When Randy Zane walked away from harness racing six years ago, he knew it was time to close the door on that part of his life and move on.

Zane had a great run at the track for more than 30 years as one of Canada's top standardbred owners, with more than 1,000 wins and top horses such as Lincoln Parke, Gimmebackmybullets and Fox Valley Tribal. At one point, Zane had as many as 36 horses in his barn.

But after he quit the game, the Quebecer was just never able to get the sport out of his system, continuing to follow the races "from a distance."

So when Zane heard about Anthony MacDonald and The Stable's easy, single-share, low-cost, fractional ownership concept, he knew it was time to make a return.

"The love and thrill of the game never leaves you," Zane said. "So when I heard about thestable, and having no pressure and choosing the amount you want to invest, I thought maybe I'd give it a try."

Zane purchased shares in two of The Stable's top yearlings following an open house and sale in early December at MacDonald's 61-head barn at the Tomiko Training Centre near Campbellville.

The Stable's single-share program meant Zane could buy in at a level he was comfortable with.

"It gives me the chance to get on a new path without having to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars like I did in the past," Zane added.

MacDonald said he is delighted to have discerning owners like Zane in his ownership group.

"It has allowed him to get back in and to have that thrill again," MacDonald said.

Thestable.ca is the brainchild of MacDonald and his wife Amy, who kicked off the innovative buyer program in early 2015 with the goal of opening up racehorse ownership to just about anyone.

Owners can purchase anywhere from one to 100 shares in a yearling prospect. This means one share in a $10,000 yearling will cost $100. The monthly training fee is $22 per share, with vet, shipping and racing fees on top of that. And of course, all racetrack earnings can be used to help defray or eliminate expenses.

"The fractional model is a great way to get new owners into the sport without a big investment," MacDonald said. "We're using this model to bring new interest to our industry."

The first set of yearlings showcased at The Open House round the first turn at Tomiko Training Centre.

Cory McPhee was another prospective buyer who knew a great idea when he heard it.

McPhee happened to catch MacDonald in a recent Fan 590 radio interview talking up affordable fractional racehorse ownership with thestable.ca, and he knew he had to get in on the action.

"This is a great way to own a horse, with minimal financial risk for a lot of fun," McPhee said about thestable's single share, fixed-monthly training fee program.

McPhee and three friends attended the jam-packed open house and sale at Tomiko, and after looking at several yearling prospects, the partners finally agreed on American League, an Ohio-bred trotting colt by My MVP.

"We're all big baseball fans, so it made sense," McPhee said. "We're all super excited about this opportunity to do something we never thought we could do -- own part of a racehorse. It's all we can talk about."

McPhee says he and his partners know that with a one percent interest in American League, ownership will never be a moneymaker.

"But none of us are in this to make money," said McPhee, who is already planning trips to the track with family and friends to see his horse race next summer. "We just want to have all the fun that goes with owning a racehorse."

The trio are also thinking about buying into more babies, once they get a better feel for how it all works.

MacDonald says McPhee and his friends fit the profile of those prospective buyers he is targeting with thestable's fractional ownership program, which aims to introduce young, new owners to help revitalize a sport that has been in a slow decline for years.

The open house and sale attracted several hundred hopeful owners and onlookers, who crowded into Tomiko's comfortable owners' lounge overlooking the training track or lined up trackside to watch seven sets of yearlings strut their stuff.

The event was streamed live with industry stalwarts Fred MacDonald, Anthony's father, who is a well-known PEI horseman and journalist, and Hall of Famer Bill O'Donnell providing commentary.

Each set was filmed using a drone. The 45 babies -- all picked up at competitive prices over the past couple of months at yearling sales in Ontario, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky -- trained on the half-mile track for the benefit of prospective owners.

Almost a dozen of Canada's best reinsmen, including James MacDonald, Jody Jamieson, Sylvain Filion, Mike Saftic and Phil Hudon, volunteered to steer the youngsters through their paces on the track.

On offer were youngsters by premier sires such as Muscle Hill, Chapter Seven, Deweycheatumnhowe, Donato Hanover, Betterthancheddar, Dragon Again, Badlands Hanover, McArdle and Rock N Roll Heaven. Prices ranged from $13,000 to $84,500 and several yearlings were sold out following the viewing.

In the three weeks following the sales event, almost 400 shares were sold and shares in eight horses were sold out. Before the open house, thestable.ca had 163 owners, but numbers are now closing in on 200.

Thestable.ca had several notable successes in its first year, including Rose Run Speedster, a Windsong Espoir colt who won over $100,000 and two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series races in his first season at the races, and Bourbon And Barley, a Charley Barley pacing filly who sold for $140,000 in August.

MacDonald said the showing and sale was so successful he is considering doing it again in the spring.

Anthony MacDonald's interview with New Zealand's Jess Smith from Dec. 9, 2016

(with files from The Stable)