After 12 years of various efforts to increase industry education and involvement for racing enthusiasts, WinStar Farm has discontinued the WinStar Stablemates program.
Originally launched in 2010 as a fan education experience, WinStar Stablemates first operated as a membership club that offered various levels of involvement and perks. From 2010 to 2018, Stablemates gave members insight into the daily happenings on the farm, offered networking and educational opportunities, and hosted a handful of member events throughout the year.
But as time went on, members wanted more. In getting to experience the inside story on WinStar horses, they wanted to take the next step: ownership.
The WinStar team worked to find an affordable way for members to experience the thrill and intrigue of ownership, for a fraction of the risk. Ultimately, the team decided on a syndicate made up of a group of WinStar-owned fillies. Under a racing lease operating for a full calendar year, members could purchase shares in the roster of fillies.
WinStar Stablemates Racing LLC launched in 2018, and debuted in the best way possible: its first race resulted in a win in the Wayward Lass Stakes with Well Humored.
As with any participation in horse ownership, the syndicate experienced its ups and downs. But it managed to accomplish the one objective it had for its members: competing at the highest level of the game. Under the WinStar Stablemates Racing banner, members enjoyed racing all over the country and watched fillies compete in stakes races each year.
But on a summer day in 2020 at Saratoga, Stablemates Racing accomplished a goal many owners can only dream of: its fillies—Paris Lights and Crystal Ball—finished 1-2 in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). Just a head apart at the wire, the two fillies gifted members an unforgettable thrill.
After four full racing seasons, WinStar Stablemates came to a close. With 138 starts, the syndicate acquired $1,949,568 in earnings and ends with a 25% win strike and a 52% in-the-money rate. While the program has seen its last race, the friendships and connections established through the group will continue to live on—and hopefully, those will result in further endeavors in the Thoroughbred industry.