AMERICA’S RICHEST RACEHORSE OWNERS, 2015

The 2015 Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans was published in a special edition of the magazine on October 19.  At least four of the individuals are actively involved in horse racing and in one case the wife of the individual is a prominent owner.  (It is possible, of course, that I have overlooked the name of a present-day owner.)

In 2014, Forbes began using a “self-made score” for each member of The Forbes 400.  Forbes explains:   the score is on a scale from 1 to 10, with “a 1 indicating the fortune was completely inherited, while a 10 was for a Horatio Alger-esque journey.”  According to this score, four of the racehorse owners on the list are mostly self-made.

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John Malone, Elizabeth, Colorado, ranked number 68 on Forbes 400
Estimated net worth $7.2 billion
Age 74
Wealth is primarily from cable television and he is also the largest individual land owner in the United States
Self-Made Score 8

Bridlewood Farm, Ocala, Florida

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Kevin Plank, Lutherville, Maryland, ranked number 145 on Forbes 400
Estimated net worth $3.9 billion
Age 43
Wealth is primarily from Under Armour (founder)
Self-Made Score 8

Sagamore Farm and Sagamore Racing, Glyndon, Maryland

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B. Wayne Hughes, Lexington, Kentucky, ranked number 293 on Forbes 400
Estimated net worth $2.3 billion
Age 82
Wealth is primarily from self-storage facilities (founder of Public Storage)
Self-Made Score 9

Spendthrift Farm, Lexington, Kentucky

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Brad Kelley, Franklin, Tennessee, ranked number 307 on Forbes 400
Estimated net worth $2.2 billion
Age 58
Wealth is primarily from tobacco and he is also one of the leading land owners in the United States
Self-Made Score 9

Calumet Farm, Lexington, Kentucky

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Sid Bass, Ft. Worth, Texas, ranked number 342 on Forbes 400
Estimated net worth $2 billion
Age 59
Wealth is primarily from oil and investments
Self-Made Score 4

Husband of Romana S. Bass, who is a well-known racehorse owner and philanthropist.  Her father, Arthur Seeligson, Jr., bred and raced stakes winners in the United States and Europe, as well as co-owned Hialeah Park Race Track.

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Two former racehorse owners are also on the Forbes list:  Carl Icahn (#22/400 and $20.5 billion) of New York and Robert McNair (#194/400 and $3.3 billion) of Texas.

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