Swift Delivery, a racehorse partly owned by pop star Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, finished second Saturday at the Toronto Cup.

The thoroughbred had been on a winning streak, finishing first in its previous two performances, but there was no chance of trying to be the greatest against a horse named Piper’s Factor this weekend.

The race was held, out of all places, at Woodbine Racetrack’s E.P. Taylor turf in Toronto.

With second place, Swift Delivery and jockey Patrick Husbands earned their team 20 per cent of the $125,000 purse for the 1.6-kilometre race.

But cash was not the only prize on Saturday. Woodbine spokesperson Leanne Elnicki said Swift Delivery’s connection to the pop icon drew many new faces to the track, which does not charge for attendance at most events.

“We definitely saw an uptick in young women, I can say that unequivocally,” Ms. Elnicki said in an interview after the race.

For the love of Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce is redefining the bro code

If the cynics were outraged, Woodbine welcomed the attention. “We love when new people discover our sport, and if it means discovering it through, you know, the connection of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, hey, we’re all for it,” Ms. Elnicki said.

Mr. Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs tight end and winner of three National Football League Super Bowls, has reportedly been dating Ms. Swift since last year, drawing a surge of interest in the athlete’s activities from “Swifties” around the world.

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Team Valor International, a stable of partnership-owned racehorses, announced Tuesday that Mr. Kelce “recently acquired a significant share” of its interest in 3-year-old Swift Delivery, bred in Kentucky.

Swift Delivery had its first four starts at Woodbine before heading to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, for two races last spring. “After back-to-back thirds in the Sunshine State, Swift Delivery was able to shake it off and win consecutive races at Woodbine,” the horse racing operator said in a news release earlier this week.

The horse’s trainer, Mark E. Casse, who was quoted in the release, described himself as a Taylor Swift fan and said Mr. Kelce placed a good bet by investing in Swift Delivery.

“This is great for horse racing and hopefully on Saturday, we can deliver,” he said.

But the horse had a slow start at the Toronto Cup, trailing in last place for a while. Swift Delivery had to fight to have the upper hand and the crowds in the stands went wild when it overtook most of the competition from the outside.

Ultimately, however, it was too late for the jockey and his black horse to come around and end up on top.