Partnerships: With Blackout, McGinty Merges Passion for Racing and Bourbon

The horse racing industry is a unique societal tapestry of people who approach each race day from a different perspective. You have your core glass half full optimists, who see every race and every horse as the key to a financial windfall, but we also know we can easily find those pessimistic half empty folks as well. If you happen to ask Kyle McGinty, Founder and President of the Blackout Group, how he perceived his glass, he would probably retort, “it doesn't really matter as long as his glass has bourbon in it.”

As a racing fan since the age of five, when he first attended the GI Kentucky Derby with his dad, McGinty personifies what it is to be a Kentuckian. His love of racing is only matched by his passion for bourbon. The special education teacher from Louisville has made bourbon, horse racing, and helping others his North Star since 2016 when the Blackout Barrel Group was founded.

Named in homage for the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday, the social group was first formed with 100 members that joined together and purchased a barrel of Wild Turkey. “Before Blackout was even an idea, Kyle, myself, and several other guys were shipping each other's bourbon store picks from one part of the country to the other, stated member Joe Hickson. By way of example, I'm outside of Boston, so I had access to bottles of interest to those in Kentucky and vice-versa. When the first opportunity to do our own barrel pick came knocking, we already had a group of great folks with a shared interest and a high level of trust.”

Robert Bevilacqua, another inaugural member, was drawn in via an invitation from McGinty on Facebook. “It was crazy back then, not much organization to speak of in any way,” said Bevilacqua. “Super casual. That first barrel of Wild Turkey's Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon, that we called Blackout Wednesday, was superb, and I still regret not picking up more than two bottles. As the group went along and enjoyed success in procuring and delivering some fantastic single barrel bourbons, I suppose Kyle and others working with him recognized a need to put some organization around the group.”

That organization led toward expansion of their bourbon barrel purchases to the current 300-barrel inventory, which is also used to brand their own select Blackout Bourbon which is distributed to members and used for fundraising.

McGinty, always one for creating new social adventures, would invite Blackout Barrel members to the Kentucky Derby each year to combine two of his great loves. Additionally, one of his fellow bourbon aficionados was D.W. Fries, assistant to trainer Mike Tomlinson, who guided Sir Cherokee (Cherokee Run) to an GI Arkansas Derby victory in 2003 and Barbados (Speightstown) to a score in the 2015 GIII Hutchenson S. It was only a matter of time until the idea of horse ownership got toasted into the cask of the Blackout Bourbon Group.

“At some point, someone had the excellent idea of buying a racehorse as a group,” said investor, Joel Hickson. “While Blackout was my first (and currently only) racing partnership/group, I grew up on a farm with many Arabian horses and rode, so I was naturally in at the first mention of the idea.” Thus, the birth of Blackout Racing Stables in 2018.

The group's first taste of racing came with the claim of Doc Kane (Into Mischief) for $16,000 at Churchill Downs in June of 2018. Two years later they would find a future star of the stable in GSP Thundering Creed (Jimmy Creed). The chestnut mare won over $400,000 for the stable until her untimely passing in early July this year on the same day another one of the stable's horses, Mrs. RIP (Speightster) broke her maiden for the group. “It is extremely difficult when tragedy strikes a stable like this. Our best horse dies unexpectedly and then ironically one of our young horses breaks her maiden and happens to be named Mrs. RIP,” reflects McGinty. The Blackout Racing Stable has recently partnered with others like Diamond F Racing and Patricia's Hopes LLC to take that next step forward to more stakes racing.

The Blackout Racing Stable now has over 250 members and has established five different racing groups based on the objective of the stable. The largest group focuses on claimers under $50,000. There is also a group buying yearlings, and another involved in breeding. Members can typically buy in for $1,000-$3,000 which gives each member .75% to 1.3% ownership. McGinty retains a single share and manages each group so that cash calls are a rarity. The group has grown about 10% each year. Groups are formed in January of each year and generally have an end date or wind down event.

“The key is to make it affordable for everyone and keep the commitment limited,” said McGinty. “There is a very strong social aspect to each of the segments of Blackout including the Racing Stable. Our members love coming out and seeing their horses.”

Member Joe Hickson agrees. “We're all really lucky how things naturally developed and to have the partnerships and the stable that we've assembled. Horse racing is great to watch, but when the bell rings and it's your horse leaving the gate, that's something exceptional.”

In 2019, the Blackout Group added philanthropy to what this group and its members do. Forming a trifecta, McGinty built Barrels for a Cause, a Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) organization that uses Blackout's connections and resources within the spirits industry to raise money for various charitable organizations. Their work primarily funnels through an annual event held every June.

“The initial and ongoing success of Blackout is entirely due to the character of its membership,” said McGinty. “This has allowed us the ability to create a charitable wing of Blackout–that benefits charities including Super Drew, Backside Learning Center, Misters for MS, Second Stride Louisville Metro Police and more.”

Since its inception, Barrels for a Cause has raised over $800k for charities both inside and outside of racing. “We are so grateful for our longstanding partnership with Blackout Stables for their support of the important mission of the Backside Learning Center,” said Sherry Stanley, Executive Director of the Backside Learning Center. “It is particularly meaningful to see those within the industry making the conscious choice to give back to those who are the backbone of horseracing.”

Amy Eirich, Development Manager for Second Stride agreed. “The Blackout Group does amazing work for the community! Second Stride has benefitted from their generosity in several ways including being the recipient of the proceeds raised during their annual Barrels for a Cause event. We appreciate the Blackout Group's commitment to aftercare and their generous support of Second Stride.”

When asked about the best part of being involved in Blackout, original member Bob Bevilacqua communicates the successful blend that has been distilled. “No matter where we come from across the country, or our personal ideologies, we share a mutual enthusiasm that connects us. Anytime we can get together as a group, it's an absolute blast. I think racing is mostly responsible for the strong social bond we have all developed. When, I'm out or meeting new people and they ask me about the Blackout shirt or hat I'm wearing, or one of our private label whiskey bottles, it's a great conversation starter, and frankly an opportunity to brag about how awesome it is to be part of something special like The Blackout Group.”

Now that is a toast to Kyle McGinty and all the members, which demonstrates that life certainly goes down smoother when you can share the experience the Kentucky way with bourbon, horses and giving back.

Joe Scurto is the principal at Horseshoe Marketing. His Twitter is @RacingHorseshoe.