Aberdeen native’s longshot of having racehorse ownership stake for Kentucky Derby prevails

Back in 2019, Leah (Lepicier) Rapoport and her husband, Ian, wanted to check off a bucket list trip for their 10th wedding anniversary, making the Kentucky Derby the obvious choice.

This year may have made for their third trip to Churchill Downs to don elaborate hats and spring-colored attire for the prestigious Triple Crown race but a first to watch from the rail while having a minority ownership stake of one of the horses competing for a spot in the winners’ circle.

Ian is an NFL Network analyst, which opened the opportunity to have a minority ownership stake in three racehorses – Parnac, Cagliostro and particularly Jace’s Road, which finished 17th in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby May 6.

“We have a minority stake through West Point Thoroughbreds, which is the company that co-owns them, and [TV network] America’s Best Racing did a program called, ‘A Stake in Stardom,’ where it lets people with big social media followings and big connections outside of the racehorse world have a small ownership stake and get the message out about horse racing. The view is it’s not that accessible to people, and it really is,” said Leah, who graduated from Oak Hill Academy in 2002 and now lives in Rye, New York.

“A Stake in Stardom” announced in March Ian would be one of the featured personalities for season 2.

Run for the Roses

The Rapoports became enamored with the fanfare and vibe surrounding the Kentucky Derby, also known as the Run for the Roses, making it worthy for more than just one trip.

“Since it was a once in a lifetime kind of trip, we did it big. On the plane on the way home, we looked at each other and said, ‘Every year?,’” she said reflecting on 2019’s trip.

COVID-19 and conflicts with the NFL Draft altered those plans in 2020 and 2021, but this year made up for time lost.

“In 2019 and 2022, we went as ourselves and had a great connection in our friend, Joey Wagner, who set everything up for us. We were there to enjoy the horses and the parties and doing our own thing,” Leah said. “The chances of Jace’s Road even getting to run the derby are astronomical so we got very lucky in being able to watch our horse race. We did a ton of interviews and press, and a camera crew followed us most of the day. We got to do the walk over, where we walk with the horses running in the derby from the barn to the paddock so we walked on the track at Churchill Downs right before the Kentucky Derby ran, which was wild.”

Out of the gate, Jace’s Road had a strong start but fell behind in the race won by Mage.

“We were not surprised when he jumped out early. That is his M.O. He’s just a leader. His odds were low, and we knew that going in and also knew there was a decent chance he wouldn’t win it just because of his reputation with not being good at long races, and the derby is a long race,” Leah said. “We were on the rail watching the horses fly by yards ahead of us, and it was just wild.”

Jace’s Road finished third at the Louisiana Derby, earning him the points needed to run the Kentucky Derby.

“With the Kentucky Derby, you can’t just buy your way in. All the money in the world will not get your horse in the Kentucky Derby. They have to win their way in. It’s a point system,” she said, adding Jace’s Road also won the Gun Runner Stakes to have eligibility towards the bottom of the derby’s leader board.

Even though this year’s Kentucky Derby is over, the Rapoports will attend this year’s other Triple Crown events, the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, along with Travers Stakes in Saratoga, New York. It’s unknown if any of their horses will qualify to compete.

“We’ve still got three more races coming up and don’t know what any of the horses are running in, but the trainers make those decisions and we’ll see if any of the horses will be running in any of them,” Leah said.

Even though Ian has made a solid name for himself in the NFL, Leah has never been to a game since he has gone to them for work. However, they’ve been able to experience events, such as the U.S. Open for tennis, access to concerts, a dinner with Nick Jonas through golf equipment company PXG and parties leading up to the Super Bowl.

They’ve also rubbed elbows with the likes of actors Paul Rudd and Donnie Wahlberg; professional athlete-turned analyst Pat McAfee; and celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

No matter the experiences and encounters, Leah ranks the Kentucky Derby at the top, particularly noting the love for getting dressed up and wearing derby hats.