Travis Kelce has triumphed with his first win as a racehorse owner, thanks to the remarkably aptly named horse, Swift Delivery. The Kansas City Chiefs' star tight end has become an international sensation, not least for his association with pop royalty Taylor Swift.

After experiencing the thrills of the Kentucky Derby last year where he was hosted by the Zoldan family, shareholders in thoroughbreds alongside Team Valor International - a premier ownership group that claimed victory at the Derby with Animal Kingdom - Kelce took his first steps into horse ownership at Churchill Downs.

Team Valor, known for their global track successes and European stand-out Facteur Cheval, now counts Kelce among its partners for a horse trained in Toronto. Back when the partnership was announced, Team Valor head Barry Irwin recognised Kelce's wide appeal to Mirror Racing: "Travis Kelce is not just an athlete, he's transcended that. He has been a guest host on Saturday Night Live. He's just a multi-talented guy and very charismatic.

"So how the whole thing came about is through Bruce Zoldan, who is my most active and loyal client. He operates the largest retailer of recreational fireworks, Phantom Fireworks, in the US. His son Alex is a really close friend of Travis Kelce."

Bruce, a regular at the Kentucky Derby, extended an invitation to Travis Kelce this year, sparking an unexpected partnership. "Bruce attends the Kentucky Derby every year and he invited Travis Kelce this year and that's where I met him. We talked about buying into one of the horses.

"I'd been trying to buy a horse but couldn't find anything suitable. Then this one just happened to come along with the name Swift Delivery. It's kind of an amazing coincidence.

"Mark Casse the trainer owned him with another client who got frustrated when he didn't show anything. They put him in a digital sale and Gary Barber bought him for $55,000 [ £41,000] and the first time he ran it, it won by 16 1⁄2 lengths."

"Gary Barber, who I own a lot of horses with, knew I was looking for a horse to buy for Travis, and we worked out a deal to buy a quarter of the horse."

Since Kelce's involvement, Swift Delivery has shown impressive form, notably placing second in the Toronto Cup and clinching a win at Woodbine. Swift Delivery has run five times since Kelce became involved, finishing second in the Toronto Cup in August then winning an allowance race at Woodbine on Sunday, collecting a first prize of £25,000.

The racing world buzzes with excitement as Swift Delivery might grace the tracks at Saratoga, drawing new fans to the sport. Swift Delivery's success could help bring more followers to racing with the New York Racing Association already floating the idea of the horse running at the prestigious Saratoga meet this summer.

Irwin believes that Kelce's popularity, coupled with Taylor Swift's star power, is a boon for horse racing. Irwin added: "Travis is very popular, there is the connection with Taylor Swift who is as popular as it gets. I think it's a great thing for racing because we need all the positive publicity we can get."