Thursday was an off-day for the Chicago Cubs, but that did not prevent them from celebrating a victory.
Just before starting an away series against the Cincinnati Reds, the entire squad seemingly decided to cross state lines into Kentucky to visit Churchill Downs. There, they watched Alex Bregman’s thoroughbred, Act of Parliament, run in the final race of the afternoon.
Act of Parliament claimed a dramatic win, beginning the race near the back of the field before steadily gaining ground on the outside path and overcoming a deficit of over a length in the home stretch to finish first.
Footage shared by trainer William Walden shows the ballclub enthusiastically rooting for the horse:
The Chicago players were deeply engaged in the event. Bregman shared photos on his Instagram story showing several of his teammates dressed in jockey silks on their flight, as well as a clip of Pete Crow-Armstrong interacting with the horse ahead of the race, captioned “PCA pep talk we couldn’t lose”—a moment sure to boost his fan appeal.
The squad erupted in wild cheers as Act of Parliament crossed the finish line, eventually hoisting winning jockey Axel Concepcion onto their shoulders in celebration.
According to MLB.com, Bregman has loved horse racing since childhood, a passion passed down through his family. He took his involvement to the next level in 2021 by launching Bregman Family Racing with his wife, Reagan, who also has a background in the sport.
Since its founding, the racing stable’s horses have accumulated 90 total starts.
According to Bloodhorse, Act of Parliament’s victory paid out $8.68 on a $2 win bet and secured a prize of $27,108 for Bregman.
Nonetheless, this victory likely marks the end of Bregman’s ownership of the horse, given that it was a maiden claiming race where all runners were available for purchase. Equibase data reveals that Act of Parliament was among five horses acquired by new owners for a claiming fee of $20,000 each.
With a day at the track behind them, the Cubs now face their final nine regular-season matchups. Sitting at 85-68, they are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top wild-card position—with Chicago holding the tiebreaker advantage—while maintaining a five-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks to secure a postseason berth.
If these standings remain unchanged, they are lined up to host the Phillies in the opening round of the National League wild card.
