A new year begins with lots to look forward to!  Our first starter of the year was the filly, Three Arch Bay, at Penn National on January 7^th. While she did not win, she did turn in a greatly improved race, rallying strongly in her first try at a distance to finish a closing 3^rd, beaten just over one length for the win. This was her first on the board finish in four lifetime starts. It was by far her best race, a real step forward. Recall she was totally up the track the first two races, a well beaten 4^th last time, so a close, closing 3^rd is clearly moving in the right direction. Have to be pleased with where we are now with her compared to where we were just a few weeks ago. Good way to start the year.

The following day at Gulfstream Park, Title Fight sat a perfect trip in 3^rd, under leading rider Javier Castellano and simply couldn’t quicken when the real running came, finishing 5^th. Javier made the exact same comment as hall of fame rider Edgar Prado, who rode him previously, “the horse feels good, tries hard, and simply doesn’t have a strong enough finishing kick”. Bottom line, he’s just not as fast as these kind of horses. We’ll look for a softer spot and a longer distance next time at Gulfstream. If that doesn’t do the trick, he’ll ship up to Penn National, where the racing is a lot less competitive (for about the same money). Since he’s sound and honest, he should perform very well there, if we go that route. Recall last year when we sent Selma Gayle up north after running 12^th and 10^th beaten 20+ lengths for us at Gulfstream in the winter, she reeled off three straight easy wins for us at Penn. This is a far better horse than she ever was and has run much better at Gulfstream than she did, so chances are very good he’d look like a different horse, if we ended up going that route.

All our horses are training well, we are looking for races for Big Apple Brit, Three Arch Bay and Titanium Jo for the coming week, while Unspoken Quality is in the 10^th race January 14^th at Gulfstream Park and he looks to have a real good shot in a large field there.

Sonny’s Pharoah is ready to return to training and will ship in from Daydream farm to trainer Mark Salvaggio shortly.

On Saturday January 9^th, a group of Kenwood Co-Owners met at Kenwood president Jack Czajkowski’s home near Monmouth Park, as we introduced our new active racing group, which will include a stable of horses based at Belmont Park for racing in New York, with a top New York trainer. Look for more details soon as Kenwood Racing expands into the New York market!

On Sunday January 10^th, our old friend Sky Ace was beaten 25 lengths at Gulfstream Park (see chart). He’s never come close to hitting the board in his career to date. For that matter, he’s never been in the hunt for any part of any race since being claimed from us at Belmont Park last fall. We really liked the horse when we purchased him at OBS last spring, but when he showed absolutely no ability in his training, we ran him where we thought he belonged in his debut and he was claimed from us for $40,000. If we had kept him, we’d have had $25,000 more in expenses and $40,000 less from the claim, quite a difference. That’s part of the game, and why you don’t want to overpay at sales because no matter how much work you do, some horses just have no ability, get hurt, don’t want to be a racehorse, etc. It’s also why you run them in the right spots, not worrying about the occasional one someone claims from you that turns out to have been a good buy (and with us that happens VERY rarely!). 

Kenwood Racing founder & Co-Managing Partner H. Robb Levinsky will one of the featured speakers at the 2nd annual National Owner Conference, to be held at Gulfstream Park from January 11-14th. Robb will be speaking on a panel called "Acquiring Your Thoroughbred Racehorse - What Are Your Options?" on Tuesday, January 12th, and will be speaking at several breakout sessions during the conference.

December is usually a slow month for everyone in the game, so there's not a lot of current action to report for our final stable notes of 2015, but some decent efforts and a lot to look forward to for the New Year ahead…

Huamantla was a dull 6^th on December 2^nd at Penn National. After several sub-par efforts following her debut win for us, we decided she needed a freshening and she went to War Horses at Rose Bower Farm in Virginia for some R&R. We expect to have her ready for turf racing in the spring.

A large crowd was on hand for opening weekend at Gulfstream Park to see two Kenwood runners compete on Sunday December 6^th. Both Unspoken Quality and Title Fight were 3^rd in solid efforts. The peak winter meet at Gulfstream is always tough, with large, competitive fields racing for relatively modest purses. Great racing, but not an easy place to make money. We think off these good races, both horses can be competitive in Florida this winter.

On December 9^th at Penn National, Three Arch Bay made a step forward, a closing 4^th , which while by no means great was MUCH better than her last race, which in turn was better than her first. Horses do take time and develop at different schedules. If she moves forward next time at a longer distance as much as she did this time, we’re going to be in decent shape here. Fingers crossed! Her next start is scheduled for mid-January at Penn National.

On December 16^th, Titanium Jo ran hard at Penn National, finishing a closing 2^nd against a solid field of allowance horses. Well back early in a race shorter than her preferred distance, she rallied strongly in the stretch to catch the two favorites for 2^nd, while about 3 lengths behind the winner. This is a nice honest filly who gives it her best. If we can find a similar spot at a slightly longer distance next time, she’ll be tough to beat. Nice to have another good effort from her to end the year and head for the new one!

