By Katie Petrunyak
Kyle Zorn considers himself and his partners Travis Durr and Kristian Villante to be a group of big thinkers. The trio set out with some pretty high expectations for themselves when they formed Legion Bloodstock three years ago, but looking back now, they never could have predicted the initial success that their partnership has enjoyed.
Over the next few days in Saratoga, Legion Bloodstock's handiwork will be on full display. Their biggest find to date, Grade II winner Honor Marie (Honor Code), takes on the GI Travers Stakes, but there are plenty of other loaded runners throughout the weekend.
Insubordination (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) will get his first try on turf for George Weaver and partners Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing on Saturday. The 2023 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale purchase was runner-up in his debut over a sloppy track at Saratoga on Aug 3. In the same race Papiamento (Medaglia d'Oro), a $250,000 OBS March purchase, will make his second career start for Whit Beckman and owners Ryan and Larisa Kamp.
On Sunday Bellacose (Audible), an eye-catching debut winner for Jeremiah Englehart, runs in the Seeking the Ante Stakes. Resolute Racing purchased a majority share in the New York-bred juvenile filly earlier this week. Later in the card, GIII Sanford Stakes victor Mo Plex (Complexity) is the morning-line favorite in the Funny Cide Stakes for R and H Stable.
“To have a horse in the Kentucky Derby with Honor Marie and then to have really nice horses like Mo Plex, Bellacose and so many others, I don't think we expected to have quite the influx of good horses so quickly,” admitted Zorn. “To have so many horses come out of these racing groups and then individual horses that we bought for clients show up on the big stage like they have, it's been pretty awesome.”
Mo Plex scores in the GIII Sanford Stakes | Sarah Andrew
Prior to launching Legion, Zorn was the racing manager for owner Maribeth Sandford. Over the years as he was working the sales, he would repeatedly run into Villante, a former assistant to Todd Pletcher who was working as a bloodstock agent, and Durr, who ran a training center in South Carolina. The group formed an easy friendship and when they started landing on the same horses at the sales, they began discussing how they might combine forces and build something that was bigger than themselves.
The result was Legion Bloodstock, a full-service bloodstock agency. Not only does the group select horses for their clients, but they also run their own racing syndicate through Legion Racing and provide the opportunity for racing management services.
Honor Marie is a prime example of the full gamut of their operation. Purchased by the group at the 2022 Keeneland September Sale, the son of Honor Code broke his maiden on debut last year for Legion Racing. Afterwards, co-owners Kerry and Alan Ribble bought out the rest of the Legion partnership. Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, and Dave and Kenneth Fishbein eventually joined the ownership group after Honor Marie's win in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
Along the way, Legion has served as racing manager for the Whit Beckman-trained colt.
“When [the Ribbles] approached us, they wanted somebody that could not only buy the horse, but kind of help them with the steps along the way afterwards,” explained Zorn. “So we feel like we are part of the team. Whit has done such an unbelievable job with him. He's a quirky horse and he's a May foal so he has had that against him as he has gone against some of these big-bodied colts, but he has just been so awesome along the way. Every race, he gives it his all.”
After a troubled start in both the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Belmont Stakes where he closed late to finish fourth, Honor Marie will be a bit of an underdog in the Travers.
Bellacose scores on debut in Saratoga | Sarah Andrew
“He's had some bad racing luck out of the gate, but he showed that he belongs with these horses,” said Zorn. “I loved Whit's plan to get him up here and train all summer. He has really thrived up here. He's grown and filled out. We were hoping to get this opportunity, but it was Whit's decision. If Whit said he wanted to drop back and punt and look for an easier race, we would have supported him in that. But the fact that we are here, I think we're live. He's going to be a longshot on paper, but I expect this horse to run a big race.”
Mo Plex is another colt that Zorn believes has a big shot this weekend. The New York-bred Jeremiah Englehart trainee romped to a 10-length win in his first start at Aqueduct on June 20 prior to his Sanford victory. Englehart was considering the GI Hopeful, but opted to stack the colt up against state-bred company in the Funny Cide Stakes and if all goes well, target the GI Champagne Stakes next.
“I love Jeremiah's plan with this horse,” said Zorn. “Even though he's a big colt, he's still maturing. This horse is literally growing by the minute so I'm really excited to see him run on Sunday.”
Nearly all of Legion's purchases are sent directly to Travis Durr's training center after the sales. According to Zorn, that's a big part of what has made Legion so successful in its inaugural years. Not only does Durr have an intimate knowledge of each horse and can place them with trainers that might fit their style, but he can also give his partners an inside look at the type of horses their program could benefit from buying.
