Horny Harry
12-11-2002, 17:28
Club helps average Japanese fan become part owner of a racehorse
http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/horses/j_p5p3.jpg
Besides helping average Japanese buy shares in racehorses, the husband-and-wife veterinary team of Yuki, left, and Koichiro Hayata run one of Japan's largest thoroughbred breeding operations. Photo by Mikio Abe, Special to the Courier-Journal
Japanese thoroughbred breeders such as Yuki Hayata have been pioneers in getting fans involved in the sport as owners.
Hayata, a veterinarian who co-owns Hayata Farm with her husband, Koichiro, also a veterinarian, formed the Silk Horse Club four years ago to allow ordinary Japanese to own shares in racehorses.
Ordinarily, a Japanese citizen had to have at least $1 million in land holdings plus at least $500,000 in annual income to become a licensed racehorse owner.
The Hayatas' syndicates offered the first opportunity for average fans to buy shares in a horse, and about 10,000 members now belong to their Silk Horse Club. The initial fee for one share is about $83, with a monthly maintenance fee of $25 plus a few dollars for training costs.
The Hayatas invite fans to barbecue parties at their farm on the island of Hokkaido, cocktail parties in Tokyo and Osaka, and have a Web site and toll-free number for people to buy shares and get information about their horses.
Yuki Hayata said she got the idea for the syndicate after seeing thousands of racing fans tour the breeding region in Hokkaido in the summer.
"I felt guilty about these young girls who would stand by the fence and look longingly at the horses, with babies in their arms," she said. "They studied the pedigrees of the horses and wanted to own a horse."
Now, members of the Silk Horse Club are welcomed to the Hayatas' farm -- one of Japan's leading thoroughbred farms -- as any other thoroughbred owner would be.
http://simpleword.dhis.portside.net/myhorse/Top_Verger.jpg
[ November 12, 2002, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Horny Harry ]
http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/horses/j_p5p3.jpg
Besides helping average Japanese buy shares in racehorses, the husband-and-wife veterinary team of Yuki, left, and Koichiro Hayata run one of Japan's largest thoroughbred breeding operations. Photo by Mikio Abe, Special to the Courier-Journal
Japanese thoroughbred breeders such as Yuki Hayata have been pioneers in getting fans involved in the sport as owners.
Hayata, a veterinarian who co-owns Hayata Farm with her husband, Koichiro, also a veterinarian, formed the Silk Horse Club four years ago to allow ordinary Japanese to own shares in racehorses.
Ordinarily, a Japanese citizen had to have at least $1 million in land holdings plus at least $500,000 in annual income to become a licensed racehorse owner.
The Hayatas' syndicates offered the first opportunity for average fans to buy shares in a horse, and about 10,000 members now belong to their Silk Horse Club. The initial fee for one share is about $83, with a monthly maintenance fee of $25 plus a few dollars for training costs.
The Hayatas invite fans to barbecue parties at their farm on the island of Hokkaido, cocktail parties in Tokyo and Osaka, and have a Web site and toll-free number for people to buy shares and get information about their horses.
Yuki Hayata said she got the idea for the syndicate after seeing thousands of racing fans tour the breeding region in Hokkaido in the summer.
"I felt guilty about these young girls who would stand by the fence and look longingly at the horses, with babies in their arms," she said. "They studied the pedigrees of the horses and wanted to own a horse."
Now, members of the Silk Horse Club are welcomed to the Hayatas' farm -- one of Japan's leading thoroughbred farms -- as any other thoroughbred owner would be.
http://simpleword.dhis.portside.net/myhorse/Top_Verger.jpg
[ November 12, 2002, 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Horny Harry ]