Busy Holiday Weekend Looms for Kumin

It's business before pleasure, even for Sol Kumin.

Though Kumin owns a share of about 100 horses, his days are filled by his hefty responsibilities as co-president of Leucadia Asset Management.

So in the course of the past five months, Kumin's days at the races have been few and far between.

"Since Saratoga closed, I've been to the racetrack three times," the 44-year-old hedge fund magnate said. "I went to Keeneland once and spent two days at the Breeders' Cup. That's been it."

It's also been a relatively quiet time for Kumin's coast-to-coast stable, which will change this weekend when he'll be represented in four graded stakes, and one of his four returning Eclipse Award champions will look to justify optimism Kumin has about his prospects for 2020.

"It's our sixth year, and this is the best returning stable we've ever had," he said.

That's quite a statement, considering Kumin's horses have amassed more than 60 grade 1 wins since he entered the sport in 2014. But he has enough trophies from a month ago on his mantle to back it up.

Kumin pulled off the rarest of feats in January when three of the horses he owns through various partnerships received Eclipse Awards. British Idiom (champion 2-year-old filly), Midnight Bisou (champion older dirt female), and Uni (champion turf female) were honored for their heroics in 2019, and all of them are expected to return to the racetrack in 2020. Later in the year, Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, might join them.

"Things can go in any direction, but we have four champions all coming back. I can't imagine there's been too many times in history where a stable has had that in a year," he said.

Kumin's foursome of runners this weekend—all trained by Brad Cox—are facing extremely telling tests.

"It's been quiet, but I feel like we're starting to get back some horses we gave time off," said Kumin, a part-owner of 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify . "Now we're gearing up, and we have some nice horses we're getting excited about."

The undefeated British Idiom will attract the most attention when she returns from a 3 1/2-month break after winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and heads a field of seven 3-year-old fillies in the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2) Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

"We're excited to get her back. We gave her some good time off after the Breeders' Cup," Kumin said. "I think she's grown a bit, and she's always been a great work horse. Brad has been happy with the way she's stepped up this year. It's a good spot for her, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she does.

"There's a lot of good fillies out there, and it's still early. They have to stay sound, they have to move forward. I've been doing this long enough to realize you can't get overly excited." 

A daughter of Flashback , British Idiom has three wins in as many starts for the ownership group of Michael Dubb, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group, Mike Caruso's Bethlehem Stables, and Kumin's Madaket Stables.

Purchased for $40,000 by X-Go Ranch in 2018 from the Warrendale Sales consignment at The October Sale, Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky fall yearling sale, British Idiom has been working steadily for her comeback, including a four-furlong drill Feb. 9 at Fair Grounds in :48 3/5.

"We're super happy with the way she has trained coming up to the race," Cox said. "Hopefully, we'll follow the same path as Monomoy Girl. It's a solid race with very good fillies in it. Finite is very accomplished and will be tough to beat, but British Idiom is every bit as good now as she was leading up to the Breeders' Cup, and I think we'll get a big effort out of her."

In the race after the Rachel Alexandra, Kumin's Mr. Monomoy will look to take a big step forward on the path leading to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

A half brother to Monomoy Girl, Mr. Monomoy will tackle 10 fellow 3-year-olds in the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2), a Road to the Kentucky Derby stakes offering 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top four finishers.

"He's been training very well since the last race. The race is tough. I think he drew into the tougher of the two divisions. I think we'll learn a lot about him after this race," Kumin said. "He has turf in his breeding. We bought him in France. That's always in the back of your mind, that he's a turf horse, but he's done nothing wrong and he still deserves to be on the dirt."

A son of Palace Malice  owned by Madaket Stables, Dubb, and Doheny Racing Stable, Mr. Monomoy was third last time out in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds. A winner of one of four starts, he was bought by Mandore International Agency for US$202,230 from the Mocklershill consignment at the 2019 Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze Up Sale.

Kumin's busy weekend also includes the Feb. 17 Razorback Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park, where Warrior's Charge will make his return to graded stakes company.