On December 27^th, Unspoken Quality was our final starter of 2015. He lost some ground when he hopped as the gate opened, but recovered quickly and in a good, ground-saving ride finished a hard-trying 3^rd, well behind the winner and just ahead of several other horses who he simply outran to the wire. He was running at twice the level we paid for him because he was ready to run and there was no other spot available (welcome to Gulfstream!) so this was another very decent effort, following up on a good 3^rd Dec. 6^th at Gulfstream (above). This horse has never finished out of the money for us in 4 starts since purchasing him privately. If we can get him into a slightly softer spot next time, he should have a good shot of breaking his maiden. He’s sound and tries hard every time, a good and hard to find combination. Note that Sky Ace, our old friend from group #24 was also in this race and finished a dull 8^th, far back and never in the hunt. He was claimed from us for $40,000 in New York in his debut; we were smart to place him properly and very fortunate he was claimed, as is usually the case with claiming horses.

Title Fight had a nice 5 furlong maintenance work at Gulfstream on December 30^th and is ready for one of a couple of possible spots on January 8^th to begin the New Year.

With Parx and Penn National both closed for the next couple of weeks (Parx until Feb. actually), we’ll have to wait to run Big Apple Brit, Three Arch Bay, and maybe Titanium Jo until the middle of January. All are doing well.

As the year ends, it is worth re-reading our Blog post, Kenwood's record with horses claimed from us speaks volumes. A total of 10 horses were claimed from Kenwood Racing in 2015 for $247,500. Exactly one horse (Scuba Sue) won as much as a single race for their new owners. At some point, a few of the others will get to the winner’s circle, but it’s obvious as a group, these horses were very well sold and our trainers (and we) got as much, if not more run from them as anyone.

A new year begins with a lot to look forward to, some very exciting new plans on the horizon. May the horse be with you all in 2016 and beyond, we appreciate your support!

Not as much action this time of year, but the big news for Kenwood Racing was at Laurel Park on November 14^th, as Titanium Jo got a good trip and was simply outclassed by a very, very contentious group of horses, finishing 7^th in the Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel. Jockey Tyler Connor said she tried every step of the way.  The track was speed-favoring all day, which didn’t help, but he had her in an excellent, ground-saving position, grabbed the rail turning for home, and she simply was outrun to the wire. This couldn't have been a tougher group, they ran faster than the males ran in a stake a few races earlier.  Note: Jo went off at over 100 to 1 odds coming off two wins and a third in her last three starts, so you can see she was facing a salty bunch indeed.

A few hours later at Penn National, Fuego Mi Amor ran much better than her last couple of races, coming on strong to finish 4^th, in a lower level 6 furlong claiming race. This filly simply has not turned out to be a quality racehorse, despite her fine pedigree, a lesson in how uncertain the breeding game is. You breed the best to the best and hope for the best, as the old saying goes.

On November 18^th at Penn National, there was little good to report from Three Arch Bay, as she finished 7^th of 9 horses, with no excuse. She improved modestly over her debut, (7th beaten 9 lengths this evening, compared to 8^th beaten over 20 lengths in her debut), but make no mistake about it, this is not a good racehorse. Since young horses do improve, she merits one more try, to see if she moves forward a little more. If not, she’ll be retired to a safe home.

On November 19^th at Gulfstream Park West, Title Fight got a terrific ride from hall of fame rider Edgar Prado. He was in ideal stalking position, moved up to challenge for the lead turning for home, and then flattened out to finish 4^th. While he looked like a winner on the turn and we hated to see him lose ground in the stretch, it was a huge step forward from his poor last race over this surface, especially as this was a somewhat more competitive group. Recall last time, he really didn’t care for this sandy surface. Racing returns to the real Gulfstream next month and we think off this race, he should run very well there next time. He looks super and trains like a good horse at Gulfstream, so we think we are heading in the right direction here.

A few minutes after Title Fight’s race, Proven Warrior broke a few steps slow, rushed up to grab the lead, ran hard and well, but tired late to finish 3^rd at Churchill Downs. He clearly didn’t want to stretch out to 7 furlongs, however this was the only spot available and he gave it his best. The good news is, as planned, he was claimed from us out of the race. With the claim price just $1,000 less than what we paid for him, plus the 3^rd money today and his win last month, we came out pretty well here. This horse is a runner, but he has some issues and he was properly managed to get maximum value here, while of course treating the horse right in the process.

Finally, we close with a re-print from a recent article from The Blood-Horse on the growth of Maryland racing and the progress that is starting to unfold at Laurel Park. The Stronach Group is to be commended for making a serious commitment to revitalizing racing in Maryland and the results are starting to show. Attendance, field size and purses are all up, and it looks like it’s just the beginning. It’s an open secret that Pimlico will be closed and racing will be conducted at Laurel Park year round, which makes total sense from any perspective. Laurel has the best location, the best facility to work with, and if the work done in 2015 is any indication, it’s going to be a beautiful facility and the future is very bright

Maryland's Growth Potential Focus of Meeting

By Tom LaMarra

Maryland racing stakeholders the evening of Nov. 20 received a status report on the state of the industry, and they were told there is great potential for growth in the state.

