the track and in the sales ring and has now sired 69 stakes winners, including 11 at Group 1 level.

Olentia was purchased for $310,000 by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock Agency (FBAA) from the Tyreel Stud draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

She is out of Mabkhara (Anabaa {USA}), a dual winner over 1300 metres and she was placed at metropolitan level in Sydney, she has then proven to be a blue hen broodmare.

Mabkhara has produced eight foals to race - all of them winners. In addition to Olentia, she is the dam of Wandabaa (Wandjina), an eight-time winner and G3 Newmarket Handicap victor, Malkovich (Choisir), another eight-time winner and dual Listed winner, and Seewhatshebrings (Sebring), a three-time winner who placed in the G3 Tesio Stakes.

“Olentia was a $310,000 Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase in 2021 and a filly we followed closely during her career,” said Magic Millions Managing Director Barry Bowditch. “Star Thoroughbreds have had a remarkable record with their fillies on the track and Olentia continued this trend during a wonderful career.

“Olentia is by a champion sire in Zoustar and is from the real blue hen producer in Mabkhara.

“Few mares with her racetrack record and pedigree come up for sale each year and this mare presents an incredible opportunity.

“We are grateful to Denise Martin and her Star Thoroughbreds syndicate of owners for providing us with an opportunity to present Olentia at our Virtual Sale,” Bowditch added.

Offered just ahead of the 2025 breeding season, Olentia represents a rare blend of commercial pedigree, race performance, and physical soundness - a prized opportunity for any broodmare band.

The 2025 Magic Millions August Virtual Sale will take place on Tuesday, August 5. Entries for the sale are closing soon.

Cover image courtesy of Rich Hill Stud

Rich Hill Stud, Cambridge Stud, and Windsor Park Stud have generously offered to support the next generation of industry leaders, helping to create opportunities for young New Zealanders to expand their knowledge and experience within the thoroughbred industry.

As part of this initiative, nominations to three leading stallions, Proisir, Sword Of State, and Circus Maximus (Ire), will be auctioned off at the 2025 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association National Breeding Awards, with all proceeds going to support the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship.

On Saturday 26 July, the New Zealand thoroughbred breeding community will gather at the National Breeding Awards, not only to celebrate excellence but to invest in the future of our people and our industry.

The Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship gives emerging Kiwi leaders a unique nine-month global experience to build the skills, confidence, and connections our industry needs to thrive. Over 20 past recipients have gone on to contribute significantly across the industry, both here and abroad.

A legacy of achievement: Notable names who have excelled

Some of the past recipients have gone on to have successful careers in various areas of the industry. Among them are the late Michael Wallace, Libby Bleakley, Bruce Slade, Dominic Corban, Matt Scown, Jamie Richards, Robert Dennis, Benji King, Bevan Smith, Lance Forbes, and Sam Bergerson, amongst others.

It reads like a who's who of the racing and breeding game across Australasia, emphasising the significance of the scholarship and the foundation it has provided to so many outstanding contributors in the sport.

Nick Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, reflected on the legacy of the scholarship:

“That’s what it is all about, identifying young talent and helping them enable them to get a base that can set them up for a successful career in the industry.

“These people have ended up in racing administration, breeding or racing jobs, and even though we are a breeding-related scholarship, we are one industry, a well-rounded industry,” he continued.

“We can tailor the scholarship a certain way, for example this year’s recipient Josh Herd has a good breeding background, but his real passion is more in racing, so we have adapted the scholarship so he can spend some time with Chris Waller in Sydney as part of his last leg. We can work with our recipients to make sure they get the best experience they can.”

Three outstanding stallions: A mix of proven and promising

On the night of the awards, service nominations to three of New Zealand’s leading stallions will be auctioned, with all proceeds going to the Sunline Trust International Management Scholarship.

From Rich Hill Stud, the Proisir Syndicate has offered a nomination to Proisir, whose rise to prominence has been remarkable. From humble beginnings, he has become New Zealand’s Champion Sire for the 2023–24 season, with a string of elite performers.

He is now the sire of 23 stakes winners, including Group 1 stars such as Levante (NZ), Legarto (NZ), Prowess (NZ), Waitak (NZ), Dark Destroyer (NZ), and Pier (NZ). His commercial value continues to climb, with yearlings selling for up to NZ$1.1 million at the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale.

Also featured is Circus Maximus (Ire), standing at Windsor Park Stud. A triple Group 1-winning miler in Europe, including two wins at Royal Ascot, he is a son of champion sire Galileo (Ire).

His first 2-year-olds in Australasia have already made a strong impression, including stakes winners and metropolitan performers. His stock are showing the same toughness and class that defined his racing career, and they’re poised to progress even further into their 3-year-old seasons.

The third stallion, Sword Of State, stands at Cambridge Stud and was New Zealand’s leading first-season sire at the 2025 yearling sales.

A brilliant juvenile who won the G1 Sistema Stakes by a wide margin, he defeated high-class performers such as Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) and On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) during his 2-year-old season. His first yearlings fetched up to NZ$540,000 and have been noted for their quality and precocity. He now carries the mantle of the Snitzel/Redoute’s Choice sireline in New Zealand.

Reflecting on the auction and the stallions offered, Johnson said, “We are forever grateful for the support we receive, not only from the studs that have given stallion nominations, but all of the farms that make themselves accessible throughout the year.

