Fans who watch the Kentucky Derby this year may see a face more synonymous with football than horse racing: NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Mostly known for breaking news for NFL Network, Rapoport is attending this year’s event as part-owner of Jace’s Road, a 3-year-old colt racing in the 2023 Run of the Roses. According to Front Office Sports, Rapoport’s interest in the sport dates back to his and his wife’s “bucket list” trip to Churchill Downs in 2019 to celebrate their 10-year anniversary.
That culminated in March when Rapoport was granted minority ownership of Jace’s Road — along with two other horses not racing at the Derby this year — as part of the “A Stake in Stardom” initiative. The program is designed to educate newly minted minority owners into the sport of horse racing; they will then share their experiences with their respective audiences with the intent of spreading interest in the sport.
The initiative began with a 2022 roster of TikTok influencer Sarah Cline and former Barstool Sports contributor Joey Mulinaro. This year, it expanded to include Rapoport, Fox Sports’ Lindsay Czarniak and Joy Taylor, ESPN’s Anita Marks and influencer Loren Izabel.
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Said Rapoport of his involvement in horse…