The Maryland Jockey Club reported that almost 400 people—horsemen, industry representatives, government officials, and racing fans—attended the town hall meeting at Laurel Park, which has undergone millions of dollars in renovations this year. Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns the MJC, said pari-mutuel handle is up almost $60 million this year.

"Over the past 10 months we've invested nearly $20 million into our facilities," Ritvo said. "The support from horsemen has been wonderful. Mr. Stronach believes there is great potential in Maryland racing, but we must continue to improve our business. We must have a high level of integrity, have a safe environment for our customers, take care of our retired horses, widen our network of fans, and continue to grow the business."

LaMarra: Maryland Continues Rebuild of Racing Program

Though the Laurel grandstand and clubhouse have been the focus of this year's upgrades, Ritvo reiterated the 2016 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) will be held at Pimlico Race Course. The MJC earlier this year publicly discussed the possibility of eventually moving the second leg of the Triple Crown to Laurel.

"This place is going to be world-class," said Bruce Quade, a member of the Maryland Racing Commission. "Believe me—The Stronach Group is walking the walk. Maryland racing's best days are yet to come."

Ritvo again mentioned that the MJC is interested a future bid to host the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

A relatively quiet week, typical for November, with three starters, but the big race of the month looms…

On November 5th, Big Apple Brit ran his usual honest race, to finish a fast closing 3^rd, beaten just over 2 lengths for the win, coming from dead last with a flying finish at Penn National. It was shorter than his preferred distance and they ran very fast for the level. This horse almost always comes up with a good effort. Off this race, he should be tough to beat if we can get a similar spot in a route race next time. Brit has been with us over 2 years now and what he lacks in racing ability, he makes up for in soundness and heart.

The next day, Unspoken Quality got a good ride and a good trip and ran a good race, finishing 3^rd, just one jump short of catching the 2^nd horse, in a photo finish at Gulfstream Park West. He handled the turf ok, after running a bit greenly on it in the first part of the race, but it didn’t seem to move him up as we had hoped for. This horse appears to be exactly what we expected when we purchased him privately for a bargain price a few weeks ago, a sound, honest runner who tries hard on a variety of surfaces-distances. He’s had a 2^nd and a 3^rd for us in two starts so far, both at considerably higher levels than what we paid for him. We don’t think he’ll make us famous, but we do think he’ll win money and get us in the winner’s circle. We’ll look for a similar spot, probably on dirt for his next start, either right at the end of the month at Gulfstream West or right at the beginning of December when Gulfstream opens for the winter season.

A race for JW Racer finally went at Laurel Park on November 8^th to end the week, after 6 previous races failed to fill at various tracks. We can’t say it was worth the wait, as he had a rough trip and finished a well beaten 5^th. He was between horses much of the way, dropped back to dead last, rallied slightly in the stretch, but did not run the race we had expected, so we were not sorry to see him claimed from us here. We liked this horse, but after winning his debut he’s had two really poor races in a row, so the claim probably came at a good time.

A little education here about entries; to quote racing secretary Georganne Hale at Laurel Park, when we called to ask her to use the race for JW Racer she said “we haven’t had a two year old winner’s race go all year”. In other words, once a two year old won their maiden race, there has been no place to run them in Maryland during all of 2015. We entered this horse at multiple tracks for weeks with no luck. As explained in previous blogs and emails, most races you see each day at any track are for maidens or cheap claimers. When you have a good upper level claiming or allowance horse, the opportunities can be few and far between, especially with two year olds, since (as also mentioned detailed previously) only 40% of horses win a single race at age two. In other words, there’s not a lot of two year old winners to draw from. If you have one, you’ve beaten the odds with that horse! Just like there are hundreds of thousands of people each year who want to play pro basketball or football or tennis, and only a handful make it. There are roughly 25,000 horses born each year; only a few hundred become stakes horses, perhaps a couple thousand become allowance horses, and the rest are (mostly very cheap) claimers. That’s why there are lots of cheap claiming races and much few races for the better horses.

Chuck Peery reports that Proven Warrior came out of his win last week excellent. He’s pointing him for a race November 19^th at Churchill Downs.

Long May You Run and Mackinaw Pharoah arrived safely at War Horses farm in Virginia, on November 6^th for a little R&R. No problems with either horse and no long down time expected. LMYR just needs a little freshening after a long season and Mackinaw needs a little time to mature into hopefully a much better three year old grass horse.

Title Fight is doing well and ready to run. There’s a race for him in about 10 days at Gulfstream Park West.

The past performances for the horses nominated for the Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel Park on November 14^th are out and Titanium Jo is as ready as we can get her, for this important opportunity for a $100,000 purse and black type, which would mean a lot to her future value when she is sold as a broodmare prospect, besides the purse money.

