M375 THOROUGHBREDS, INC.
Specializing in computerized pedigree selection
M375 PARTNERSHIPS
The thrill of owning a winning Thoroughbred is great; whether you own 100% of that winner, or if you own just 10%, the euphoria is the same. By owning a race horse in partnership, you only pay a percentage of the cost, but experience ALL of the fun!
While the number of partners on a horse may vary, most of our partnerships have between four and six investors. Partners pay a one-time fee -- there are no on-going expenses.
As general partnerships, M375 investors are eligible for racing tax benefits.
Since M375 is a smaller operation, partners enjoy a close relationship with the managing partner, who keeps investors informed and educated every step of the way.
Contact us to learn about joining the M375 team.
PARTNER TESTIMONIAL
My wife and I retired about 6 years ago. We moved from the shores of New Jersey to the mountains of Western North Carolina, bought a piece of property and built a house. It took us a little over a year before we were ready to move in. I was a high school teacher and coach for 31 years and my wife worked for the U.S. Postal Service.
After about 2 years of living in our new house and doing all the things, inside and out, that need to be done when you occupy a brand new home, we decided to invest some money in thoroughbred horses.
First, a little background. When I first started teaching, thirty-one years ago, my parents and I bought a Jersey bred yearling filly. We had a lot of fun and pretty much broke even. We sold the filly privately to someone who took her up to Green Mountain after laying her up for a while and he promptly won 4 or 5 races in a row with her. Needless to say, he did a lot better with her than we did. Next, was a yearling colt. He injured himself in a race and we sold him rather than go through the expense needed to get him back to the races. We lost money on this one, but I loved the excitement, I was hooked! However, both were claiming horses.
Lesson #1 Learned: Claiming horses cost the same as Stakes horses to keep. The only difference is that they run for a lot less money. I knew that I would, as would anyone else, much rather have a Stakes horse than a Claiming horse.
Reality Check: School teachers (or retired school teachers) cannot afford to buy Stakes caliber horses.
Remembering the lessons learned from thirty years ago, we decided to look into partnerships. Not only had the cost of buying a horse gone up a great deal over the past thirty years, but the cost of upkeep had risen between 400% and 700%. We knew there was no way we could afford to buy ANY kind of horse now and be able to pay the upkeep and still lead a normal life. A partnership was the only way to go.
We love horses and all the excitement that goes along with the races, but we also wanted some kind of shot at actually making money. We wanted to limit our risk as much as possible. We did some research and spent a lot of time making inquires and trying to absorb all the information we could before we actually invested our money. It was time well spent.
After contacting partnerships over the internet, we narrowed our choices to 3 partnerships. Next, we wanted to get the most bang for our buck. To us, one partnership stood out like a candle in the night - M375 Thoroughbreds. Why ??
Because: 1) There were no hidden costs, 2) The management fees were very reasonable, 3) We received videos of the horse, 4) We went to see the horse and met some of the people involved in the operation, 5) The track record of the previous partnerships was made available to us, 6) There were only 4 shares of the horse available and the managing partner always purchases one share in every partnership, and 7) For the amount of money needed to purchase one share in this partnership, which amounted to 25% of the horse, we could have only been able to purchase a very small percentage in other, bigger partnerships.
If you are going into a horse partnership just for the fun of it, or for tax reasons, then there are many partnerships that you could join and have a great deal of fun and excitement. For us, having a realistic chance of making a decent profit - meant having a decent percentage of the horse to start with. M375 fit the bill perfectly for us.
Being from New Jersey, Monmouth Park was one of my favorite places to be during the summer. One of the horses that I developed an affection for was a gray turf horse named Cozzene. Not only did I like his gritty determination on the track, I also made a lot of money betting on him. Kelso, Mongo, Parka, Like a Charm, and Seattle Slew were some of my other favorites from years ago.
Enter M375. The horse in Partnership Eight was a yearling filly by Cozzene out of a Stakes placed Wavering Monarch mare. After seeing the filly up close and checking the results of soundness tests (X-rays, etc.) performed on her, we decided to invest our money in M375 Associates 8. It was the best business decision that we have ever made!!
Being involved with Rob Murphy, managing general partner and a person of the highest integrity, and getting to know his family over the past three years has been a very enjoyable experience for both my wife and myself. Rob has taught us a lot about thoroughbreds that we didn't know, and he is always ready to listen to you and answer any questions that you might have about thoroughbreds. He makes sure that you are a hands-on-owner and have input into all decisions that are made on behalf of the partnership.
The name of the yearling filly that we invested in is Platinum Tiara. She starting racing July 1st of her two year old year. Now, only 2 years after her first race she has earnings of almost $600,000. Her value as a broodmare is outstanding. We will not only be in the racing business, but in a year or two we will be in the breeding business as well.
She has won Stakes Races in her 2 year old year, her 3 year old year, and in her 4 year old year. She has won on the dirt and also on the turf. However, the biggest thrill that we have experienced was watching her pass horses with every stride running down the stretch at Churchill Downs only to come up a half length short and finish second in the Breeders' Cup - Juvenile Fillies. You cannot imagine the thrill of owning a really good horse. It really doesn't matter that you don't own all of the horse, the thrill is just as intense.
Lesson #2 Learned : Owning part of a high quality horse gives you a much better chance of making a substantial amount of money than owning all of a horse with lesser quality.
We keep in contact with the other partners over the internet and they are great people. It is a fun group to be a part of. Cliff and Marylou Raber are great people and we have enjoyed watching races with them in both Florida and Kentucky. Robb and Ann Darnell are also super people to be involved with. Robb and I have watched Platinum Tiara run in Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, and New York. About a month after Platinum Tiara's race in the Breeders' Cup, we received two beautiful shirts in the colors of M375 with Platinum Tiara's name on them - compliments of Robb Darnell. What a great present!
Lesson #3 Learned : When you are investing money in thoroughbreds, invest with someone who has knowledge of breeding and selecting quality horses to be put into partnerships at fair prices. Invest with someone with integrity and character, someone you can trust. If you surround yourself with really nice people, it makes the whole ownership adventure more pleasant and exciting.
Every partnership does not make money. But, if you invest with good, intelligent, honest people and in good horses, you limit your risk considerably. M375 was a perfect fit for us. Maybe they, or some other partnership, will be the perfect fit for you.
Go Baby Go !!!
Linda and Jay Fitzpatrick