Aaron Kennedy has enjoyed racing success on the national stage as a partner on the likes of Storm the Court and Sugar Shock, but the CEO of the Des Moines-based advertising firm Flynn Wright might have a star in his own backyard after the effortless debut victory of Glengarry (Maximus Mischief) at Prairie Meadows Monday night.
“He's a big horse and he definitely knows it,” Kennedy said of the imposing gray colt.
Kennedy, who owns Glengarry in partnership with Toby Joseph and trainer Doug Anderson, purchased the colt for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale–a price he admits was at the very top of his budget.
“I am sure you know the name Liz Crow,” Kennedy said. “Liz has been my agent for the last few years and every year in the spring, we talk about buying a couple of 2-year-olds. I generally give her a budget with a few partners that I have here and then she comes back with a list. He was estimated above our price range. I think Liz valued him at $200,000 or more. And our price range was $125,000, maybe $150,000 on the high end. So we actually didn't bid on Glengarry and the hammer dropped at $200,000 and he was an RNA. Liz approached the owners–because he is an Iowa-bred and I'm in Iowa–and said, 'I think these guys in Iowa might be interested. I think this is probably their ceiling–which was the $150,000.' Thankfully they said, 'Yeah, we will take that deal.'”
Kennedy said the partners weren't specifically shopping for Iowa-breds when they found Glengarry in May.
“I've owned a few and tried to breed a few in Iowa, but I wasn't shopping specifically for an Iowa-bred,” he said. “But I'm glad to have him. It's fun to have him where he's at. We had a lot of people there last night to watch him.”
Sent off at 1-5, Glengarry was certainly no surprise to the betting public.
“The first time when I was at the barn when [jockey Ken] Tohill got off after breezing him, he said, 'I think this horse is pretty special,' so we had high expectations last night,” Kennedy said. “We expected him to run the way he did. It was a great relief to see him produce the kind of performance he did. I don't think he was even asked.”
With his stylish debut, Glengarry has likely earned a trip to stakes company for his second outing.
“Pretty sure if he comes back as he looked this morning, our next event will be Iowa Classic night, the 2-year-old stakes for Iowa-breds,” Kennedy said.
The $100,000 Iowa Cradle S. is one of seven stakes on the Sept. 30 Iowa Classic card at Prairie Meadows.
Kennedy, meanwhile, is living out a childhood dream with his racing stable.
“I grew up the street from Ak-sar-ben,” Kennedy explained. “So I loved the game from an early age. The very first horse that I ever partnered on was with my trainer, Doug Anderson. He was an Iowa-bred named Callmemrgeorge (Miracle Heights) and he won his first race by a dozen lengths [in 2007]. He was a cheaper horse, but he always tried. I think he ended up winning six races.”
Just a few years into racehorse ownership and again in partnership with Anderson, Kennedy found graded-stakes success with Sugar Shock (Candy Ride {Arg}), who won the 2014 GIII Fantasy S. and took the partners to the GI Kentucky Oaks.
“That was a fun ride,” Kennedy said of his experiences with the filly. “More recently, I've owned horses with Exline-Border Racing out in California and [2019 champion 2-year-old] Storm the Court was my first Exline-Border horse. And then Doug and I owned Stilleto Boy a few years ago. We sold him after winning the Iowa Derby and he's gone on to do great things.”
Kennedy has just one broodmare at the moment, the 6-year-old Catechism (Karakontie {Ire}), who is currently in foal to Goldencents. But that number could increase in the near future.
“That's my foray back into breeding,” Kennedy said of Catechism. “I am a business guy, I don't have land or anything, but Doug and I talk about a future where we will probably have some broodmares. I think Doug may end up in Kentucky before too long. I can't imagine a scenario that I would have eight or 10 mares, but maybe three or four good ones. I think it would be a lot of fun.”
Of his current racing stable, Kennedy said, “I have probably 10-12 in California with Exline-Border and Peter Eurton trains there. I think there are seven or eight of us in that partnership. And then I have six here in the Midwest between Kentucky and Iowa with Doug Anderson and Matt Shirer.”
From his childhood racetrack at Ak-sar-ben to winner's circles around the country, Kennedy is enjoying the ride.
“It's a game I adore,” he said. “It's the best sport in the world.”
6th-Prairie Meadows, $40,326, Msw, 8-28, 2yo, 6f, 1:12.65, ft, 5 3/4 lengths.
GLENGARRY (c, 2, Maximus Mischief–L. A. Way, by Tizway), the 1-5 favorite, broke sharply and was quickly on the lead. The gray colt was pressed through an opening quarter in :22.63, took command on the turn and strode home under a motionless Ken Tohill to win by 5 3/4 lengths. He is the 16th winner for his freshman sire (by Into Mischief). Glengarry was purchased by Raul Reyes's Kings Equine for $55,000 as a FTKJUL yearling and sold for $150,000 following a :10 1/5 work at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. L.A. Way has a yearling filly by Good Samaritan and she produced a filly by Maximus Mischief this year before being bred back to Tonalist. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,126.
O-Aaron Kennedy, Toby Joseph & Doug Anderson; B-Highpoint Bloodstock (IA); T-Doug L. Anderson.
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