Horsing around is their business

Once small investors in a large thoroughbred racehorse partnership, Vince Roth and Daniel Zanatta used their experience and knowledge to create a growing stable that’s both economical and fun.

Roth, of East Rockaway, and Zanatta, of New Hyde Park, met as co-workers at Merrill Lynch in Garden City six years ago and established Final Furlong Racing Stable in the summer of 2009. FFRS currently owns a percentage in four horses and plans to expand.

“We became frustrated with the costs and management of the partnership we originally invested in and felt we could do a better job ourselves,” Roth said. “We wanted to build a model around our business expertise and give fans of the sport access to what many feel is unattainable.”

The process began with Zanatta calling nearly a dozen New York-based breeders and gained momentum after several conversations with Chris Bernhard of Hidden Lake Farm in upstate Otisville. Zanatta and Roth toured Hidden Lake and checked out 20 horses, choosing a pair to start their venture.

“It’s always been our philosophy to acquire un-raced New York-bred yearlings and two-year olds,” Roth said. “We believe New York breds offer the most value as racing prospects due to the lucrative incentive programs and limited number of foals that qualify to race in New York-bred restricted races. The New York Racing Association writes over 600 condition races each year and 45 stakes races with total purses exceeding $4 million for registered New York breds,” he added.

In addition to the restricted New York-bred races at Belmont, Aqueduct, Saratoga and Finger Lakes, fewer than 2,000 New York-bred foals are born each year versus the 10,000 Kentucky foals and 4,000 Florida foals born annually. The concentrated competition among New York breds makes it even more attractive to build a stable of New York-bred runners.

After purchasing 25 percent of two horses from Bernhard to get the stable off the ground, Roth and Zanatta wanted to hire a trainer that could grow with the outfit and selected Bruce Brown. The emerging 35-year-old Brown of Floral Park saddled 56 winners in 2010 and totaled $1,895,303 in earnings with 383 mounts.

Brown is working with a pair of active FFRS three-year olds, Belso Wild and The Point Is. Belso Wild finished second in his debut March 10 going six furlongs at Aqueduct but suffered a lacerated tendon that required a two-month layoff. He’s likely to return during Belmont’s fall meet, which opens Sept. 10. Meanwhile, The Point Is has disappointed in three starts but can improve with a move to turf and addition of blinkers. FFRS also recently acquired a 7.5-percent interest in a two-year old — Legal Affect — and 15 percent of a yet-to-be-named yearling.

“We want to consistently add horses and prefer to own a percentage of multiple horses instead of being all-in on one horse,” said Roth, who became a huge racing fan in 2004 when Smarty Jones fell just short of becoming horseracing’s first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 when he finished runner-up in the Belmont Stakes after capturing the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

FFRS held a contest this May in conjunction with Horse Racing Nation and gave away one share of its partnership to two people who correctly selected the winner — Animal Kingdom — of the Kentucky Derby. “We wanted to promote horse ownership and expose more fans to the idea of entry-level partnerships,” Zanatta said. “The contest had over 2,000 entries.”

One-percent shares in FFRS are available at $633 apiece. Each share is billed quarterly for expenses, which currently stands at $21 per month. All profits are kept in an account and partners vote at the end of the year to distribute the funds on a pro-rated basis, use for future expenses, or purchase a share in another horse. Shareholders can obtain an owner’s license through the New York State Racing and Wagering Board and gain access to the barn in addition to other perks.

“We want to win every race we’ve got a horse entered,” said Roth, “but we’re in this more for the enjoyment of the sport than anything else.”

For more information on FFRS, visit www.finalfurlongracingstable.com.