7 Kentucky Derby Horses This Year With Stock Market Ties

The 147th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place today. The race will feature 19 horses as of writing that will compete in the longest-running annual sporting event in the United States.

The race will be aired on NBC Sports, a unit of Comcast Corporation CMCSA. The race and corresponding racetrack are assets owned by Churchill Downs Inc CHDN, a publicly traded company.

Several of the 19 horses set to race in the 2021 Kentucky Derby also have ties to the stock market. One horse is even named Super Stock and might see bets from those who follow the stock market.

Here is a look at horses who have ties to publicly traded companies via their ownership teams.

Known Agenda: Vincent Viola, who owns the NHL’s Florida Panthers, is the owner of Known Agenda. Viola is also the founder and chairman emeritus of Virtu Financial VIRT. Shares of the market maker and liquidity provider company are up 19% in 2021. Viola is also the former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange, now a subsidiary of CME Group CME. Known Agenda has 20 to 1 odds to win at the time of writing.

Midnight Bourbon: Winchell Thoroughbreds, ran by mother-son partners Joan and Ron, are the owners of Midnight Bourbon. The racing operation was started by Verne Winchell, who passed away in 2002. Winchell founded Winchell Doughnut’s, which merged with Denny’s Corp DENN. Winchell served as the chairman and CEO of the combined company from 1967 to 1980. It was the merger with the already public Winchell’s that brought Denny’s to the public markets. Midnight Bourbon has 19 to 1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby.

Highly Motivated: The Baupost Group CEO Seth Klarman is the owner of Karavich Stables, which has entered Highly Motivated in the Kentucky Derby. The Baupost Group owned stakes in companies like eBay Inc EBAY, Liberty Global LBTYK and Intel Corp INTC. The fund has also invested in several SPACs including Pershing Square Tontine Holdings PSTH. Highly Motivated has 19 to 1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby.

Soup and Sandwich: The reason for the name of Soup and Sandwich could have to do with Live Oak Plantation owner’s family history. Owner Charlotte C. Weber is the granddaughter of John T. Dorrance, the founder of Campbell Soup CPB. Weber previously served on the board of directors for Campbell Soup. Soup and Sandwich has 37 to 1 odds to win the race.

Related Link: Is Churchill Downs A Buy Ahead Of The 2021 Kentucky Derby

Dynamic One: St. Elias Stable, which is also racing Known Agenda in the race, is one of three co-owning stables for Dynamic One. Another co-owner is Repole Stable, which is owned by Mike Repole, the founder of beverage brands VitaminWater, Smartwater and BODYARMOR. Coca-Cola KO acquired VitaminWater and Smartwater and has an ownership stake in BODYARMOR. Repole also has ties to Pirate’s Booty, which is owned by The Hershey Co HSY and was previously a holding of B&G Foods Inc BGS. Dynamic One has 52 to 1 odds to win the race.

King Fury: Paul Fireman is the owner of Fern Circle Stables, which co-owns King Fury. Fireman bought the distribution rights to Reebok shoes for the U.S. market back in 1979. Fireman built Reebok into a powerhouse and sold the company to Adidas ADDYY in 2005. Fireman is an investor in several cannabis brands including Tilray TLRY. King Fury has 52 to 1 odds to win the race.

Keepmeinmind: Among the owners of Keepmeinmind is B. Wayne Hughes, the founder of Public Storage PSA. Hughes created Public Storage after noticing a self-storage warehouse loaded to capacity in Texas and wanted to expand the concept. Public Storage is now the largest self-storage company in the US operating as a REIT. Keepmeinmind has 65 to 1 odds to win the race.

For more on the 2021 Kentucky Derby and some potential picks, see this guide from PreMarketPrep co-host Joel Elconin.

Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Derby.