The Next Kentucky Derby Winner, Why Not My Horse?

For ten years, my husband and I have owned and syndicated race horses. We buy yearlings at the Keeneland Sales in Lexington, KY, and are convinced that every year we have the next Kentucky Derby winner and probably the next Triple Crown Winner. So far we have been wrong. At one point in my life, I thought the horses would support us, so I quit my day job as a life insurance lawyer. I now know that was a judgment error as well. So, I'm writing a book about the highs and lows of being a horse owner that I hope somebody will publish someday. After seeing "Julia & Julie" yesterday, I decided I needed to start a blog so that somebody would discover me. Surely the "Thoroughbred Times," "Bloodhorse," Jennie Rees from the "Courier Journal" or anybody from the "Lexington Herald," "New York Times" or "Washington Post" would be happy to talk to me. I think they all have interviewed Alex Waldrop from the NTRA. He's a nice guy, but I think I'm more entertaining. Also, by mentioning his name and organization, I'm hoping I've increased the chances of somebody actually discovering this blog.

I have my doubts about whether this will work. I feel about blogging the same way I feel about 5 year business plans. I'm skeptical of folks who make them and am disdainful of those who believe they work. I proved my own point when I did a business plan when I quit my day job 2 years ago. My business plan showed we would own 8 horses and manage 6 others by June 30, 2009, resulting in a positive cash flow regardless of the win/loss record of our horses. As of August 19, we own three. None of them are the next Kentucky Derby winner. And I fully appreciate that whether our horses win or lose has a huge impact on cash flow. Right now, ours is negative. For some reason, we are having fun and this is infinitely better than working for thirty-somethings who probably will never be as smart as they think they are now. But if I don't raise some cash, we'll either have to move in with one of our two sons or I'll have to go back to working for thirty-somethings. Hence, I'm blogging.

It's not like I'm not already out there. We have a website that talks about what we do and I post my Horse Alerts--e-mail notices/musings that I write when one of our horses are running--on that site. While I send these Alerts via email to more than 200 folks, based on the "contact submission forms" I get from the website, it appears the only ones reading them off my site are folks with serious porn hangups and folks desparately trying to sell or in search of Viagra or one its many derivatives. I also Twitter, with 7 folks following my Twitters--none of whom I know and all of whom hope I'll hire them to do something. And none of my Facebook friends link to our website--which I dutifully put out there everytime I tell them I've posted another Horse Alert to the website. So, why would I think anyone would find me here? But, we do what we have to do, don't we?

So, without giving away my book, over the next few months I hope somebody finds this blog, is interested enough to go out to website -- www.equinebusiness.biz -- and send me a "contact submission" form for something other than porn or Viagra.