Swift Delivery seeking Mint Millions for Travis Kelce

NFL star Travis Kelce may have made headlines with his recent engagement to Taylor Swift, but it is his love story with racing which could be front-page news at Kentucky Downs on Saturday.

No stranger to the spotlight, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is part-owner of the appropriately named Swift Delivery, who after suffering a cruel summer at the beginning of his career, has gone on to win his last two outings in style.

The Mark Casse-trained four-year-old finally shook off regular rival Dresden Row to claim the Grade Three Seagram Cup Stakes at Woodbine last month and will now line up in the $2.5million FanDuel TV Mint Millions Invitational Stakes, where Alice Haynes’ Cairo and Frankie Dettori aboard Ed Bethell’s Point Lynas will be hoping to fill the role of anti-hero.

“He’s kind of a slow learner but his last two races have been really improved, so we’re stepping him up in class and hoping to get a part of it,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of part-owners Team Valor International.

“I think it’s possible he becomes a really good horse and Patrick Husbands, who is a Hall of Fame rider and one of the leading riders in Canada, he rides him and says this is one of his favourite horses of all time.

“He’s got a ton of pace but it’s just taken him some time to learn his craft, so this will be a big test for him.”

Kelce will not be in attendance at the Nashville track to watch his equine star in action, but Irwin admits the attention Swift Delivery has received since the three-time Super Bowl winner filled a blank space on the gelding’s ownership has been beyond his wildest dreams.

Irwin added: “He is so popular in our culture now because of Taylor Swift that he is very guarded and we don’t have huge communication with him.

“One of our partners is a good friend of his but during football season, it is almost impossible to get his attention as he is totally focused on that.

“He won’t be at Kentucky Downs, but he will be watching the race and follows the horse and likes horse racing and I hope the horse continues to do well so it maintains his enthusiasm for the game.”