Rob Gronkowski has been called a beast and an animal. Now he’s buying his namesake, a racehorse who is literally a beast and an animal.

Homo sapien Gronk — a 28-year-old tight end who played in the Super Bowl with New England just two months ago — is acquiring a minority stake in horse Gronkowski, a 3-year-old colt set to run in the Kentucky Derby on May 5. The news was first reported in the Wall Street Journal.

“I’ve never dealt with horses,” the human Gronkowski told the Wall Street Journal. “Hopefully I can get a ride on the horse.”

He may have to be careful not to crush his investment, which is hardly Clydesdale-sized. The five-time Pro Bowl tight end is 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, or roughly 150 pounds more than the typical 115-pound jockey his namesake would carry.

“That’s what I want to know,” said Gronkowski, who expects to meet the horse in Louisville, Ky., a few days before the Run for the Roses. “I’m not trying to ride it for a full-speed ride. I just want to get the feel of what it’s like to be on top of one. Maybe I’ll go for a full-speed ride once I get comfortable.”

The owners chose the name because he was “big and strong.” The European-based colt, undefeated through three starts on synthetic surfaces, punched his ticket to Louisville when he won the Burradon Stakes in England. The fact his horse is listed at 80-1 by the Las Vegas Superbook to wear the roses did not hamper the upbeat Human Gronk, even as his NFL future has been in question.

After the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss in February, Gronkowski told reporters that he’d “sit down in the next couple of weeks and see where I’m at” before deciding on his future plans.

ESPN reported he’s undecided about playing this season, and he skipped the start of voluntary workouts on Monday, while splashing around in the pool with Sports Illustrated swimsuit model girlfriend Camille Kostek on Tuesday.

–With Vic Cangialosi