( CNN ) -- With owners ranging from onetime Presidents of the United States through Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Makhtoum to the Queen of England herself , horse racing is known as the 'Sport of Kings ' for good reason . If you 're going to be a player , you 're likely to need near-limitless funds . Occasionally though , a relative pauper does manage to gatecrash the party every once in a while . Take Dave Dillon , who works as a hotel controller in Chicago -- and who 's absolutely convinced of one thing . `` I make no bones about the being the luckiest guy alive , '' he volunteered within seconds of speaking to CNN . It 's a big call that only seems more fanciful when you learn that Dillon , 59 , has been granted a long-term medical leave of absence following surgery to treat prostate cancer . Having bought into some 25-30 horses over the years , too many of which suffered from a case of the 'slows ' -- as he laughingly puts it -- Dillon made a $ 5,000 transaction that would change his life . Five years and $ 700,000 later , the expectation is that there 's plenty more to come . For when Dillon chose to buy 5 % of a horse that nobody had wanted at a sales auction just weeks earlier , he bought a yearling that would not only win the most famous race in the United States -- the Kentucky Derby -- but also the world 's richest race -- the $ 10m Dubai World Cup . `` When Animal Kingdom went through sales in 2009 , no one bid on him so they brought him back and re-syndicated him . Team Valor -- the partnership that owned Animal Kingdom -- syndicated him for $ 100,000 and I bought 5 % , '' Dillon expands . `` On the racetrack , he earned $ 8.8m . '' The numbers are as extraordinary as Animal Kingdom 's supreme career , which sparkled so brightly Dillon could well receive another $ 1m in stud fees . In late 2012 , 75 % of Animal Kingdom was sold to an Australian stud farm called Arrowfield , which was chosen for its proven track record and because the deal allowed the horse 's investors to remain involved . Three months later , the champion horse won the Dubai World Cup -- with the success swiftly prompting Sheikh Mohammed , whose entry had been beaten by Animal Kingdom , to come on board . His U.S.-based stud farm Darley bought a 29 % stake in Animal Kingdom , with Arrowfield owning 51 % , leaving Team Valor with the remaining 20 % . The figures are important because even though Dillon now owns just 1 % of Animal Kingdom , this slender stake should still be enough to ensure a pampered retirement . `` There is no way you can explain how surreal this whole adventure has been , because we have n't made the real money yet , '' he said . `` His stud fee in Australia is $ 35,000 and he was recently mated to around 100 mares there . `` At the end of the southern hemisphere season , he was shuttled to Kentucky and is currently in the middle of his first season there . `` His American stud fee is $ 35,000 and it appears his Kentucky season will show him bred to 145 mares . `` So he 'll generate between $ 7-9m in stud fees if he 's successful but you wo n't know that until the first crop race . Then it could go up or down . But the fact he could generate $ 8-9m in fees for 10- to 15 years is the most amazing part for me . '' Which means Dillon could make a return in excess of 30,000 % on his investment . `` One of the rules of investing is finding the smartest guy in any industry and grabbing onto their coattails , '' said Dillon , explaining his decision to invest in Animal Kingdom . `` This success is all about Barry Irwin , the chairman of Team Valor , and I like to think the only smart thing I did was grab onto his coattails and hang on . '' As with many racehorses , Animal Kingdom 's ownership was shared among a syndicate or , as it 's more commonly known in the U.S. , a partnership . The practice allows several investors to own a share of a horse for an affordable price , one that also enables them to feel like owners as they attend a race day . The costs can vary greatly -- from as little as $ 140 in the United Kingdom to take part in an sizable syndicate of 100-odd investors to far heftier fees that start with a minimum investment of $ 42,000 . `` There are various ways that people come into racing , and syndicates are a good way of testing the water , '' James Bethell , who runs the small Clarendon Thoroughbred Racing syndicate in northern England , told CNN . `` Investors do n't have to make a great outlay , and they soon get a feel about whether they want to go any further . '' Dillon says his good fortune was to invest with Team Valor but he 's being modest , for he researched intensely before gambling on a man who also knew about leaps of faith . In 1969 , Team Valor chairman Irwin gave up a fiction writing career to work as a horseracing journalist and broadcaster -- a role he exploited to the full . `` I drove a lot of famous people nuts , asking them questions , '' he says on Team Valor 's website . `` But there were things I wanted to know and I was in a perfect place to pester racing 's greats for answers . '' Nine years in , he used his acquired knowledge to become a bloodstock agent before then switching to operating a stable of syndicated racehorses in 1987 . As a result of addressing conventional wisdom with a sledgehammer , Irwin 's reward has been a glut of glittering trophies . `` What separates me from other people is that I only care about how the horses look and move -- namely , studying their athleticism and body , '' he told CNN . `` Most people are hung up on pedigree but when I started out , I did n't have that much money so that 's why we adopted our strategy . '' So Irwin relegated the importance of a horse 's lineage ( pedigree ) below talent , athleticism , soundness and temperament , and the results have been spectacular . Team Valor horses have won at least 25 Grade 1 races around the world , but Irwin feels Animal Kingdom defines his approach . `` He had a Brazilian sire , which nobody previously cared about , and a German mare . I went for it and bought both , did the mating and breeding , and thankfully it worked out , '' he said . `` When I buy a horse , I 'm looking for a particular style that will be effective . And I 'll tell you something I wo n't expand upon -- American racing is not about class , but about racing style and speed . '' Despite the gains he has made by largely ignoring pedigree , Irwin says he does n't see anyone copying his approach . So it 's ironic that Team Valor 's contrary policy will be further rewarded as wannabe Grade 1 winners queue up to pay a small fortune for an Animal Kingdom foal . All in the hope of sharing the parade rings and winners ' enclosures with some of the world 's most powerful people -- a holy grail Dillon is still wholly surprised to be part of .
How investor 's $ 5,000 stake in a horse will return well over a million dollars . Hotel controller Kentucky Derby invested in the United Kingdom in 10- to 15 years . Horse has since won Dave Dillon and Team Valor 's , the sport 's richest race . Animal Kingdom has now entered lucrative world of breeding .