Why King Charles’ former racehorse is now owned by a thousand people

Dubbed the “people’s horse”, Just Fine was formerly owned by King Charles. Now 1600 Aussies have a stake in a Melbourne Cup runner.

He has been dubbed the “people’s horse”, has been trained by queen of the turf Gai Waterhouse and formerly owned by King Charles III, but now, seven-year-old Just Fine has more than a thousand owners cheering him on from behind the rails.

Gai Waterhouse and Just Fine at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel

Owning a horse in the Cup has been a privilege mostly for the few.

But as part of the microsyndicate Myracehorse, which was launched in 2021, more than 1600 Australians are proud owners of the gelding, who took part in the Melbourne Cup for the first time on Tuesday.

Formerly owned by King Charles and prepared by legendary horse trainer Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the equine’s talents have since been dished out to owners across the country, meaning anyone from the general public can “partially own” a percentage their favourite horse ahead of the race that stops a nation.

Samantha Gibbens, Louise Brock and Kevin Fraser, who all own part of Just Fine. Picture: Newswire / Alexandra Feiam

“We might have horses that cost up to half a million dollars and owners will be able to buy in from anywhere,” said Ben Willis, managing director of Myracehorse.

The owners, 80 per cent of whom have never owned a racehorse before, also love to get in on the action, with more than 600 Melbourne Cup attendees claiming a stake in the seven-year-old.

“Most people would love to have a horse run in the Melbourne Cup,” Mr Willis said.

“It’s good to make that dream become a reality.”

Just Fine, who was originally from Ireland and regarded as an elite racehorse, has taken home more than $1m in prize money over the course of his career.

This year marked his first time at the Melbourne Cup, so it’s no wonder so many punters have jumped at the chance to own a piece of him.

Louise Brock, one of the owners of Just Fine, as part of Myracehorse. Picture: Newswire / Alexandra Feiam

Just Fine, dubbed the "people's horse" at the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Newswire / Alexandra Feiam

Owners even get to decide the horse’s name.

“We ask our owners to submit their names, we pull the best 15 or 20 and then they vote,” Mr Willis said.

One of the proud owners of Just Fine is Louise Brock, who couldn’t help but admire the horse’s handsome gait as he stood ready to run.

A “bit of a prince”, perhaps a title he claimed from his previous owner, King Charles II, Ms Brock said the seven-year-old gelding was “a bit of a ladies’ man” who loves things his own way.

Gai Waterhouse has helped train Just Fine ahead of the Melbourne Cup. Picture: Alex Coppel

The idea of owning a horse in this way was something completely out of the ordinary for Ms Brock, who only got into the scene three years ago.

She purchased a “Super Stable” with 25 horses, nine of took home the winning title in their respective races.

“We started on this rollercoaster of fun (three years ago), and we haven’t got off,” she laughed.

As for Just Fine himself, it appeared the gelding was feeling more than just fine for the race as he sat patiently through his grooming ahead of the big race.

While he didn’t take home the big prize – coming last – his 1600 owners were still more than happy to see the gelding in their stables, and maybe offer him a carrot or two as a special treat.

Originally published as Why King Charles’ former racehorse is now owned by a thousand people