Race Day Setback at Royal Randwick
Matt Damon’s co-owned horse, Are You Kidding, finishes a distant 11th in the Australian Derby at Royal Randwick. The three-year-old gelding trails winner Green Spaces by more than 19 lengths. Damon, absent from trackside, shares ownership with cricket star Steve Smith, retired AFL player Tom Hawkins, and actor Daniel MacPherson. Trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich prepare the bay gelding.
Damon attends the Golden Slipper at Rosehill Racecourse last month after Are You Kidding scratches from that event. His involvement in Australian racing grows steadily.
Earlier Triumph with Dale
Damon celebrates victory in January 2025 when another horse, Dale, breaks its maiden at Tamworth. The gelding, also trained by Messara and Gavranich, secures over $30,000 in prize money after two prior placings.
The name Dale stems from a personal family story. Messara explains, “It’s a bit of a long story really. It was a late night over in LA and I get a phone call saying we’ve had this great idea and we want to buy a horse, but the stipulation is it must be called Dale.” He adds, “The story goes that basically Matt and his daughter bonded during her teenage years watching the movie Step Brothers, starring the two characters Dale and Brennan.”
Deep Ties to Australia
Damon’s Australian connections extend beyond racing. He frequents Byron Bay, home to friend Chris Hemsworth, and appears at local events like AFL matches and the Brisbane Ekka. These bonds strengthen after his father Kent’s death in 2017.
Damon shares, “After my dad died, we moved down there for four months and just went and camped all over the place. And just … I think because maybe he had never been, and it just felt like a place to go to make memories with my kids.”
Family trips continue annually. “Then every year we would return, even back during the pandemic. We were down there for about six months, and it’s just like a second home to us,” Damon states. “We just love it and we love the people and everything about it. We just have so many friends down there, honestly. I mean 30, 40 people. Family, friends, just so many people that we love to go see.”
