A Stake in Stardom, created by America's Best Racing with the help of Branch & Bramble, set out to change the way people see horse racing. For too long, the sport has been stuck with an outdated reputation—exclusive, old-money, and out of reach for younger, more diverse audiences. This campaign proved that Thoroughbred racing could be modern, exciting, and, most importantly, for everyone.
Instead of just having influencers promote race days, we made them actual racehorse owners. By giving them a stake in the sport, we turned one-time content into long-term storytelling. They weren’t just showing up for a day at the races—they were invested, following their horse’s journey and bringing their audiences along for the ride.
The campaign had three key goals:
Expand Reach & Awareness – Use influencers across sports, entertainment, and lifestyle to introduce new fans to racing.
Boost Engagement & Attendance – Get more people talking about, watching, and attending races.
Build Long-Term Advocates – Make influencers (and their audiences) care about horse racing beyond just one event.
By shifting the focus from elite ownership to real, emotional connection, A Stake in Stardom didn’t just market a sport—it reshaped an entire industry.
Strategy
We didn’t just want to talk about making horse racing more accessible—we wanted to prove it. So instead of a typical influencer partnership, where creators post a few times and move on, A Stake in Stardom made influencers real racehorse owners. This shifted the campaign from short-term content to genuine, long-term storytelling.
How We Made It Happen:
Finding the Right Influencers – We focused on creators who weren’t just big names but great storytellers. We prioritized:
Authenticity & audience trust – People who could make racing feel fun and relatable.
Unique voices – Women and creators from different niches to change the face of the sport.
Giving Influencers a Real Stake – They weren’t just posting about a day at the races; they owned a horse. This meant:
Stable visits – Showing the behind-the-scenes reality of racing.
Race-day experiences – Live reactions, personal stakes in their horse’s performance.
Ongoing investment – They weren’t just watching; they were emotionally involved.
Making It Digital-First – To make racing shareable and interactive, we focused on:
Live race-day takeovers – Letting influencers broadcast the excitement in real-time.
Behind-the-scenes content – Training, care, and the real work behind the sport.
Audience engagement – Polls, Q&As, and personal stories to bring people into the experience.
Challenges & How We Overcame Them:
Short racing careers – Unlike traditional athletes, racehorses start as two-year-olds, peak at age 3, and often retire soon after. We made sure influencers built narratives that kept their audiences engaged throughout the journey.
The “old money” stigma – Horse racing has long been seen as exclusive, so we prioritized relatable influencers to make it feel fresh and exciting.
A tight budget – With just $125,000, we focused on high-impact, high-engagement influencers instead of celebrities with inflated rates.
What Made It Work?
Ownership over sponsorship – Influencers weren’t just paid to post; they had a real stake in the sport.
A cross-industry influencer mix – Sports experts, entertainers, and lifestyle creators helped reach multiple audience segments.
A digital-first approach – Real-time storytelling, live takeovers, and interactive content kept audiences engaged.
By making influencers part of the sport—not just spectators—we created a campaign that transformed how people see horse racing.
Results
In 2024, A Stake in Stardom shattered expectations, proving that authentic storytelling and real emotional investment are the future of influencer marketing in sports.
Expanded Reach & Awareness:
15.5 million video views (+453% from 2023).
888,000 social engagements (+64.75% from 2023).
133.6 million total reach, bringing racing to a massive new audience.
Boosted Engagement & Attendance:
15% increase in track attendance, showing that digital buzz led to real-world participation.
25% rise in online race viewership, proving influencers made racing more exciting to watch.
2,400% increase in TV coverage, demonstrating that this wasn’t just an online moment—it became a cultural conversation.
Built Long-Term Advocates:
Influencers kept talking about racing even after the campaign ended.
Returning creators (Ian Rapoport, Lindsay Czarniak) and newcomers (Griffin Johnson, Heather McMahan) sustained engagement year over year.
We did more than promote horse racing. We made people care about it, and that’s what real impact looks like.
