Life is Good: Kentucky star Reed Sheppard promotes racehorse through NIL deal

Life is definitely good right now for Kentucky true freshman sensation Reed Sheppard.

Hours after sinking a game-winning buzzer beater Tuesday night against Mississippi State, Sheppard announced a new NIL deal with WinStar Farm to promote stallion Life is Good.

Sheppard is the fourth Kentucky athlete to partner in an NIL deal with a racehorse. Last August, former Big Blue basketball star Oscar Tshiebwe also promoted Life is Good in a deal with WinStar. Plus, former UK quarterback Will Levis endorsed Clairborne Farm’s War of Will and receiver Dane Key promoted WinStar Farms stallion Nashville in 2022.

“Reed Sheppard is all about what we believe in at WinStar – being a good teammate (partner), conducting himself with humility and giving 100% in all he does,” Elliott Walden, president, CEO, and racing manager of WinStar Farm, said in a statement. “We think he is a great fit for Life Is Good and WinStar Farm.”

Reed Sheppard a freshman superstar

Reed Sheppard and Life is Good are stars in their respective sports.

Sheppard – the son of Kentucky legends Jeff and Stacey Sheppard and a London, Kentucky, native – has carved out a role for himself as a true freshman. The former four-star recruit and top-40 prospect in the 2023 class is averaging 28.2 minutes with 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.14 assists. Plus, he’s shooting 51.7% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Additionally, his heroics Tuesday night further cemented him in Kentucky lore as one of the Wildcats’ most beloved homegrown players in a long time. Sheppard scored a career-high 32 points, including the final two, while also piling up seven assists, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

“It was really cool,” Sheppard said. “Growing up, as a little kid, I always wanted to play at Kentucky. So, being out there and being able to hit a game-winning shot for Kentucky was really cool. It was really special for me. To be able to do it with this group of guys that are really, really close off the court was really special.”

Life is Good has amassed earnings of $4,541,700 for CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm. He’s won nine of 12 career starts. His first in-foal mares commanded up to $1.2 million and $800,000. His biggest career victory came in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Life is Good won the race by 5 ¾ length – the largest margin of victory at the 2021 Breeders’ Cup.

Sheppard’s budding NIL resume

This is the latest NIL deal in Reed Sheppard’s growing portfolio.

Earlier this week, Sheppard and teammate Rob Dillingham announced NIL agreements with Donatos, a Lexington pizza institution with five locations in the area.

“We’re your official Donatos Duo,” Sheppard said in the promotional video. “Order our favorite pizzas at any Lexington location and get a limited-edition poster. My favorite pizza is the hot honey, and you can add banana peppers if you want it ‘Reed Style.'”

With more than 85,000 social media followers, the homegrown hero has inked endorsement deals with The Dairy Alliance, Topps, Planet Fitness and the Robert Alexander Center for Recovery.

“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

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