LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville man will attend his 74th consecutive Kentucky Derby on Saturday, but not as a spectator.
A week after Churchill Downs announced there would be no fans for the fastest two minutes in sports, Bob Weihe discovered he could become a partial owner of one of the Derby contenders.
“It wasn't like I was buying a ticket, but I was buying into the horse,” he explained.
George Hall is the majority owner of thoroughbred Max Player, and the man behind SportBLX. He offered fans a chance to purchase a stake the racehorse.
“The idea is if we can take a horse and create shares that the general public can buy in smaller dollar amounts, that will be great for the sport and also we can provide the thrill of ownership to more people,” said Hall.
For $200, Weihe and almost 700 others did just that. The shareholders are able to virtually keep up with the racehorse and partake in Zoom calls that often include special guests, like Hall of Fame Jockey and Board Member, Jorge Velasquez.
“As the majority owner, I do get a table with a number of seats, so I used my majority owner position to make a very special offer,” said Hall.
Weihe, and his son Mark will take up two seats at the Max Player owner’s table on Millionaire’s Row.
“It's a little unimaginable,” Weihe said.
His first Kentucky Derby was in 1947. Derby Bob was only nine years old at the time. The 82-year-old has not missed a single Derby.
He even made it to the track in 2013, when his wife Barbara was recovering in the hospital from a surgery.
“I let him go without me. He couldn't break his record,” she joked.
With limited seats at the table, 2020 is only the second time in their marriage where they won’t be together for the Run for the Roses. He said he will miss his better half.
“It's going to be different without her, that's a definite,” he said. The two can smile, though, knowing a time-honored tradition will continue.
“I'll just meet him afterwards, and have a Mint Julep I guess,” Barbara joked.
He’s had a mix of memorable moments at Churchill Downs, and 2020 brings another year of Derby Bob in his Derby best.
It would be a safe bet that the 146th Kentucky Derby is one he’ll never forget.
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