We all know Drew Brees has spent the spring away from New Orleans Saints teammates, but that doesn't mean he's locked away in storage somewhere.
The man is up to something ... but what? We now know snagging horses from prominent Los Angeles Lakers takes up at least some of his time.
Kobe Bryant and Lakers teammate Pau Gasol entered the weekend among the owners of a 4-year-old gelding named Siempre Mio that raced Sunday at Betfair Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. Upon crossing the finish line in second place, the horse was claimed by Brees and his partners as their own.
This is all a bit confusing, we know. Let's tag in The Associated Press for some background:
In US horse racing, a great number of races are called claiming races. That means any horse entered can be "claimed" at the designated price for the race. It's a way of evening out the competition so that horses worth $100,000 aren't overwhelming less-talented stock worth $10,000 or so. It keeps the races, and the betting, competitive.
Brees and his partners in Donkey Island Racing claimed Siempre Mio for $12,500. It sounds like a pretty smart business move by the Donkey Island folk, considering Bryant and Gasol each forked over $8,000 for a quarter share of Siempre Mio.
In summation, a racehorse that began the day the property of the 2008 NBA MVP ended it as the property of the 2009 NFL MVP. Of course, the horse doesn't realize any of this because, well, he's a horse.
