Kumin Back for More

One owner will be represented by nine runners at this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup, and there’s a very good chance that you won’t be able to correctly guess who it is.

After celebrating a victory at the Championships courtesy of the brilliant Lady Eli (Divine Park) in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita during his first full year of owning horses in 2014, Sol Kumin heads to Lexington locked and loaded for quite the encore.

Currently enjoying the ride with a wide assortment of partners, he will be represented by:

• Ray’s The Bar (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) (Juvenile Turf)

• Gliding By (Artie Schiller) (Juvenile Fillies Turf)

• Last Waltz (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (Juvenile Fillies Turf)

• Undrafted (Purim) (Turf Sprint)

• Wavell Avenue (Harlington) (F/M Sprint)

• Dacita (Chi) (Scat Daddy) (F/M Turf)

• Sharla Rae (Afleet Alex) (F/M Turf)

• Stallwalkin’ Dude (City Place) (Sprint)

• Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) (Turf)

Kumin, along with longtime friend Jay Hanley, operate as Sheep Pond Partners (click here for TDN feature), who, of course, campaign the aforementioned sidelined superstar. Kumin also races under the separate entity of Head of Plains Partners.

“It’s exciting,” Kumin said before boarding a flight from Miami headed to the Bluegrass. “It just kind of all fell into place. I feel like we’ve got more than a couple that have a good chance, but you never know.”

Within the past 12 months, Kumin has collected a remarkable five Grade/Group 1 trophies–two with Lady Eli (Breeders’ Cup JFT & Belmont Oaks Invitational July 4); one with Slumber (Manhattan S. at Belmont Park June 6); one with Undrafted (Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot June 20); and one with Sharla Rae (Del Mar Oaks Aug. 15).

That’s not all. He’s also had his colors carried by this summer’s GIII Monmouth Park S. heroine Delightful Joy (Tapit); GI Flower Bowl S. runner-up Danza Cavallo (Fr) (Sunday Break {Jpn}); Del Mar Oceanside S. winner Soul Driver (Street Boss); and recent English Channel S. victor Offering Plan (Spring At Last). Kumin also has high hopes for ‘TDN Rising Star’ and last year’s GIII Miss Grillo S. third Tammy the Torpedo (More Than Ready), who returned from the shelf with a smart allowance win at Belmont in mid-October.

“It’s been pretty ridiculous,” Kumin admitted. “First of all, we’ve been really lucky. Second of all: Chad Brown. Five of those [Breeders’ Cup] horses are with him. Even a lot of times when I’ll look at horses [to purchase privately] that I can’t move to him, he’s still helpful in giving me advice. He’s my main guy and I love him. He’s been incredible.”

Kumin launched Folger Hill Asset Management, a hedge fund backed by $1.2 billion in capital, earlier this year. The 40-year-old met the aforementioned Hanley, the principal of a construction and development company and longtime horse owner, when having renovations done to his Nantucket, Massachusetts estate about 10 years ago.

“Jay Hanley is the one that got me into this and he’s a great friend and we’ve had a blast doing this together,” Kumin said. “And I’ll be doing it with him for years to come. We’ve been very lucky to surround ourselves with a lot of good people.”

Some of those good people include, co-owners Michael Dubb, Pete Bradley, Wes Welker and Adam Wachtel.

“Look at the guys that I’ve partnered with,” Kumin explained. “Dubb is a terrific partner and he’s a lot of fun to go to the races with. We’ve got three Breeders’ Cup horses with Pete Bradley and we’ve been on a bunch of other ones with him, too–he’s an awesome partner. [Former NFL star Wes] Welker is a great buddy of mine and he’s coming down to the Breeders’ Cup with us to watch Undrafted.”

For Kumin, the approach is simple.

“You try to buy good horses, try to win big races, and whether I own a half, a third, or three quarters, I like having people that I can partner with. I know some people can be funny about it, but

I think it’s a lot of fun.”

Now, back to those nine Breeders’ Cup horses.

Last Waltz, campaigned in partnership with Bradley Thoroughbreds and others, will be receiving first-time Lasix while making her U.S. bow for Chad Brown in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. She was a good third for conditioner David Wachman in the G3 Weld Park S. at The Curragh last time Sept. 27.

Gliding By was purchased privately by a group headed by Wachtel and transferred to Bill Mott after posting a visually impressive come-from-behind win in her Woodbine debut for trainer Josie Carroll Sept. 25.

Ray’s The Bar, a debut winner at Ascot in July, endured some traffic trouble when a strong third while making his first start in this country for Brown in the GIII Pilgrim S. at Belmont Sept. 26.

Undrafted, a rallying third in last term’s Turf Sprint at Santa Anita, returns off a second-place finish in the More Than Ready S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 5.

The up-and-coming Wavell Avenue makes her first start at the highest level after rallying to a strong second-place finish in the GII Gallant Bloom H. at Belmont Sept. 26. She will carry Dubb’s yellow-and-pink silks in the F/M Sprint.

Chilean standout Dacita made quite the first impression by producing a sensational late rally to reel in Mile contender Tepin (Bernstein) in the GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga Aug. 29. She will be joined in the F/M Turf by Sharla Rae, most recently a close fifth in the GI Rodeo Drive S. Sept. 26.

Stallwalkin’ Dude led in the stretch and came within a neck of the ill-fated Rock Fall (Speightstown) when third for owner/trainer David Jacobson in the GI Vosburgh S. at Belmont Sept. 26.

The 7-year-old Slumber, second in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. Sept. 26, continues to enjoy a career year since switching hands for $200,000 at the 2014 KEENOV sale and moving to Brown’s barn.

Godolphin holds the record for most starters in a single Breeders’ Cup with 15 in 2009.

“We bought into Last Waltz before the prep race in Europe and she was a big third in there,” Kumin said. “The only two that I’ve owned for a really short period of time are Wavell Avenue and Stallwalkin’ Dude. Everything else I’ve had for a while.”

He continued, “I think we have a really good process of evaluating horses. Last year, all three of our horses that ran in the Breeders’ Cup [Lady Eli, Tammy the Torpedo & Offering Plan] were bought at the sales. This year, almost all of them were bought off the track.”

The two-day Championships aren’t the only thing that Kumin is looking forward to during his trip to Kentucky this weekend. One of the first items on the list? Visit Lady Eli at Dell Ridge Farm.

“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Kumin said of Lady Eli, who continues on her road to recovery from laminitis. “From where she was to where she is now, we’re really happy with the progress. We don’t want get overly excited, but I think she’s moving in the right direction and I can’t wait to see her. I’m just so happy that she’s doing well.”

He concluded, “She’s the one that really got us into this and she’s been a part of our family. I’d trade all of these horses for a healthy Lady Eli right now.”