"The quality of stallion nominations is outstanding, and is headed by Proisir, who has been a New Zealand Champion stallion. I’m sure it will be a hotly contested auction, and we look forward to it.”

Belief in the next generation

This year’s auction has received overwhelming support from some of the country’s most respected farms, all of whom are backing the Sunline Scholarship because they believe in its role in developing the next wave of industry leaders.

John Thompson, owner of Rich Hill Stud, said “The Sunline Management Scholarship gives young New Zealand horse people the chance to travel abroad, expand their knowledge and skillset and ultimately contribute to the New Zealand industry.

"The achievements of some of our previous Sunline winners reflect how successful this initiative has been. The Proisir Syndicate recognise the opportunity the management scholarship provides for the next generation of thoroughbred industry leaders. We are gifting this nomination to be auctioned with the funds generated helping finance future Sunline recipients to continue this great legacy.”

Scott Calder, Head of Sales and Nominations at Cambridge Stud, shared a similar view, “You only need to look at the list of alumni and the positions they now hold to see the value the Sunline Scholarship provides to our industry. It’s essential we continue to provide opportunities for our best young people, which is why we are committed to helping fund the scholarship’s future.”

Steve Till, General Manager at Windsor Park Stud, added “At Windsor Park, we’ve always prided ourselves not just on investing in thoroughbreds, but in people. Supporting initiatives like the Sunline Scholarship is our way of giving back to an industry that has given us so much, and of helping to inspire and equip the next generation to carry it forward.”

Johnson, also a trustee of the Sunline Trust, concluded “The Sunline Scholarship has opened doors, broadened minds, and built confidence in the leaders our industry needs. To see the Proisir Syndicate and Rich Hill Stud, Windsor Park Stud, and Cambridge Stud stand behind this cause with their stallions shows the kind of vision and generosity that makes our industry special.

"We hope everyone will get behind the auction and help secure this opportunity for the next generation.”

To discuss supporting the scholarship further, contact nick@nzthoroughbred.co.nz.

Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club

Lucky 13 for John Size

With one meeting to go, at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, trainer John Size collected his 13th Hong Kong Trainers’ Premiership at Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting with a treble to take his lead to nine. Size won with Sight Dreamer (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}), Raging Rapids (Zoustar), and Bundle Award (Shamus Award). With nine races on Wednesday, second placed David Hayes has only eight runners and can’t catch Size.

Size broke his own record in winning the title, having surpassed George Moore’s previous record of 11 titles in 2018/19, and breaking it in 2023/24. He has trained in Hong Kong for 24 consecutive seasons.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in that (winning) and probably something I’m very grateful to achieve,” Size told hkjc.com.

“It’s a very strong and stiff competition and so therefore you have to rise up to it. As I’ve said before, I’m surprised that I’ve been so successful in Hong Kong. It’s always been a test of if I can keep performing at that level and, so far, I’ve been able to over 24 years and, God willing, and if my health is still okay, I can do it for a little bit longer.”

John Size won five of the 34 stakes races during the season; the G1 Champions Mile with Red Lion (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), G3 Ladies Purse with Ensued (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}), G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy with Howdeepisyourlove (Deep Field), G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup with Bundle Award (Shamus Award) and the G3 Sha Tin Vase with Helios Express (Toronado {Ire}).

“Like every business, every sport’s the same, training racehorses is no different. You have to keep improving to keep up and you certainly have to be improving to stay ahead, so if you’re doing it for a long period of time, I think it’s hard to stay in a good position for a quarter of a century,” he said.

“So, I get some sort of gratification from that in my innovations and my attempt to keep up and stay ahead of the younger ones is working to some degree. Every now and then, I change small things but my approach in general hasn’t changed in training horses, but I have to adapt to different scenarios in order to keep winning and even in 24 years, a lot of things change, so you have to adapt and I’ve managed to survive.”

The Trainers’ Premiership was one of two awards that hadn’t been won when the Hong Kong Champions Night was held last week, with the other being the Tony Cruz Award for best local jockey. With only one win between Matthew Poon and Matthew Chadwick, the title will be decided on Wednesday at the last meeting of the season.

Fourth Champion Sire title for Deep Field

Newgate Farm’s Deep Field won the 2024/25 Hong Kong Champion Sire title and was the only sire to enjoy more than one individual stakes winner with Voyage Bubble, Howdeepisyourlove, and The Golden Scenery. It was the fourth consecutive title to Deep Field, who also won in 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24.

Of the top 10 sires, eight stood in Australia, one in New Zealand, and one in Europe.

Table 1: Top 10 sires in Hong Kong in the 2024/25 racing season

Australasian horses dominate the market

Australian-born horses made up 55 per cent of runners during 2024/25, winning 59 per cent of the races and 57 per cent of the prizemoney. New Zealand-born horses were the next largest cohort, making up 25 per cent of runners, and winning 26 per cent of the races.

Of the 12 Group 1 races in the season, Voyage Bubble won four including a historic Triple Crown, as did Horse Of The Year Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}), while the remainders went to Red Lion, Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}).

The three legs of the 4-year-old series were won by Australian-bred horses with the Listed Classic Mile won by My Wish (Flying Artie), the Listed Classic Cup won by Rubylot (Rubick) and the Listed Hong Kong Derby won by Cap Ferrat (Snitzel).