Don’t forget the 2^nd annual national owners conference at Gulfstream Park in January, with Kenwood Racing’s own Robb Levinsky speaking on one of the featured panels, "Acquiring Your Racehorse". Sign up now at www.ownerview.com/event/conference. Of course, the Kenwood team will be attending the conference, which will include live racing at Gulfstream Park with prime seating, dinners, tours, and the opportunity to attend the Eclipse Awards dinner. You’ll meet the leading people in the thoroughbred industry, attend unique social events, and see the races in style. January is the perfect time to escape the cold and see some outstanding racing in South Florida. Plan to stay through the following weekend and enjoy the races!  We’ll make space in our finish-line box for Kenwood people attending the conference on a first come, first served basis.

The final week of October began with a good workout, included our first win of October, and ended with our Breeders' Cup party at Monmouth Park.

Titanium Jo had a terrific workout at Penn National on Tuesday October 27^th, the best of the day. She’s right on schedule for the Safely Kept stakes Nov. 14^th at Laurel Park and could not being doing any better.

A busy and exciting weekend began with a win for Proven Warrior at Indiana Grand Racecourse on October 29th. Dropping into a much softer spot than his tough race at Keeneland opening day, he battled for lead most of the way, as the favorite, gained a narrow lead in the stretch and gradually drew away to win by just over 2 lengths. He was not claimed and came out of the race good. We’ll keep running him aggressively in the right spots and look to win another race (or two!), before someone decides to claim him.

The news for the evening was far less good, as Long May You Run stopped to a walk and was eased in the stretch at Penn National. While it was a very tough field, this horse always tries hard and clearly he was just not comfortable here. He walked off fine, nothing obvious fortunately, but clearly he needs a little freshening. He’ll get that at the farm for a few weeks now and hopefully he’ll return running this winter.

On October 30^th, at Penn National, we had a two horse entry with Three Arch Bay making her career debut and Mackinaw Pharoah, looking to move forward off her debut last month at Monmouth Park. When the dust had cleared, they were the two last horses across the line. Not a good night for us! Mackinaw Pharoah ran a bit better then in her debut, as she bore out sharply at the start, rushed up to establish a good stalking position and then tired in the stretch. We have felt all along that her future is on the grass and we still feel she’ll be a decent grass horse. That said, we’d have liked to see her hang in better here. As for Three Arch Bay, jockey Clinton Potts (who worked her at Penn last week and liked her) said she ran with her head up in the air and had no idea what was going on. He felt she’d run a lot better next time (as most first time starters do) but then again, having been last the entire way here, she couldn’t possibly run any worse! Next time will tell the story with her. If she shows genuine improvement, then this race won’t matter in the long run.

The week ended with our private party for Kenwood Racing partners and co-owners. It was a very enjoyable afternoon of racing, watching some incredible Breeders' Cup races from the beautiful Garden Room at Monmouth Park on October 31^st. Thanks to all who were able to join us. The feedback was very positive and we’ll plan to have this event again next year!  We had a starter at The Meadowlands on closing day for New Jersey racing for 2015 on Breeder’s Cup day; Huamantla made a big move on the far turn, but flattened out to finish 5^th of 9 horses. It was a move forward from her well beaten 8^th last time, but obviously still not a winning effort. She’ll ship to Penn National for the winter now and placed in softer spots there, will get back on the winning track, as so many others have for us in the capable hands of trainer Mark Salvaggio.

A quiet week as few races went and lots of horses are looking for spots to run. Not unusual for this time of year, as racing slows down for the season at many northern tracks.

On Monday, October 19th, Titanium Jo, JW Racer, Hardrainsgonnafall and Three Arch Bay shipped to Penn National for the winter. All arrived well and began training the next day. Three Arch Bay is pointing for her debut on October 30^th at Penn. JW Racer was entered twice for races that did not go, he’s doing super and we’re hoping for something the first week of November at Laurel or Penn National. It's tough to find a race at almost any level for two year old winners right now.

Titanium Jo is training well for her start in the $100,000 Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel Park on November 14^th.

Another good workout for Mackinaw Pharoah last week.  We are really happy with how she’s progressed since her debut, with three really positive workouts since. We’ve entered her five times at The Meadowlands, short & long and even against males. They just aren’t using any 2 year old maiden races and The Meadowlands is about the only place left for turf races. We have two more chances next week for The Meadowlands. Neither race is perfect, but we’ll run her if either race goes. If not, she’ll ship to Penn next weekend, run there on dirt once, and then get some time off at the farm for the winter.

Unspoken Quality and Title Fight are both doing well in Florida and hopefully both will run in the next week at Gulfstream Park West.

Huamantla was good out of her last. There’s a race on closing day at The Meadowlands on October 31^st. After that, she ships to Penn for the winter.

