MEDIA RELEASE
Monday July 20, 2020
Friends of Mr Ed launches new ‘Fred’ app for racing owners
A new racing app made by owners for owners has been launched today and is set to disrupt the traditional racehorse ownership experience, create a new online community and reach an engaged network of current and future owners.
A breakthrough platform designed for Australia’s 125,000 racehorse owners, ‘Fred’ is a social app where they can connect and share the thrill of ownership on and off the track, with race information, stats, social events and owner chat groups all in one place.
Founders Amy Thompson and Richard Busso are passionate innovators who love owning racehorses, but wanted more connection, personalisation and ease of sharing information amongst other owners. “No other app connects you to other owners, but Fred makes that happen. People get into racehorse ownership because they love thoroughbreds and love the sport, and owners want to share that passion with like-minded people. We weren’t satisfied with one-way communication, so we created a way to change that. We saw a need and wanted to solve a problem, and that’s what we’ve done. And that’s just the beginning - we’re ready to shake things up even more as the Fred app evolves,” Amy said.
The Melbourne couple bought their first share in a horse after a chance meeting with Gai Waterhouse and Bruce Slade at an Inglis sale and now have 10 horses in their growing stable. Slade was integral in that first purchase, igniting a fire in the belly for Amy and Rich that ultimately sparked the idea for the Fred app, and Kestrel is now a proud inaugural partner of Fred.
“Fred is a game-changer for the social side of racehorse ownership and it’ll bring back something that’s been missing for some time. I love connecting with owners and sharing our passion and Fred will be the platform to do just that,” Bruce said. “Sharing the thrill before, during and after the race is what I love most about being an owner.
We’ve made friends for life through racehorse ownership, and the app’s all about that connection and that friendship. But it’s also about taking that to the next level and creating a marketplace within Fred so we can introduce more owners to the industry,” Rich said.
In a huge win for the pair, Amy and Rich were selected in the top 10 out of 700 global Sports and Event Tech start-ups and had the opportunity to join an exclusive Startupbootcamp program this year to accelerate the app to market. “We’ve had access to 70 mentors and the Startupbootcamp community over the last few months and it’s allowed us to really focus on building out our value proposition.
We’re incredibly excited to see the app available to both iPhone and Android users, and can’t wait to get the feedback from owners,” Rich said.
To discover more about Fred see: www.friendsofmred.com
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