When well-known thoroughbred owner Barry Irwin was looking for a horse that might be a good first horse for Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce, he came across a gelding with the appropriate name: Swift Delivery.
“I thought it was a cute name and fitting for him. I thought he might enjoy it,” Irwin said. “First and foremost, we liked the horse. … The whole thing seemed predestined.”
Irwin had no idea how well Swift Delivery and Kelce would fit together.
Kelce’s new racehorse is actually named after the three-time Super Bowl winner’s pop star girlfriend, Taylor Swift, trainer Mark Casse told the Washington Post, and was christened long before the purchase.
“Travis didn’t just buy a horse – he bought a really good one,” said Casse. “This is a beautiful horse with good bloodline from one of the best sires in the world.”
While the connection between Swift Delivery and Taylor Swift seemed at first glance to be more of a coincidence than an actual connection, the two are actually closely intertwined.
DJ Stable named the now three-year-old racehorse after him with the help of the family, with the girlfriend of a family member playing a major role.
TikTok user @emslavs – who goes by the name Emily Slavkin on her social media channels – posted last April how she and her boyfriend made a list of possible names for a horse.
“His grandfather owns a lot of racehorses,” she said in the video.
She shared a list of names and Swift Delivery received a check mark meaning both she and her boyfriend agreed with the name.
Kelce and Swift have been dating for over a year. Their relationship blossomed during the last NFL season when Swift attended most of his games.
“I’m a huge Swift fan and I want her to have a name that has something to do with Taylor Swift,” Slavkin said.
After Bloodhorse broke the story of Kelce’s ownership of the horse on Tuesday, she released a follow-up video explaining the background to the name.
“I came up with Swift Delivery, of course, because I love Taylor Swift and I want her to know who I am. Taylor, if you’re watching this, I love you so much,” Slavkin said. “But today I found out that Travis Kelce bought my horse.
“So Taylor or Travis, I love you guys so much. Taylor, I just saw you in London on my birthday, the last night of the Eras tour in Europe. I named a horse after you, I just love you so much. I hope Travis enjoys his new horse and I hope she (sic) wins you lots of money and is just the most incredible horse in the world. Does that mean I’m somehow in Taylor’s universe?”
Despite the Swift-influenced name, the chances of Kelce actually owning the horse were perhaps as slim as the Chiefs’ chances of winning a third straight in 2022.
Both are now reality.
It all started with Kelce’s friendship with Alex Zoldan, the son of Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan.
Based in Youngstown, Ohio – Kelce is an Ohio native and studied in Cincinnati – Phantom Fireworks describes itself on its website as “the undisputed leader in the retail fireworks industry.”
The elder Zoldan is a longtime partner of Irwin, founder of Team Valor International, and the two enjoy a close professional relationship that includes winning the 2011 Kentucky Derby over Animal Kingdom.
Kelce rode Alex in the Kentucky Derby this year. That’s where Irwin first met him and the idea that Kelce might be able to find a horse of his own was floated.
“We brought up the subject of buying a horse and he seemed interested,” Irwin said. “He’s a very charismatic guy. He was great.”
Co-owner Gary Barber, who is also an established film producer, called Irwin and told him about a horse named Swift Delivery that he wanted to buy.
“I said, ‘You can’t be serious,'” Irwin recalled.
They eventually reached an agreement with Kelce, Irwin, the two Zoldans and an unnamed partner to purchase 25 percent of the horse, which sold for $55,000 in May, according to equibase.com.
Barber owns the majority stake.
Swift Delivery has performed fairly well since the purchase, although The Associated Press noted that Kelce has only been with Swift Delivery for about a month.
He won his first race on June 23 by 16 ¹/₂ lengths and then triumphed again on July 19.
Swift Delivery’s next race is in the Toronto Cup at Woodbine on Saturday.
“He has had to overcome a lot of adversity,” Casse said of the July 19 race. “He is like a rising star. On Saturday he will face another test against the biggest and toughest competition. I think he is up to the task.”
Irwin said he doesn’t expect to see Kelce again anytime soon, as that time overlaps with the 34-year-old’s quest for another Super Bowl.
However, if the horse develops as Casse and Irwin expect, Kelce could have the opportunity to watch him in bigger races later.
“I think he has a chance to be a top horse,” Irwin said. “He’s got the pedigree, he’s got the will and he’s a pretty impressive animal.”
Kelce’s involvement in the world of horse racing has created additional excitement in the sport and continued the crossover by adding stars from other sports to the ranks of horse owners.
Earlier this year, Dornoch, the horse of former Phillies World Series champion Jayson Werth, won the Belmont.
Swift Delivery will surely attract even more attention now.
“I’ve gotten messages from my kids who live all over North America, including Canada,” Casse said. “Everyone is excited, like Travis is coming to a party or something.”
“My wife and I are huge fans of Travis and of course we’re Swifties. It’s cute, it’s nice, it’s exciting. It’s nice for horse racing. Now we have to go out there and perform.”
He added: “There is nothing better than owning a racehorse when it is winning.”