Fuego Mi Amor was our lone starter for the week, on October 24^th at Penn National. Facing a 10 horse field after an off race on the slop last time, she had a good trip from the outside #9 post in a big field, moved comfortably into 3^rd on the backstretch in a nice stalking spot and then flattened out in the stretch. She finished a tired 8^th, with no excuse. Last time, she didn’t care for the sloppy surface, but in this race, she just didn’t have any kick when asked. We’re going to take one last shot sprinting her next time, to see if that helps.

Long May You Run gets in a 10 horse field at Penn National next Thursday October 29^th. While it’s a large field and a tougher spot than ideally we’d prefer, it’s the level he’s done well at and at his home track and he’s training well. Also next Thursday, Proven Warrior runs in the 3^rd race at Indiana Grand Racecourse, about 4:00 pm. It's a full 12 horse field, but he’s ready for a good effort if he can get to the lead early. 

Last chance to sign up for our Breeder’s Cup party at Monmouth on October 31^st. There will be free food and drinks and you can wager on all Breeder’s Cup races. We'll be there all afternoon and all are welcome, but you do need to RSVP if you haven’t yet, as we will have a list of names at the door. 

Another week of racing, as fall sets in. Some of you saw our old friend Jersey Jules finish a well beaten 4^th last week at Belmont Park, in her debut for her new owners since being claimed from us at Saratoga for $40,000.  Recall we entered her in the race at Saratoga looking for her to be claimed. We loved the horse, but she had issues that we felt were going to limit her future racing career. She had earned almost $100,000 for us and by selling her for $40,000 we came out with a nice profit. In the last few years, we’ve had four high-profile Kenwood runners claimed from us out of high priced claiming races in New York and Maryland: Brown Eyed Nance, claimed from us for $32,000; Charlie Renee, claimed from us for $50,000; Michael With Us, claimed from us for $50,000; and Jersey Jules, claimed from us for $40,000, as detailed above. All four of these horses were profitable for us and to date, NONE of these horses have won so much as a single race for their new owners. Can a horse leave our barn and win and make money for the new owners? Of course, without question, it’s going to happen from time to time. Hindsight is 20/20, nobody is perfect. That said, while it may seem disappointing when a horse that has been successful for us is claimed away, the record shows we do this for a reason, and it’s almost always the right move. If we had kept the above four very popular horses, Kenwood and our co-owners would collectively have about $200,000 LESS in the bank than we do today, enough said. Here’s a Blog on the subject, Would you rather have the money or the horse?

Speaking of claims, while turning to racing news for the week, Boardwalk Run had by far the worst race of her ultra-consistent season when she was a dull 5^th on October 15th at Penn National, with no excuse. She had been in the money in nine straight starts and perhaps she’s tailing off after a long season. So, while we really like this filly, we weren’t sorry to see her claimed from us. We wish her new owners all the best with her.

On October 16^th, we had three horses running at two different tracks. Starting off at Penn National, with a good effort from Big Apple Brit, a closing 2^nd at 14 to 1, beaten just a length, despite being floated way wide on the 1^st turn. He came off two rare sub-par efforts with a big race and is back in form now.

Huamantla was shut off horribly, when making a fine move at the top of the stretch and finished 8^th at The Meadowlands; a decent effort, bad luck. She came out of the race well. It’s been a couple of hard luck races since her win at Monmouth Park. If we can get one more race on the grass for her at The Meadowlands before the end of the month, we will, and then it’s off to Penn National for the winter.

Finally for the evening, also at Penn National, This Quay Home got the perfect ride, the ideal stalking trip and simply didn’t fire when asked, finishing 5^th with no excuse. Jockey Clinton Potts said “I had her in the perfect spot, I think that’s all she’s got”. It's a shame that this filly did not work out. They are not racecars and sometimes they just mentally or physically stop being a racehorse. We paid only $12,500 to claim her and we’ll find a safe home for her as a riding horse.

Mackinaw Pharoah had another nice workout at Monmouth Park and appears to be progressing nicely. We think she’s going to turn out to be a decent turf horse and are eager to get her in a race at The Meadowlands before the meet ends there. Note just so all are clear, RACING has ended for the season at Monmouth Park, but horses continue to stable at Monmouth until racing ends at The Meadowlands, at the end of October.

Saturday October 17^th was a very good morning at Penn National, as Fuego Mi Amor and Long May You Run both trained great. Fuego galloped very strongly, while Long May You Run worked super and appears to be as good as ever. Looking forward to seeing them both in action before the end of the month.

Titanium Jo is training well towards her start in the $100,000 added Safely Kept stakes at Laurel Park on November 14^th. Mark this one in your calendars for sure!

Thanks to the 50+ people who took our co-owner surveys, we learned a lot about our program through your eyes!

The bulk of our stable will ship from Monmouth Park to Penn National for winter racing on October 19^th. A couple of turf horses will remain at Monmouth, looking for one more start at The Meadowlands before the meet ends there on October 31^st.

Speaking of October 31^st, don’t forget our Breeder’s Cup party at Monmouth Park all afternoon in a private room with food and drinks all day. All Kenwood Racing partners, co-owners and their friends are welcome. Please RSVP for details!

