Swift Delivery may have finished second in his stakes debut, the Aug. 31 Toronto Cup Stakes at Woodbine, but that has not dampened the spirit of National Football League superstar and part-owner Travis Kelce.

“We still have a lot of faith in him,” Kelce said during a Sept. 4 episode of the “New Heights Podcast” that he co-hosts alongside his brother and fellow Super Bowl champion, Jason.

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On the podcast that recently inked a three-year deal with Amazon worth $100 million, the Kansas City Chief’s tight end delved deeper into his decision to join Team Valor International as a partner in purchasing a share of Gary Barber’s 3-year-old Not This Time gelding.

“I got on board because it was fun, and I could team up with a good friend of mine,” Kelce said.

Alex Zoldan, whose family owns Phantom Fireworks, has been a good friend of Kelce’s since he entered the NFL. The Zoldans hosted Kelce at the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs and Bruce Zoldan joined Team Valor on Swift Delivery. Equibase lists the 3-year-old’s owners as Barber, Team Valor International, Travis Kelce, Bruce Zoldan, and Steven Rocco.

“I had one of the best times ever at the Derby,” Kelce said. “I was like, ‘Man, it would be fun to get involved and see one of your horses in a race. It seems like it would be a fun thing to be a part of.’”

The name Swift Delivery caused a stir on social media when his involvement was announced on BloodHorse Aug. 27. Kelce has been dating world-famous singer and songwriter Taylor Swift since last fall.

Travis Kelce tacks on a few yards after the catch. (WikiMedia Commons/All-Pro Reels)

“Did the name prompt interest?” Jason Kelce asked.

“When the stars align, it feels good to jump on board,” Travis responded.

Later in the podcast, he added, “[Team Valor] asked me if I wanted to jump in on a 3-year-old that they had and the name was — it made sense to team up with this one, it being Swift Delivery.”

Kelce admitted his lack of knowledge about the sport, telling his brother that he had no answer for specific questions about Swift Delivery’s career path, but did express genuine interest in learning one of America’s oldest sports when explaining different running styles to his audience, which is made up of many people who may not follow Thoroughbred racing.

Jason, who retired from the NFL earlier this year, joked several times about measuring the horse’s heart size — a reference to when the former Philadelphia Eagles star received backlash on social media in May for implying that Secretariat had a large heart due to performance-enhancing drugs, stating many human athletes used the substances in the 1970s. Jason would later issue an apology for the comment on X.

“Everything’s regulated now, Jason,” Travis said. “We actually care about the horses.”

As far as Mark Casse-trained Swift Delivery, he is doing well following his runner-up performance in Toronto on yielding turf. Two earlier victories had come on firm turf and fast Tapeta.

“It was weird weather, the ground wasn’t in its best-suited racetrack for Swift Delivery,” Kelce said.

Team Valor’s Barry Irwin also confirmed to BloodHorse that the ground played a role in the defeat, stating jockey Patrick Husbands reported that the gelding “was never handling it.”

Irwin said Swift Delivery will next point to the Oct. 19 Ontario Derby, a Grade 3 race at 1 1/8 miles on Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta surface.