In Sharper Focus: Lex Vegas

8th-GP, MSW, $50,000, 1-18, 3yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.59, ft.
LEX VEGAS, c, 2, Street Boss
1st Dam: Seasonal, by Deputy Minister
2nd Dam: Cymbala (Fr), by Assert (Ire)
3rd Dam: Cymbaline, by Lyphard
Click for the Equibase.com chart, VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton or the Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The phrase quality over quantity can be applied in many aspects of the racing business, but owner Jason Sciortino gave new meaning to the principle when his colt Lex Vegas comfortably annexed his debut at Gulfstream Park Monday. The newly turned sophomore–owned in partnership with Susan Hill–is the first horse to compete under the name of Sciortino, who is primarily involved in small-scale breeding and selling.

“I own [Lex Vegas's dam] Seasonal, and I bred the horse in partnership with Fox Straus Racing,” explained Sciortino. “I took over full ownership in a buyout from them after he RNA'd as a weanling, with the idea of prepping him and bringing him back [at Keeneland] September. We had a reserve of $39,900 on him and he ended up bringing $37,000. We fell a bid short, so I decided we'd race him.”

Sciortino, who assists with prominent owners Susan and Jim Hill's operations while also managing their Eighth Pole Inn bed-and-breakfast in Lexington, opted to send his yearling to the couple's Margaux Farm to prepare for his juvenile season.

“I work with Jim and Susan Hill and help out with the racing and bloodstock,” said Sciortino. “So he went out with all the Jim and Susan Hill horses at Margaux Farm. [Trainer] Brian Lynch is a good friend of mine, and he trains a lot of horses for Jim and Susan as well.”

After wintering at Margaux, the colt joined Lynch's stable across town at Keeneland in April. He ultimately traveled again as part of the trainer's new string at Belmont Park, but the connections were forced to stop on the larged-framed prospect after he developed minor soreness in his shins. After spending 90 days back in the Bluegrass at Margaux, Lex Vegas finally returned to the racetrack for the winter stand at Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet.

According to Sciortino, the dark bay appeared to be thriving in South Florida, leading Lynch to begin searching for a race. Nevertheless, when Lex Vegas was entered in the 5 1/2-panel dash on Martin Luther King Day, the conditioner still expressed concerns that his trainee was one workout shy of optimal fitness and perhaps better suited to a longer-distance race.

Let go at odds of 7-1, Lex Vegas was confidently handled by jockey Julien Leparoux throughout the race and coasted home to a decisive score, crossing the wire well clear of heavily favored fellow first-timer Drop Shot (Lemon Drop Kid).

“He got down to [Florida] and showed a lot of ability,” said Sciortino. “I can't say we were shocked that he won, but we were very pleased with the effortlessness that he did it with.”

While Lex Vegas put the concerns of his trainer to rest on the racetrack, Sciortino noted that he still believes the sprint distance of the debut race fell well short of the colt's ideal trip.

“He looks like a two-turn horse,” observed the co-owner. “He's got a big, long stride on him, and the way he came home the other day, I think he can absolutely go two turns–we're not concerned about that. Going 5 1/2 furlongs, I think he just won on pure ability.”

In the aftermath of the race, Lex Vegas displayed all the signs of a happy and healthy horse with some playful antics around the barn.

“They had to put a lip chain on him because he was so fresh [the next day], bouncing around the shedrow,” Sciortino quipped. “Brian will make the ultimate decision [about his next start], but we absolutely want to go two turns with him. I don't know if it will be his next start–we may give him another shot at one turn by stretching him out past 5 1/2 furlongs, maybe 6 1/2 furlongs. But I think he'll be at his best at two turns.”

No one would deny that Sciortino has more than ample experience in the industry, yet his name remains largely unknown to the casual observer. The vast majority of his prior ventures with Thoroughbreds have come in the realm of breeding and selling, and his few racing investments have come as part of larger groups, including Fox Straus Racing.

“This is the only racehorse I have,” said Sciortino. “I own two mares myself, and I own a couple in partnership [with friends]. We sell babies out of them, and Lex Vegas is just one we couldn't get sold. It's a very small operation. It's the first racehorse that has ever been in my name, it's always been under stable names before.”

While Sciortino is stepping into uncharted territory with his name on the owner's line of past performances, he feels right at home managing the Eighth Pole Inn in Lexington–a distinctive hostel on the same plot of land that houses his mares, among others.

“I live [on the property] and am the co-owner of the farm,” added Sciortino. “We have a bed and breakfast here and we keep the mares out here. We have 13 horses out here–mares and babies. They all foal here, they wean, and we keep them here until they are yearlings. And then they get shipped over to Margaux, so we're sort of the nursery farm.”

With an active Thoroughbred farm on the property, Sciortino said he believes the bed-and-breakfast meshes perfectly with the surrounding horse country and nearby Keeneland Racecourse. As such, the Eighth Pole Inn has attracted myriad visitors from both inside and outside the racing industry.

“We get a lot of owners and trainers who stay here,” he continued. “We're just a half-mile behind Keeneland, and you can walk to Keeneland. It's a beautiful farm, and we have a brand-new state-of-the-art barn. It's just gorgeous. The guests at the B-and-B just really, really love the place. It's a really unique experience here on a horse farm where you can get close to the horses.”

For the time being, Sciortino says he plans to continue on with his involvement in breeding and selling at the farm, with an open mind to the possibility of competing more runners on the racetrack. Seasonal, who is currently in foal to Tizway, will be bred back to Street Boss.

“I don't mind to race–I've been a racing fan my whole life,” acknowledged Sciortino. “It's just that it can be a bit of a financial burden sending these horses to the track. But hopefully Lex Vegas will help us out with that in the future. And I think the world of Brian Lynch as a trainer. He's a world class trainer, and being partners with Jim and Susan–they're world class owners as well. So it's made it a really easy transition for me to have confidence going to the racetrack with these guys in my corner. Brian is so easy and so confident, and he's totally straight with me. It's a good relationship we have.”

—@BMassamTDN