Back from a brief break with two weeks of stable notes. After a great summer, the fall has started off slowly for us. But we begin the news on September 29^th with a visit to the stunningly beautiful Fair Hill Training Center, based in Fair Hill, Maryland. It was owned by William du Pont, Jr., who bought the land in 1926. Dupont invested a substantial amount of money to make the property a leading breeding and training farm for his Thoroughbred horses. The State of Maryland purchased Fair Hill in 1974, converting the then 5,700 acres into an equine training complex and a natural resource center. There are 17 privately owned barns, with more than 450 stalls. There are three race tracks: a mile dirt track, a turf course, and a 7/8^ths mile track with an artificial surface (Tapeta). The campus also includes 3,000 acres (12 km²) of grasslands and woods which can be used by trainers who wish to take their horses out on trails. It’s just minutes from Delaware Park, and an easy ship to almost every mid-Atlantic track from New York to Maryland. It has an onsite veterinary clinic, with all the latest therapies. Some of the top trainers in the country train from here, and it’s easy to see why! One of the best places in the country to train a horse and a pleasure to see. Our thanks to Fair Hill manager Sally Goswell for a wonderful tour!

Then, it was off to Delaware Park on September 28^th, where JW Racer ran a very disappointing 7^th, in the feature race. The good news is jockey Sheldon Russell (a really smart rider who can tell you a lot about a horse) felt that he has plenty of talent and just was totally ‘green’ (immature). In his debut race on August 26^th also at Delaware Park, he jumped right to the lead and never looked back against a much softer field (maidens are totally different than allowance horses!), so he never had any dirt in his face until today, or any experience with it. Toss this one out and hope for a totally different result later this month.

On October 2^nd, Proven Warrior broke a bit slow in a race loaded with early speed and that was the killer in the 1^st race opening day at Keeneland. He pressed the pace much of the way and tired badly in the stretch to finish 7^th. Trainer Chuck Peery felt he trained very well into the race, but it was a super tough spot and once he couldn’t make the lead, he had no shot here. We’ll look for an easier race at a less competitive area track for his next start.

Kenwood Racing founder and co-managing partner H. Robb Levinsky was one of the featured speakers at the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) International Simulcast Conference on October 5, 2015 at The Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida. You can read about the panel discussion and Robb's thoughts in this article from The Blood-Horse magazine, Owner Recruitment, Retention Focus of Panel. The TRA, which was formed in 1942, annually hosts the International Simulcast Conference to keep the industry abreast of technological advances and other issues regarding simulcasting. The fall conference attracts more than 250 attendees each year. Robb spoke on a panel discussing how to enhance the ownership experience for new and existing owners at the racetrack. “I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with TRA members about ways we can bring new owners into this great industry and enhance the ownership experience at the racetrack,” he explained. “It was a great opportunity to offer our perspective as longtime owners who have a passion for racing and are dedicated to bringing new blood into our sport. It was an excellent panel and there were a lot of creative ideas put forward that, if implemented at each racetrack, will make owners want to be a part of our sport. We need to remember that our value proposition is that you don't have to be a billionaire to own a racehorse. For a modest investment, fans can be owners instead of spectators. People become owners mainly for the excitement, prestige and ego gratification and we must make sure that owners at every level feel like royalty whenever they go to the track and see their horse race."

October 7^th was a busy day at the races and not a bad day overall, with two close 3^rds and a debut 2^nd from three starters at two tracks and over $10,000 in purse money earned. First up, at Delaware Park, Video Mov, who was perfectly ridden, got a good trip in second, took over the lead turning for home, but couldn’t hold off two horses in deep stretch, while trying all the way to the wire, finishing 3^rd. He was claimed from us for $15,000 out of the race, we paid $12,500 for him, so we came out just slightly ahead, with three close finishes but no wins, and slight profit on the claim price.

Next at Delaware Park, Titanium Jo was in the feature race, a super tough allowance event that we were fortunate to get into, when the stake we were pointing for at Parx was cancelled due to yet another quarantine there. Jo got bounced around a bit on the first turn and found herself dead last in the early going. She commenced a strong run to gain contention on the far turn, and just couldn’t quite get past the two early leaders, finishing a strong 3^rd, beaten 2 lengths for the win and a head for 2^nd. The winner (who ran a super race, going to wire to wire despite a very fast pace) had won a stake at Pimlico this spring by 10+ lengths, so as the lone 3 year old in the race facing really good older horses, Titanium Jo put in another fine effort here. Her next start is scheduled to come in the $100,000 Safely Kept stakes at Laurel Park on November 14^th.

Finally on October 7^th, Unspoken Quality made his Kenwood debut in a distance race washed off the grass at Gulfstream Park West and ran an excellent 2^nd, splitting horses and coming from far back through the mud. The winner was much the best, but Unspoken Quality was pulling away from the rest of the field in his first start for us and first start at a distance of ground. Given the fact he was running for twice what we paid for him, it was a fine start and we appear to be in the driver’s seat with him. Congrats to the co-owners in group #26!

