Thoroughbred OwnerView Press Release
OwnerView announced today that 2022 New Owner of the Year, sponsored by 1/ST RACING, was a dead heat between Richard Dawson and Pat Kearney.
Dawson races under the name Red TR Racing, which campaigns Rich Strike, winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Dawson began racing his first Thoroughbred in 2019, and he and trainer Eric Reed claimed Rich Strike in a $30,000 maiden claiming race at Churchill Downs in September 2021. Dawson has only five horses in his stable, and Rich Strike and a horse named Common Bond are his only horses in training.
“I can’t believe my luck in acquiring Rich Strike and achieving so much in such a short time in the sport,” Dawson said. “I can’t thank my trainer, Eric Reed, and all of our connections, including Rich Strikes’ jockey, Sonny Leon, enough. I am honored and humbled to receive this award.”
Kearney entered the Thoroughbred industry in 2021 and was rewarded with a black-type winner in Kathleen O. His first Thoroughbred purchase, Kathleen O. was bought for $275,000 at the April 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by trainer Shug McGaughey. Kathleen O. races under Kearney’s Winngate Stables and has won four of her five starts, including two graded stakes. Winngate’s other runner, Cloudy, has won three of his last four starts.
“I have been a racing fan for years and thought I was imposing on my friend Shug when I asked him help me get into racing, but I’m so glad I did it,” Kearney said. “Purchasing Kathleen O. was an amazing decision, and I am thrilled to be named as a new owner of the year.”
The New Owner of the Year Award has been previously presented to MyRacehorse, Larry Best, the Churchill Downs Racing Club, Charles and Susan Chu, LNJ Foxwoods, Sol Kumin, and Boat Racing.
The 2022 Thoroughbred Owner Conference series was hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required. Registration information is available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.
OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.
The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.
