It was a heady year in 2024 for MyRacehorse, the microshare ownership group, that saw Seize the Grey win the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Straight No Chaser take down the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and with that victory, the championship title of male sprinter. Straight No Chaser is being pointed to the $2 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia Feb. 22.
Part of the management team, soaking it all in, is Joe Moran, who has been with the company since 2019, a year after it launched. The 30-year-old native of California recently had a title change from racing manager to head of U.S. bloodstock and racing.
Moran's answers are edited for space and clarity.
BloodHorse: How did you become interested in horse racing and what was your first introduction to it?
Joe Moran: I've been around horses my entire life so I can't honestly remember my first introduction, but I feel as if I grew up around the barn and the racetrack. My father is a longtime owner and breeder in California.
I went from spending summers at Del Mar—that was really our only summer vacation—to every weekend that I wasn't playing sports, spending it at Santa Anita with my father and brother. It was the main family thing that we did.
I always had a love and a passion for horses and I think anyone that I grew up with would attest that this was always what I wanted to do. I just didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with the horses.
BH: What were your first jobs in horse racing, and how did you get an introduction to Michael Behrens, MyRacehorse's CEO and co-founder?
JM: When I got done with college (where he played baseball), I moved back to California and the Del Mar area because that was a place I always loved. I finally said, 'I want to get involved with the horses.' My first real job was with (trainer) Andy Mathis in 2018. I started from the bottom, hotwalking, and then grooming for Andy, kinda working my way up. What I learned from Andy really benefited me.
I was then connected with MyRacehorse and Michael through Nick Hines (former trainer, current bloodstock agent, and MyRacehorse adviser), who I have known since I was 4. I just started doing little things for MyRacehorse while I was still working on the backside. It kinda took off from there and I've been with them ever since.
I always had a background from going to all the Barretts Sales growing up. My dad would try to buy one or two horses and was lucky to be involved with Nick, who, along with trainer Mark Glatt, have been huge mentors of mine. I would go to the sales with Nick and I learned a lot from him before I even joined MyRacehorse. I've known both Nick and Mark for so long, and they are friends, so it's nice to be able to work with them now.
BH: What does your role at MyRacehorse entail?
JM: I'm officially the boss of making the calls on our final acquisitions, whether it's private purchases or at the sales, as well as the liquidation of horses. My main responsibility is managing the stable throughout the year; keeping in contact with trainers. Obviously, we have other team members as well that are in certain jurisdictions of the world that do a little bit of the day-to-day contact, but all the major decisions that need to be made for the horses are part of my role.
BH: What is it about MyRacehorse that you think has really drawn people in? What is the company doing very well besides winning big races?
JM: Getting into racing can be intimidating and hard, and a lot of people don't know how to go about it. In our world, we're surrounded by it every day. I feel like it is extremely accessible, but there are many people, from low spenders to big spenders, that don't know the right way to get in touch with people. I think MyRacehorse has made it extremely accessible for people and, at the same time, their minimum investment can be at a low point so they are not afraid to take that risk of jumping in. I think as we have evolved and people joined MyRacehorse, once they get their hands on it and see what they get with it, it really has just grown. We have grown as a community with people who never knew each other before and who now have become friends. I would say for many, the horses have become the highlight of their lives.
I have people that come out in the mornings just to watch horses work every week. There are people who have just one share in Straight No Chaser and they will not miss a work. I think that's incredible and just great for the sport in general.
BH: Unlike MyRacehorse's Kentucky Derby winner of 2020, Authentic , whom MyRacehorse owned in partnership after buying into the colt as a 3-year-old, both Seize the Grey and Straight No Chaser were purchased by MyRacehorse at auction and race exclusively for MyRacehorse and its owners. How is the experience different for your owners when they are involved with a horse before its career begins?
JM: I think the most rewarding part of buying Seize the Grey as a yearling and buying Straight No Chaser as a 2-year-old was being able to follow the journeys of both of these horses from the beginning. I think that is what it is all about for our owners. It is the power of MyRacehorse with a horse like Straight No Chaser, who as talented as he is, didn't run a ton of times and it took until the summer of his 3-year-old season to get him to the races. But that's one of the major benefits of MyRacehorse, that we can be patient with these horses and not rush them, and allow them to develop into the horses they can be.
BH: What's your favorite moment on the job?
JM: I've got to think Seize the Grey winning the Preakness was probably the most rewarding moment for me because I was able to work with Roderick Wachman (MyRacehorse's former global head of bloodstock and racing) at the Saratoga sale, where he was bought. I was part of the team with Roderick who purchased the horse.
From the management side, we take pride in his durability and what he was able to accomplish. We were very tight on time but making the decision to give him a break when we did—it was cutting it extremely close—he returned to races (as a 3-year-old) Feb. 24 at Oaklawn and put himself into contention to run in the Derby. Ultimately, he ran in and won the Pat Day Mile and then won the Preakness. I remember that whole journey to get there because it looked like we had no shot to have a Triple Crown-type horse, and nothing sells like having a horse for those big races.
BH: What do you like to do when you're not working?
JM: When I have a day off, I love to go to the races. I know that's a terrible answer, but being able to turn off the switch and enjoy the races and surroundings, as a fan, is great for me. Being around the horses is where I prefer to be because I never feel like I am working.