Title Fight ran a dull and disappointing 5^th with no excuse on October 8^th at Gulfstream Park West. Well placed, he just never fired at all. There's really no reason to pinpoint for the poor effort. A down note after three excellent races the day before.

On October 10th at Delaware Park, Hardrainsgonnafall broke sharp, made the lead fairly easily, then stopped badly when challenged to drop way back. She made up a little ground late, but still finished 7^th, beating just two horses in another disappointing effort. In her debut race on September 27^th at Monmouth Park, she was 8^th beaten 25 lengths while never seeing the lead. Here, she led early, came back a bit late, and was only beaten about 8 lengths, so it was better than her debut, but hardly what we were hoping for.

All horses at Monmouth Park trained well this week, the most notable being Mackinaw Pharoah, who had by far the best workout since we purchased her last spring. If she likes the grass, as we think she will, and if she gets in next week at The Meadowlands, the work gives us hope for a big step forward off her debut.

Three Arch Bay is ready to run now. We expect her debut to come either on October 28^th or 30^th at Penn National as she’s a Pa. bred eligible for large bonus awards there (races at Parx are out as they have a quarantine and nobody can ship in or out until further notice).

Races for Huamantla did not go (for the 6^th time!) and for Mackinaw Pharoah (for the 2^nd time) at the Meadowlands this week. Also a race for Big Apple Brit did not go at Penn National. We are looking for races for all of them. They are ready to run.

As a quick note, we’ve had 7^th, 7^th and 8^th in three starts, all duds, just a week after we had 2 wins in one night. That’s exactly how this game works. 20% wins is the gold standard. That’s also 80% losses.  Question; what do you call a baseball player who gets a hit 30% of the time? Answer; a superstar with a $20,000,000 a year contract. Same idea. This business comes with lots and lots of ups and downs, (more downs!). If you can’t cope with 1^st, 1^st, 7^th, 7^th, 8^th, then you’re absolutely in the wrong business.

A very interesting article (here) from the Blood-Horse on two year old sales and workout times. It validates our (and other savvy people’s) approach who know that the fastest 1/8 mile workouts have little or nothing to do (some would say the fastest times are actually a negative indicator) with racetrack performance. A must read for anyone who wants to understand how the game really works!

A lot to tell, as the fall begins after a fine summer season. A ton of wins everywhere but our home base of Monmouth Park this year!  

First up this week, Long May You Run faced a small, but super tough field with the favorable outside post at Penn National and finished last of 5 horses on September 24th. He was in an ideal stalking position for much of the early going, got shut off badly turning for home, but in truth was already backing up at that point. It was the toughest group of horses he’s ever faced, far and away. While he certainly off his best races could have been closer here, he also will get some class relief for his next start.

Next up was Boardwalk Run on September 26th at Penn National, who ran her record to 9 straight in-the-money finishes with a closing 3^rd. While it was not a bad race, she didn’t fire in the stretch the way we had hoped here.

A large crowd was on hand for closing day 2015 at Monmouth Park on Sunday, September 27th to watch Mackinaw Pharoah and Hardrainsgonnafall finish 7^th and 8^th respectively in their debuts (as an entry) in the 1^st race.  We knew going into the race that Mackinaw was likely to be a better horse on turf (we hope!), so we felt her race was a decent prep for the upcoming Meadowlands all-turf meet. Off this race we hope to run her on October 9^th and expect some improvement. Hardrain had trained well for this and we expected a better race from her. She broke well and was sitting a good trip in 3^rd for most of the race, but completely fell apart in the stretch. She was blowing hard when she returned to be unsaddled and appeared to be really tired. The race will do her good and she too should move forward off her debut, albeit we were disappointed in how badly she stopped. As we’ve said so many times, a first race is not by any means the final word either way with horses. We said that when both Title Fight and JW Racer won their debuts impressively for us this summer, and the same applies with these two fillies. They are just learning the game and it’s a long term process.

It was a very disappointing meet for us this year at Monmouth Park, with just one win (Huamantla) and a bunch of close 2nds, but nonetheless, it was not at all what we are used to. Having been on Monmouth Park's leading owners list with many wins four of the last five years, obviously it was a real letdown for us not to do better this season at our home track. We’ve had a fine season overall, but this year we’ve won a number of races at Gulfstream Park, Delaware Park, Parx and Penn National, and less at Monmouth. Again, as said so many times, it’s really important to look at long term results. We had not won a single race at Delaware Park in THREE YEARS (although all but one were 2^nd or 3^rd); this year we have 2 wins and a 3^rd in three starts there. Some years, for whatever reason, all successful stables do better at a different track, or with claiming horses, or two year olds, or fillies, or grass horses, etc. The key is to look at your overall numbers year after year and try to avoid short term thinking (true with all investments, not just horses!). Always keep in mind that it’s never as good as it feels when things are going well, and never as bad as it feels when things are going badly. We advise something many people have in short supply, patience.

