Kumin Doubles His Fun With Two Derby Horses

It’s about a quarter-mile hike from Barn 42 to Barn 25 on the Churchill Downs backstretch alongside Longfield Avenue, and owner Sol Kumin figures to beat that route into a well-trodden path this week as he looks in on the two Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders he co-owns.

Just four years into Thoroughbred ownership, Kumin has gone on a buying spree like a guy at the mall who realizes Christmas is just around the corner. Along with his friend Jay Hanley, who introduced Kumin to the joys of ownership, Kumin co-owns Toyota Blue Grass (gr. I) runner-up My Man Sam under their Sheep Pond Partners banner. And before the March 12 San Felipe Stakes (gr. II), Kumin, in the name of his Head of Plains Partnership, purchased 20% of Exaggerator, who cruised to victory in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I).

The two colts will represent Kumin’s first starters in the Derby, but he is no stranger to top horses. He and Hanley own the undefeated star filly Lady Eli (named after Kumin’s wife, Elizabeth), who is currently recovering from laminitis and is in trainer Chad Brown’s Belmont Park barn, preparing for what hopefully will be a comeback race sometime this summer.

Sheep Pond Partners started up mostly buying yearlings and 2-year-olds at auction, and found success with runners like Lady Eli and Tammy the Torpedo. Together with Hanley and a couple of their friends, Sheep Pond and related entities today own about 30 head. But Kumin, a 40-year-old native of Boston who works in finance, wanted more.

“I found my appetite increased,” he said. “Sheep Pond is the main group, my boys. I love Jay. But I wanted to do more with horses that were already running. They obviously run sooner. If I find a horse I like I’ll run it by Jay and he either decides to come in or not. I have another buddy who partners with me, and it doesn’t matter which entity ends up owning the horse.”

Head of Plains, which currently is in on around 35 horses, bought into Lightstream after she broke her maiden this March and she went on to take the Adena Springs Beaumont Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland. Kumin knew former NFL wide receiver Wes Welker and bought into his horse Undrafted, who is a group I winner and a multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire.

“We try to be smart in our acquisitions and trades,” Kumin said. “I’m not one of those guys who thinks he knows everything. I know what I know and I know what I don’t know. I can’t go to a yearling sale and pick out horses. I’m no better at that than the next guy, and frankly, I’m probably worse. But you can look at an Exaggerator and see the speed figures and assess the value. When we find a horse we like we try to buy as big a piece as we can.

“Exaggerator is a great example. His owner (Matt Bryan) is a great guy and easy to deal with, and I love (trainer) Keith Desormeaux. They weren’t going to sell the whole horse, so we bought a piece. Same thing with Lightstream. There are many cases where we’ll buy most of the horse and the original owner will stay in for a piece. We’re just trying to find a place for the horse to succeed, whether that’s moving him or keeping him in the same spot.”

My Man Sam was an entirely different story. Sheep Pond bought him as a baby off the farm where he was being raised. Breeder Jay Bligh stayed in for a piece, and the son of Trappe Shot  , was originally thought to be a turf horse before finding a home on dirt. Like Lady Eli, My Man Sam is conditioned by Brown.

“Chad gave us a pretty hard time for buying him at the beginning, but he identified him as a dirt horse that wanted to go long, and he was right,” Kumin said. “I was thrilled to run second in the Blue Grass and accomplish the goal of getting to the Derby. I couldn’t be happier.

“It feels awesome to have our first Derby horses. I’m having trouble thinking about anything else. I just snuck out of a board meeting to take your call. I’ve got parents, in-laws, kids, family, and a bunch of friends coming. It’s a little odd having two in there. I’ve got my man Jay on one side with Chad, but then if Exaggerator wins I’m going to win without them so there’s an internal conflict there. I’m going to try and enjoy it as best I can, and hopefully I’ll be heading to the winner’s circle from somewhere.”