Fourth in last year's Preakness Stakes (G1) in his stakes debut, the son of Munnings  came down with colic that sidelined him until Dec. 18 when he returned with a two-length score in an allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds.

"I'm really excited about Warrior's Charge. He's training extremely well. We're excited about his prospects for this year. I think this is a good spot for him," Kumin said. "The colic took a lot of time to get over, but he's looking great. He's a super exciting horse. He's the kind of horse that can potentially be in the (grade 1 Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap) and races like that if he runs well."

Owned by Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables, Warrior's Charge has won three of seven starts.

Also at Oaklawn, Answer In is expected to run Monday in the Southwest Stakes (G3), a 1 1/6-mile test for 3-year-olds that will award 10-4-2-1 qualifying points toward a start in the Kentucky Derby.

"He's another good work horse," Kumin said. "His last race was a breakout effort, and Brad has pointed him to this spot."

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride the Dialed In  gelding owned by Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stakes who will be making his first start since finishing second—a head behind Shoplifted—in the Dec. 15 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes.

It has the makings of a big weekend for Kumin, yet he's keenly aware there are no guarantees in horse racing.

"It's one of those weekend where you are either going to feel great or lousy," he said. "Look at Saturday. If British Idiom loses, we'll be disappointed and then we'll find out if we have Derby horses who can continue moving on the trail."

Besides this weekend's slate of races, $3.75 million earner Midnight Bisou will leave for Saudi Arabia next week to prepare for the $20 million Saudi Cup against males Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh.

"She's had a nice break, and (trainer Steve Asmussen) has done well shipping across the world. She'll get a bit of weight (four pounds), and we'll take a shot and see what happens. From what I understand, she's doing real well and will run well," said Kumin, whose Madaket Stables owns the 5-year-old Midnight Lute  mare along with Bloom Racing Stable and Allen Racing.

Kumin said Uni—owned by Dubb, LaPenta, Bethlehem Stables, and Kumin's Head of Plains Partners—recently returned to trainer Chad Brown to begin working toward her 2020 campaign.

Monomoy Girl—owned by Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Bethlehem Stables, and Kumin's Monomoy Stables—has endured several setbacks and has not raced since winning the 2018 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). She returned to Cox's barn last month but has yet to log a timed workout.

"She's doing well," Kumin said. "Brad is taking his time with her. There's no rush."

Kumin also has two promising 3-year-old Triple Crown prospects with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Madaket Stables' undefeated Authentic won the Jan. 4 Sham Stakes (G3) by 7 3/4 lengths in his second start and is being pointed to the March 7 San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.

"Bob is real excited about him. He has him in his top group," said Kumin, who owns the Into Mischief  colt along with SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Fred Hertrich III, John Fielding, and Golconda Stables.

Grade 1 winner Eight Rings just returned to the work tab for the first time since finishing sixth in the TVG Breeders Cup Juvenile (G1) and covered four furlongs in :47 1/5 Feb. 13 at Santa Anita, the second-fastest of 32 works at the distance.

"Bob thinks he breezed great and that he has enough time to make the Derby. It's exciting," Kumin said. 

Eight Rings' considerable ownership group includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Hertrich, Fielding, Golconda Stables, Madaket Stables, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith. 

Kumin's holdings through partnerships also include Mind Control and Looking At Bikinis. They are being pointed to the April 4 Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Grade 1 winner Whitmore began his 7-year-old season Feb. 8 with a second in the King Cotton Stakes for Head of Plains Partners, LaPenta, and Southern Springs Stables. 

Kumin also has high hopes for Hello Beautiful, a 3-year-old daughter of Golden Lad  who has not raced since Dec. 7 when she won the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Stakes.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stable, and Magic City Stables, she's won three of six starts for trainer Brittany Russell, whose quick start to her career has impressed Kumin.

"(Hello Beautiful) ran one of the fastest figures of any 2-year-old last year. I've got six horses with Brittany, and she's done a nice job. She's worth having on your radar as a trainer to watch," he said about Russell, a former Cox assistant who has won with 30 of her first 120 starters through Feb. 13.