October promises to be a very busy month with all horses pointing for races at The Meadowlands, Penn National, Parx, Gulfstream Park, Belmont Park and beyond.  Hoping to continue to good results we had this summer at many of these tracks!

Another exciting with more wins and action everywhere for the week of September 20^th. A large crowd of partners and co-owners was on hand at Belmont on September 16th for the debut of the two NY Breds Awesome Papa Al and Sky Ace, and when the dust had cleared in a bit of a stunner, we had a 5th and a 6^th and sold both horses via the claim box. As we had mentioned in a detailed email, we thought Awesome Papa Al would show some speed while Sky Ace would need the race. As it turned out, ‘Al sat 4^th most of the race and ended up a well beaten 5^th without showing the speed we had expected, while Sky Ace was totally unprepared at the start, propped and was 25 lengths behind in last for much of the race, but then made up a considerable amount of ground in the stretch, passing two horses while still being well beaten in 6^th.  We had felt there was a modest chance that Awesome Papa Al would be claimed but we were surprised to see Sky Ace claimed off of what were very slow workouts. While we hadn’t anticipated both horses being claimed out of their debuts, that’s part of the racing game and it was hardly a disaster for us at $40,000 apiece. It will be interesting to follow the careers of both of these horses and see how they perform for their new owners.

Thursday evening at Penn National featured three races in one night. First up was our homebred Fuego Mi Amor, who broke her maiden (finally!) in style, by 8+ lengths. A bad group of maidens make no mistake about it, but she did it the right way, blew their doors off and came back happy and sound. She is absolutely not the filly we hoped for when we bred our 3 times stakes winning mare to a horse who was a leading sire in the region that won the Preakness, thus the saying “breed the best to the best and hope for the best”, but she is making some $ now (especially with the Pa. bred bonus money) and looks good enough to win a couple more before it’s all done. Was awful nice to stand in the winner’s circle with Exchanging Fire’s first foal, we aren’t in the breeding business per se because it’s way too much risk, time, and heartache, but there are some really rewarding moments and this was one of them…

Then This Quay Home was a dull 5^th with no excuse. Sat a nice trip and simply failed to fire when asked for her best. This filly has just not panned out for us so far. Lucky we only paid $12,500 for her via claim, people buy horses for millions that are just this.

Finally, PJ’s Enigma kept her cool in the paddock (something she doesn’t always do!), broke terribly and had a horrible traffic filled trip, but her rider remained calm, kept his position, grabbed the rail turning for home and got her up in time, holding off a nice filly (for the level) down the stretch to win her 2^nd race in a row and give us two wins for the evening. 2 for 3 in one action filled night, not bad!  After a rough start since claiming her in Florida last winter, we’ve now had a second followed by two straight wins in her last 3 starts.

A big entry for next week, Long May You Run will run next Thursday at Penn National, 5^th race, about 7:45pm. The good news is it’s just a 6 horse field and he gets the favorable outside post. The bad news is it will be the toughest group of horses he’s ever faced, far and away. He’s run out of allowance conditions now and all that’s left are stakes, ‘open’ allowances like this which usually have stake or near stake quality horses, or a drop into claiming races. He deserves a shot to see if he can step it up one more notch and compete with this kind. With the favorable post and at his home track, it’s a good test for him.

A bunch of horses worked out at Monmouth Park Saturday September 19th and all did well (below). Titanium Jo had one of her best works ever, if she comes into her next race doing this well, she will have a legitimate shot against stakes company at Parx in October. JW Racer worked excellent, we’ll enter him next Wed. for Sat at Monmouth with confidence off this, hope the race goes. Mackinaw Pharoah showed a little more speed and is ready to run, just looking for a race for her, maybe opening week on the grass at The Meadowlands. Three Arch Bay had her first timed gate work and handled it well, Video Mov worked excellent and will run closing weekend at Monmouth Park if a race goes for him.

Four wins in September already while we look forward to a big closing weekend at Monmouth, then comes Meadowlands for Oct.

Workouts;

Titanium Jo (3-Year-Old Filly)

Your comments for this horse were: Purchased OBS March 2014

Date: September 19, 2015
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 48:80 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 3/35 - See the day's workouts  

Mackinaw Pharoah (2-Year-Old Filly)

Date: September 19, 2015
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 49:80 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 9/35 - See the day's workouts 

Video Mov (3-Year-Old Gelding)

Your comments for this horse were: Purchased OBS April 2014

Date: September 19, 2015
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 50:00 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 15/35 - See the day's workouts 

J W Racer (2-Year-Old Gelding)

Date: September 19, 2015
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 49:60 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 6/35 - See the day's workouts 

Three Arch Bay (2-Year-Old Filly)

Date: September 19, 2015
Track: MONMOUTH PARK
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 49:80 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 9/35 - See the day's workouts