Contest Winners Join Final Furlong Ownership Team

Two fans who correctly picked Animal Kingdom as the winner of the Kentucky Derby are now owners of a thoroughbred race horse after winning the “Win A Horse” contest on Horse Racing Nation.

Dave Valerio of Chicago, IL and Karen Serrill of East Greenville, PA have become the latest owner-members of Final Furlong Racing Stable.

The “Win a Horse” Contest challenged fans to pick the winner of the Kentucky Derby where Final Furlong was giving away a 1% share in their partnership, which holds an interest in three New York-bred runners:  Belso Wild (pictured below), a 3-year-old son of Offlee Wild; The Point Is, a 3-year-old Point Given filly, and a 2-year-old daughter of Closing Argument.  Nearly 2,000 people entered the contest with just 53 picking Animal Kingdom to win. 

 “I’m very excited and look forward to following the horses I now have a piece of,” said Valerio, who was introduced to racing by his Dad when he was just a kid.  “I’ve never been an owner, but I just love to watch them run.”

Karen Serrill, 49, is thrilled to be owning a horse for the first time.

“I was looking at the Derby entries online when I saw the contest, and thought WOW, wouldn’t that be a dream come true,” said Serrill, who said the Triple Crown races have been a family tradition for over 25 years.  “Thanks Horse Racing Nation and Final Furlong for this amazing opportunity.  My family and I are ecstatic!”

Final Furlong was founded by partners Dan Zanatta and Vince Roth, who approached Horse Racing Nation with the contest idea.  “We wanted to promote horse ownership and expose more fans to the idea of entry-level partnerships,” said Zanatta, managing partner of Final Furlong.  “Horse Racing Nation seemed like the perfect outlet to expose new racing fans to ownership.” 

“We were thrilled with the response,” said Mark Midland of Horse Racing Nation.  “Partnerships are a great way to become an owner, and we think Final Furlong offers an excellent, affordable option to get in the ownership game.  We are thrilled that we could work together to showcase horse ownership together.”