Horse by Horse News

A day, a week, a month, a year of racing that will long remembered. Three wins from three starts in December including Fire’s Finale winning the Pa. Nursery stakes. Here’s all the news, plus links to videos, articles, and more….

• We begin with Fire's Finale , who got the worst possible post in an overflow field for the Pa. Nursery Stakes at Parx Monday but came into the race training exceptionally well. He was sent off at 11 to 1 odds in a race where every one of the better horses nominated was entered, literally could not have been a tougher spot for the level. Last out of the gate and last for the first half of the race, he commenced an inside rally at the 3/8 pole under Mychel Sanchez, a terrific and personable young rider, who gave him a picture perfect trip. Mychel swung him into the middle of the track turning for home, took dead aim on the four runners still in front of him and mowed them down in the stretch to win by a length, going away (“I had a ton of horse from the start, he was just starting to run at the end” Mychel).  A large crowd of Kenwood Racing owners celebrated a tremendous victory together with this very special runner. You can see a great video one of the owners, Mike Russell, put together here. You can also read a great article about the race here. With his win, for the second time in less than a week, Kenwood Racing was the leading money winning owner in North America for the day (see below), just as we were last week when Tracy Ann’s Legacy won the feature race on opening day of Gulfstream Park’s elite winter meet.

Bred by Kenwood Racing from our great stakes winning mare Exchanging Fire and sold to the Kenwood Racing co-ownership group priced at just $40,000, with this win Fire’s Finale went over the $100,000 mark in career earnings after a terrific two year old season in which he made seven career starts with 2 wins, 2 seconds, a third and 2 fourths. He came out of the race perfect this morning and tomorrow he will head down to Ocala for a little R&R to have him fresh and fit for a big three year old campaign next year. The Pa. Nursery stakes has a great history, horses who have won it in the past include the legendary Derby & Preakness winner Smarty Jones, and while we aren’t comparing Fire’s Finale to that level of runner, he’s clearly a horse with a very promising future ahead of him. This was an especially emotional victory with a very unique horse. Kenwood Racing raced his mother, Exchanging Fire, who we claimed at Gulfstream Park and developed into a three time stakes winner of nearly $250,000. She was the horse who put our New Jersey-based program on the map and was like a member of our family so we kept and bred her. Fire’s Finale was her final foal (thus his name) as she tragically died of colic one month after he was born. He was raised by a nurse mare named Warm Country who was very devoted to him and despite that horrible start in life was a strong, healthy foal who developed into an impressive youngster, showing obvious talent from almost day one of his training. To see him turn into this kind of super sound and talented runner is what makes this frequently challenging business so worthwhile. This race was like a gathering of old friends, as Parx based trainer Ron Dandy who saddled the horse for trainer Kelly Breen yesterday is a friend of 30+ years who used to be a neighbor at Kenwood Farm in Georgetown, Ma in the 1980s. Meanwhile jockey Mychel Sanchez’s agent was none other than former rider and long time friend Joe Hampshire, who rode Exchanging Fire when she ran at Parx about 14 years ago. Exchanging Fire was based at Parx for most of her career with us; now her final foal returns to break his maiden and then win the first of what we hope will be many stakes at the same track for a talented young rider whose agent rode his mother when he was a jockey. Can’t get better than that.

• Just one day before Fire’s Finale won the Pa. Nursery Stakes, Adhwaa made some noise of her own on Sunday at Laurel Park. Battling head to head the entire length of the stretch with the 8 to 5 favorite (Adhwaa was the strong 9 to 5 second choice) while opening up on the rest of the field, she put her head down right at the wire (“like a football player reaching the ball over the goal line” – Paul Callahan) to win by a nose, with the rest of the field far back. It was an impressive maiden win for a talented filly, who was a private purchase by Kenwood Racing this summer at a value price. 5^th in her Kenwood Racing debut in a race she needed coming off a layoff, she was a good 2^nd last time out at Parx, setting her up perfectly for this race. Based with Kelly Breen’s string at Belmont Park, she came out of the race excellent and is well positioned to make some serious $ this winter running at Aqueduct – Parx – Laurel Park for generous purses.
• The month began with Tracy Ann's Legacy’s impressive win in the feature race on opening day of the premier Gulfstream Park winter meet Dec. 2^nd, wire to wire by 3+ lengths over a tough field of turf runners.  Tracy Ann’s Legacy is now being pointed to the Abundantia Stakes on January 1^st at Gulfstream Park. While stake races at Gulfstream Park are almost always incredibly competitive, she’s earned her way here after a terrific season for us and the timing should be perfect. She’s excellent out of her victory and we are looking forward to another successful year with her in 2021. Tracy Ann’s Legacy has had a terrific career with 8 wins, 6 seconds and 3 thirds from 21 career starts and lifetime earnings over $225,000 to date. Claimed for just $22,000 at Monmouth Park in July, she’s earned several times that for us already and we think the best is yet to come with her.
• The three December wins gives Kenwood Racing 19 wins for 2020 out of 92 starts, impressive stats indeed but note we began the year 2 for 38 when almost all tracks were shut down during Covid and it was almost impossible to find the right spots for horses. Thus Kenwood Racing has been winning at a 30%+ clip for the entire second half of the year, a nearly legendary percentage for such an extended period of time. We’ve won races at tracks up and down the east coast, from claiming races at Penn National to feature allowances and stakes at Monmouth Park, Parx, and Gulfstream Park. Congratulations to trainers Kelly Breen, Mark Salvaggio and Ron Spatz and their entire teams, as well as to all the riders and the members of Kenwood Racing family. The best is yet to come in 2021!!!
• In other news Life On the Edge training well at Overbrook Farm. The brief bit of R&R did her a world of good after a long campaign this year and she looks ready to get back to action now. In early January she should be ready to ship into Kelly Breen at Belmont Park and if all goes well she’ll be running in New York this winter.
• Seven Seven is expected to join Life On the Edge in training at Overbrook farm shortly, doing excellent in his final days of R&R at Sunset Meadow Farm.
• Blu Candy will breeze this week as we wait for a spot for her to make her debut.
• Pangowell and happy in Ocala at de Meric farm. He’s getting turnout in a nice paddock now, then daily swimming for about 30 days, and then will go back into training with the goal of having him fit and ready to return to trainer Mark Salvaggio at Penn National by the end of the winter and ready to run when the first turf races appear in the northeast next spring. He had a terrific year for us, ending with two straight impressive wins, and we are looking forward to another big year with him in 2021.
• Lisa Limon and weanling by Liam’s Map both very well in Kentucky. We’re pleased to announce Lisa Limon will be bred to the very popular young sire Bolt d’Oro in 2021. An exceptionally fast and beautifully bred horse, Bolt d’Oro was bred to 214 mares in 2019 and his first foals to hit the sales ring averaged over $90,000 as weanlings this year. Lisa Limon is due to foal in early March.

General News

Save Thursday Dec. 17^th at 7:30pm for our final online meeting of the year featuring a recap of 2020, a report on your horses and the finances of all your groups, plans for the new year, and a special announcement with some very good news (money in your pocket!). Look for your invite with meeting link shortly. 

Connections

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