When Liz Ruffini, of Towson, received a MyRacehorse gift card from her father for her birthday a couple of years back, she was simply excited that the platform would allow her to own a share of a horse. In 2019, she and her dad, Steve, had started to regularly attend races at Laurel Park and the gift got her one step closer to racing. Purchasing a horse is typically a pricey endeavor, but through MyRacehorse, individuals can buy tiny, more affordable stakes.
Ruffini, who owns portions of 14 horses, had just wanted to be able to say she possessed some racehorse shares. She got more than she bargained for. On Saturday, Seize the Grey won the 149th Preakness Stakes — holding off second-place finisher Mystik Dan, who won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago — and making thousands of people champions of a Triple Crown race.
“Now I can say I own shares on a Preakness winner!” Ruffini wrote in a text message. Of the more than 2,570 individuals who own at least a portion of Seize the Grey, 48 live in Maryland. Another one of the Maryland owners was Debbie Nakayama, a Harford County Public Library employee who spent roughly $150 on shares of Seize the Grey last year.
WE JUST WON THE PREAKNESS! SEIZE THE GREY IS YOUR 2024 PREAKNESS WINNER. Congrats to all owners!!!!🏆🌻 pic.twitter.
com/khuUcSMYFB — MyRacehorse (@MyRacehorse) May 18, 2024 “I am over the moon,” said Nakayama, who was already feeling pretty confident about the horse’s chances when she saw the forecast call.
