Team ‘Showusdmoney’ will be living their dream of owning a racehorse after being crowned the winner of Racing and Wagering Western Australia’s (RWWA) 2021 Own the Dream competition yesterday at the TABtouch-Pinjarra Classic raceday at Pinjarra Park.
The team of six will now embark on a search for their champion, with their major prize of $10,000 to use towards a share in a yearling purchased at the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, plus two years of training fees.
‘Showusdmoney’ team member Russell Collier said the Own the Dream experience was one to remember.
“In our team there is myself and my wife, two of my sisters and one of their boyfriends, and my mate from work who I roped into being involved who had no interest in horse racing, while the others had a little bit of interest and went to the races, but here we are, we are all rapt with the result,” Russell said.
“Last year my wife and I were part of Own the Dream in a team called ‘Matesforlife’ and we came second and got the $5,000 prize which we used to buy into three horses, two with Jimmy Taylor and one with Sharon Miller, this year we will spend the $10,000 prize all in one horse to give ourselves a bigger share.”
“The whole Own the Dream series was fantastic, the insight into the racing industry, especially for novices who have no knowledge of the industry, is great and this year was different to last year and we have learnt more.”
“I would recommend anyone to have a go at being involved in Own the Dream, the whole six weeks is great for social experience and doing things you wouldn’t normally do, which is what we learnt last year when we had success and now this year we’ve won the ultimate prize. That’s why people in our syndicate are here because they just wanted to have a go.”
Team ‘Punters and Collectors’ drew second place and received $7,000 to use towards a yearling purchased at the 2021 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale, plus $7,500 in training fees. Third place was awarded to team ‘Drunkincider Stables’, with a $5,000 share in a yearling and $3,500 in training fees.
All eligible teams who were present at the grand finale will also receive a $1,500 voucher to use towards the purchase of a share in a Westspeed Platinum nominated thoroughbred sold at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
Hosted by Own the Dream Ambassadors Brittany Taylor and Brad Sheppard, the 2021 competition consisted of a series of educational events held over the past month, including a trackwork breakfast, racing insight tour and masterclass, before culminating with the grand finale at Pinjarra Park.
Teams of four or six members were able to nominate for the competition, with every event attended earning the team an entry into the final draw. Teams were restricted to only two current owners with the remaining members of the team new to the thoroughbred racing industry.
RWWA CEO Ian Edwards said the competition gives entrants a behind the scenes look into the world of racing and provides insight into how easy it is to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership.
“The Own the Dream competition provides a clear pathway for those interested in ownership and I look forward to following the winning teams’ journey of living out their dream of owning a racehorse,” Ian said.
“It helps to breakdown the perceived barriers to ownership, with the series highlighting that owning a racehorse is very affordable and that you don’t need to be a racing expert.”
“There has never been a better time to be racing a thoroughbred in Western Australia, with the enhancements to the Westspeed Platinum scheme introduced in August 2020 set to distribute more than $12 million to owners and breeders annually by 2022/23.”
“With 252 yearlings sold at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale last week, now is the time to contact trainers and syndicators to get yourself involved in racing a horse in Western Australia.”
RWWA was awarded the prestigious 2020 Australian Marketing Institute WA Event or Brand Experience State Award for Marketing Excellence for its Own the Dream series.