Making New Owners, Presented by OwnerView: `I'm Diving In'

As a template for attracting new blood to the game, Shane Felling is a pretty tough act to follow. Barely a year after pushing tentatively at the door, he has just had his first runner in a Classic. A few weeks prior to that, moreover, he found himself on the gallops at Ballydoyle with Aidan O'Brien. By the same token, however, we can definitely learn from the things that have animated his interest—and, above all, from the exemplary way that interest is being drawn out.

Before committing to anything, Felling and his partner Andi Lagow asked themselves whether they should view the Thoroughbred primarily as a vehicle of profit or pleasure.

“And I think we probably landed somewhere in the middle,” he reflects. “We don't expect it to be super profitable, but we were certainly hoping that it could be super fun. And the hospitality component, I mean, it's just been awesome.”

That's all to the credit of Taylor Made and its offshoot Medallion Racing, which bought into Dazzling Dame (Girvin) after she won the Busanda Stakes, securing its members the thrill of seeing her press the pace for a long way in the GI Kentucky Oaks.

“What a great experience,” Felling says with enthusiasm. “She gave us lots of excitement until the very end, just ran out of gas. We were very proud of her, Brittany [Russell, trainer] and the whole team. We loved the change to under the lights, and Churchill's renovations were incredible. Having some of your best friends around to watch your Thoroughbred run is priceless. It was magical: the competition, the athleticism of the jockeys and Thoroughbreds, and, oh my, the fashion is truly something you need to witness in person.”

Felling stresses that he only has a small stake in this filly. Nonetheless these are pretty giddy heights to have reached, more or less from a standing start. For now, of course, the acorn has still only grown a sapling. Felling is humbly at pains to emphasize that he remains a rookie in a world where even the most seasoned are still learning every day. But he kindly agreed to share his story as a snapshot of the kind of experience that the sport might hope to replicate, in engaging new investors.

He owes his initial introduction to Matt and December LeTexier, neighbors in the storied Lockerbie Square district of downtown Indianapolis.

“We're right in the middle of downtown, a little green space in the heart of the city,” Felling explains. “Just a tight-knit little community of historic homes. We say it's a fun drinking neighborhood with a historical problem! Anyway, every year these wonderful neighbors of ours, Matt and December, put together a little trip to Keeneland. They call it 'Lockerbie to Lexington,' and every year 10 or 15 of us go down.”

(l. to r.) Shane Felling and Andi Lagow, Matt and December LeTexier, and Donald and Pamela Norman enjoying a visit to Ireland to see their horses | courtesy Matt LeTexier

The LeTexiers were among the Medallion partners blessed to have a stake in Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio), who won at Royal Ascot as a juvenile and subsequently added four Group 1s in Europe. That would pique anyone's interest, but happily the LeTexiers have shown an unusually evangelical flair in sharing their adventures. They have arranged tours of Taylor Made, including an audience with the mighty Not This Time, and patiently steered their friends over the threshold of a notoriously perplexing environment.

“So that was our introduction to the behind-the-scenes,” Felling says. “We saw how it all fits together: the farm at Taylor Made, the training up close at Keeneland. It was so eye-opening and impressive. Honestly it wasn't something that had ever crossed my mind. I'd watch the Kentucky Derby every year, maybe the Breeders' Cup, just the races with a national television audience. But beyond that, I had never even thought about everything that goes into it: the pedigrees, the breeding, the training.

“I just got more and more interested, trying to figure out what's what, and Matt was very generous with his time. We would sit out and drink some beers and he would patiently explain everything to me. And whenever there was a race he wanted to see, we'd watch it together on the FanDuel app.”

The timing was perfect. Felling was in the process of retiring, selling up after 30 years leasing out commercial and residential real estate in Indianapolis and nearby Bloomington. It had been a lot of hard work, and it was time to enjoy the spoils.

“We wanted to have a little more fun, do some travelling,” Felling says. “So that hospitality side to Medallion was interesting to me. And if you can meanwhile have a positive investment, so much the better.”
Emulating their friends, they invested in one of Medallion's European ventures, and also in one of TaylorMade's entrées to breeding, through a Maiden Mare syndicate. And the next thing they knew, they were visiting Ballydoyle and Coolmore, as well as Bawnmore, where O'Brien's son Donnacha—the trainer of Porta Fortuna—is educating Medallion juveniles.

“Aidan O'Brien gave us 45 minutes of his personal time,” Felling marvels. “We watched the horses training, and he talked us through everything we were looking at. Every word had a purpose with that man. Everything was regimented to the minute. An amazing experience. And Coolmore, it's 750 acres of heaven over there, maybe the best farm in the world. Between Ireland, America, Australia, the sun never sets on Coolmore, right?

“And then next day we went down to Bawnmore, met Donnacha and his partner Rachel, and saw our 2-year-olds training. There was so much attention to detail. The whole thing was just incredible, so much fun, I just loved every minute. And for us that just solidified that the small investments we have now are something I want to continue.”

Felling suspects that they might not have been so vividly enthused by a less dynamic program.

“It's all through Medallion, and how good they are at keeping us informed,” he stresses. “We all have this app that keeps us updated on the progress of each horse. We get updates from Donnacha almost every day: he has two that may race this year, and two others that will probably be held back until they're three. Phillip [Shelton] and the crew, it's all just top-notch, and on the hospitality side, I don't know that you could find something better.”

Though the breeding syndicate is obviously a longer play, the journey is shared just the same. The intention, in both cases, is to win if possible—but to make the experience enjoyable, win, lose or draw.

Lagow and Felling enjoying a trip to Ballydoyle | courtesy Shane Felling

“Matt presented the Maiden Mare program as maybe more of a chance that you can actually make a little money,” Felling reasons. “And, if you can, then use it to invest in something a little riskier, maybe taking a shot at a colt to race. I think there are 13 maiden mares, all in foal, and the plan is to sell most of them before they have their babies. But it's been amazing to increase my understanding, about the things that increase or decrease the value of a horse; and again, to receive so many updates, like, 'Hey, the half-brother's running in this race,' or the reasons for all the matings.”

And that's the key message from Felling's story. The learning curve of racing is steep, but the gradient can be flattened—and so accessibly, so enjoyably, that it may well extend into unprospected territory. Certainly, Felling isn't going to presume to tell the sport how to conduct itself. Asked how it might present itself in less arcane or intimidating fashion, he speculates only that the curiosity of a younger demographic might depend on a better social media presence. As he acknowledges, the kids may lack the disposable income for now—but that may not always be the case, making it worth sowing seeds of interest.
After all, for Felling himself the whole adventure has been undertaken in a spirit of experiment and adventure.

“We don't have any expectations, money-wise,” Felling says. “I mean, obviously if we lose a bunch of money, then we probably have to dial back a little. But as long as we can do okay, win some, lose some, it's worth every penny just to have that access behind the scenes Phillip provides through Taylor Made and Medallion. It's just different to see it up close; different to go to Keeneland and have access to the paddock, meet and talk with trainers, and other owners. Different, and fun.

“I knew nothing about it and still know nothing, but every day I want to learn more, hopefully get a little smarter. I mean, it's just constant input, constant information that we can take, and try to learn from, figure out why decisions are made. And I am catching the fever! I just wanted to just dip my toe in and see where it took us. Now I'm diving in.”