Sharon Magness Blake

Sharon Magness Blake (née Costello, born 1950) is a philanthropist and Arabian horse breeder who lives near Denver, Colorado. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the oldest of James and Esther Costello's six children. She is the widow and second wife of Bob Magness (1924-1996), founder of Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI). Their first meeting involved business dealings and a common interest in Arabian horses. Bob Magness and his first wife of 36 years, Betsy, were active in the business of breeding and racing Arabian horses in the early 1980s when they first met Sharon Costello. She was working as a sales manager for an Arabian horse breeding operation. Betsy conducted most of the business transactions with Sharon over the course of about 4 years. Sharon later started selling equine insurance. Sharon handled all of the administration including registration and shipping. She agreed to lend the team her 1983 Arabian stallion, JB Kobask, who became known as Thunder, the team's first live mascot and one of three Arabian horses to portray the role. Thunder made his debut appearance on September 12, 1993 during a Broncos victory over the San Diego Chargers. Sharon scaled down the breeding operation to around fifteen horses over time. In 2004, she married her second husband, Ernie Blake, an attorney and mayor of Breckenridge, CO. who shared her love of horses.