You don’t have to be a celebrity to own a racehorse, but it helps. True championship-grade horses can cost upwards of one million dollars to raise, train, house, and insure.

These purchases are typically made more for the pleasure of ownership than true and competitive participation. There is no Kentucky Oaks winner or Triple Crown champion on the list featured below. Still, there have been celebrity-owned horses that have achieved decent results.

It’s not only famous people, of course. Most horses are owned by groups of people who buy in as an investment. Still, it’s always fun to look at what the rich, famous, and beautiful are up to. What celebrities own racehorses?

Gronkowski

There is, it should be said, a pretty strong connection between the world of horse racing and other professional sports. There are loads of NBA and NFL players who have a strong interest in the game of kings. If we want to extend the metaphor extravagantly, you could go so far as to say that these star athletes with their hundred-million-dollar contracts and millions of fans are modern kings in their own right.

If you don’t want to indulge in metaphor, it’s enough to say that the connection is very real. Tom Brady, Travis Kelce, and Michael Jordan are all regulars at the Kentucky Derby and other high-profile races.

Rob Gronkowski, known better simply as Gronk, took his love of horses to the next level. Not only did he buy a championship racehorse, but he named it after himself. The connection created instant marketing appeal and media attention. His horse, Gronkowski, achieved its highest fame in 2019 at the Belmont Stakes when it finished in second place.

There is a very entertaining video of Gronk losing his mind with excitement as the horse neared the finish line.

Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth Hurley is an English actress and model with a long-established love of horses. She’s owned a number of animals over the years, none better known than “Memory.” Memory won the Albany Stakes in 2010 and was later purchased by the Queen of England. As pedigree goes, it doesn’t get much higher than that.

Queen Elizabeth II

Spoiled, perhaps, in our last heading. Horse racing has long been the tradition of monarchs—one that Queen Elizabeth honored consistently throughout her lengthy tenure on the throne. Her stable of steeds has competed at the highest level and also served as a source of personal pleasure for the Queen and her family over the years.

Totaled, the late Queen owned over 100, many of which were gifted to her. One of the many perks of being royalty, perhaps. Those horses were inherited by King Charles, who has since begun selling them.

Stephen Spielberg

Should it come as any surprise that the director of Seabiscuit has a personal love of racehorses? That passion developed into an investment in 2003 when he purchased a stake in a horse named “Atswhatimtalkinabout.”

Did he abbreviate, maybe taking to calling the horse “Ats”? The answer to that question might be lost to time. We do know that it was a pretty successful foray into racing. Atwhatimtalkinabout finished fourth in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Spielberg later invested in a Delaware stable named Biscuit, named, of course, after his favorite Kentucky Fried Chicken side dish. Or perhaps the movie, Seabiscuit.

The People’s Horse

In 2020, a racehorse named Authentic made history by winning the Kentucky Derby. What made this victory unique was its ownership structure. The horse was partially owned through MyRacehorse, a platform that lets regular people buy micro-shares of racehorses.

Buying a piece of a racehorse is different from traditional ownership. You purchase a small fractional share. These can cost anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars. You don’t get to decide about the horse’s training or racing schedule. The professionals handle all that.

Can you visit your horse? Sometimes. Many syndication companies offer “owner experiences.” These might include barn visits or morning workouts. Are you invited to the races? It depends on the company. Some offer lottery systems for owner’s box access. Others might have dedicated areas for micro-owners.

Do you make money? Potentially, but don’t count on it. You’ll get a proportional share of the purse if your horse wins big races. Most horses don’t earn enough to make shareholders a profit. Some horses earn money through breeding rights after racing. It’s mostly about the experience, not the investment.

Is this the sports equivalent of buying a crater on the moon or naming a star system after your cat? Eh. Not quite. You do gain a legal interest in the horse. It’s just a small one. Most people do it for the bragging rights—and for the fun of it. This is a real, even if poorly advised, investment. Still, if you hope to give yourself the celebrity experience, putting $200 into a racehorse might be the cheapest way to do it.