New Churchill Downs Racing Club Opportunity for Unraced 2-Year-Old Trained by Romans

Oct 23, 2017 Churchill Downs Communications

Up to 200 people can experience the excitement of Thoroughbred racehorse ownership this fall with unraced 2-year-old Rare Form, the latest addition to the popular Churchill Downs Racing Club stable.

The Churchill Downs Racing Club, which was inaugurated in the spring of 2016, again will give 200 people a low-cost pathway to introduce and experience the excitement of Thoroughbred racehorse ownership for one-time membership dues of $500.

Rare Form is a juvenile sired by The Factor out the Empire Maker dam Bayou Tortuga, who was purchased by Spendthrift Farm at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is trained by Dale Romans, the 51-year-old native of South Louisville who is just one win away from joining Bill Mott as the all-time leading trainer in races won at Churchill Downs – a record that Mott has held for 31 years.

The gray or roan colt – a half-brother to 2016 UAE Oaks (GIII) winner and UAE Derby (GII) runner-up Polar River – could debut as early as Sunday, Oct. 29 on opening of Churchill Downs’ 21-day Fall Meet. That day doubles as “Stars of Tomorrow I” with each of the 11 races scheduled for 2-year-olds.

Spendthift Farm, owned by B. Wayne Hughes, has made the promising colt available to Churchill Downs Racing Club members. All proceeds above the expenses of Rare Form will be donated by the Churchill Downs Racing Club to the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Over several years, Hughes has donated millions to the non-profit hospital for children’s cancer research.

“This is a great opportunity for us to do something to help out the industry and further support children’s cancer research,” Hughes said.

The club is a low-cost, low-risk glimpse into the life of Thoroughbred ownership. Gary Palmisano will represent the club’s interest and serve as a liaison for the club’s members. Benefits will include regular e-mail updates on the horse, visits to the track in the early mornings – and breakfast on select days – to watch the horse train, trips to the paddock, watching the race in a group setting and hopefully experiencing the thrill of visiting the G.H. MUMM Winners’ Circle. Each member will receive free general admission for two to Churchill Downs in 2017-18, and invitations to exclusive Churchill Downs Racing Club events at the track.

Interested parties are invited to register online at ChurchillDowns.com/RacingClub.

The Churchill Downs Racing Club membership for Rare Form will be limited to 200 members. The $500 annual membership dues are used to purchase a Thoroughbred and pay for its training fees and expenses, which will be disclosed regularly to the members.

The Churchill Downs Racing Club is a 501(c)(7) not-for-profit social club organized for pleasure, recreational and other non-profitable purposes. Members should not join with any profit motive or expectation of profit.

The Churchill Downs Racing Club debuted in 2016 with two groups of 200 members for the filly Dial Me (12-1-0-3—$52,818) and the colt Warrior’s Club (17-3-3-3—$294,299), both trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. Both horses won, and Warrior’s Club became a stakes winner. The successes led the group to purchase two additional 2-year-old fillies this spring: Party Club (5-0-1-1—$18,867) and Card Club (4-0-0-2—$7,684).

Another group was established this spring for an unraced daughter of Gio Ponti named Gia Victoria, who is nearing her debut for Kentucky Oaks-winning trainer Dallas Stewart.

At least 15 Churchill Downs Racing Club members have moved on to join other Thoroughbred ownership groups, according to Palmisano.

For more information or further questions, please send an email to [email protected].