In the case of Mo Plex, Durr had worked with Complexity's offspring over the winter and told Zorn and Villante to keep an eye on the first-crop sire going into the 2-year-old sales. The Legion team landed on Mo Plex at this year's OBS April Sale and purchased the Jesse Hoppel-consigned colt for Englehart's JCE Racing for just $45,000.
Honor Marie was also a value buy for the team. Villante recalled spotting the colt at Keeneland September and purchasing him for $40,000.
“I think he was a case of getting lost in the shuffle,” Villante explained. “He was in a later book and being by Honor Code, that wasn't really what anyone was necessarily looking for at that time. He was a very athletic horse and he's not the biggest horse in the world, but he moved well and seemed very classy. Especially when you're trying to shop on a budget, you're better off buying the athlete and not necessarily worrying about the pedigree as much.”
Honor Marie trains with Tyler Gaffalione aboard on Aug. 10 | Sarah Andrew
Legion has enjoyed success with bigger-ticket purchases as well. They bought Tricky Temper (Into Mischief) for $230,000 at last year's OBS April Sale for Mark Stanley. Another Englehart trainee, the filly is two-for-two this meet in Saratoga, getting her second career stakes win in her latest start in the Union Avenue Handicap on Aug. 16. Carlisle Bay (Speightstown) came out of last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale for $400,000. The Barbara Minshall-trained juvenile won on debut at Woodbine in May and has since placed in the My Dear Stakes for Hoolie Racing.
There are plenty of other Legion-purchased 2-year-olds that have yet to make their debuts. Villante estimated that they have around 40 juveniles to watch in this year's crop. A little under half of those are owned by Legion Racing, although many are being bought out as their client list grows.
The Legion team is particularly excited about the horses they purchased at last year's Goffs Orby Sale. Insubordination was one of their Book 2 purchases, but they also came home with half a dozen yearlings in Book 1. Among the group, they are particularly high on an Earthlight (Ire) colt they bought for €140,000. Named Mary's Lad (Ire), the juvenile is preparing for a debut with Beckman this fall.
Zorn, Villante and Durr will all be in Saratoga this weekend, but afterwards their focus will turn to the Keeneland September Sale. Already this summer, Legion Bloodstock has signed the ticket on four yearlings at Fasig-Tipton July and another seven at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Sale, where at one point they bought three consecutive hips at the auction for a combined $230,000.
“The New York-bred Sale didn't unfold how we thought it would when we bought three hips in a row, but really it's about being at the right spot at the right time and having our homework done,” said Villante. “We're probably going to go to Keeneland with a similar mindset and try to buy a handful there. From there we go to Goffs and then back here for October in Kentucky.”
“You can't buy any horses if you don't have clients willing to put out the money to give you the chance to buy them,” he continued. “We could all go to sales and identify which ones are good, but ultimately those who buy them are the ones that have the clients that are willing to pay for them.”
Villante credits their clients as well as their trainers for Legion's early success. The majority of Legion Racing-owned horses are sent to Englehart, Beckman or Barbara Minshall. Villante and Beckman got to know each other when they worked for Todd Pletcher together and then when Legion was formed a few years ago, Beckman was starting out on his own as a trainer around the same time. Durr and Englehart have shopped the sales together for many year and Durr also has a longstanding relationship with Minshall from breaking and training 2-year-olds for several of Minshall's clients.
“I think that our group has grown and taken the strides it has taken because of the relationships we have with one another and with our trainers,” said Villante. “Everyone has the same common goal. It's not really one of us carrying the team. It's all of us pulling the rope the same direction.”
Legion has seen demand from their clients for specialty syndicates, including a New York-bred partnership and another group that buys out of Ireland. Next, they have plans to launch Legion Ladies, an all-female racing syndicate. Lindsay O'Hara, who formerly served as Director of Sales and Nominations for the Breeders' Cup, will join the team as ambassador for Legion Ladies.
“We've seen the success other racing groups have had with women-only groups, so we wanted to make our own version of it,” said Zorn. “When we started talking about Legion Ladies, there was an instantaneous following.”
Creating opportunities to make racing enjoyable–as well as hopefully profitable–for their clients is a main area of focus for the Legion team.
“The biggest thing for us is we treat this as a business, but it's also fun for us,” said Zorn. “Myself, Travis and Kristian, we're all fans of horse racing first. It's a passion and we try to share that with owners, making sure that they're having a good time with this because if it's not fun for everybody, then what's the point in doing it?”
“I think the biggest thing for us is loyalty,” he continued. “People are investing their money with us and they're putting their trust in us. We want people to feel like we're doing the best job for them. We're placing these horses with the best people and we want to make sure that the horses we buy speak for themselves.”
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