By Bill Finley
Flightline (Tapit) had gone off to stud and there weren't any horses at the start of 2024 on the West Point roster that looked to be headed for stardom. Terry Finley, the founder and president of West Point Thoroughbreds, wasn't expecting a bad year for his stable but he tried to be realistic about West Point's goals for the year.
“It wasn't like one horse made $3 million for us this year,” he said. “It was a bunch of really hard knocking, or maybe even a little bit better than hard knocking, horses that stayed around a good part of the year. That's a big deal. If you stay around you can end up running at Kentucky Downs or some of the other tracks with the huge purses. When you're not on the sidelines, that makes an impact on your stats when it comes to earnings.”
With the final days of 2024 upon us, West Point has won 26 stakes races this year. According to Jeff Lowe, who works in communications and marketing for West Point, the 26 stakes wins established a new record for most stakes wins by a partnership.
The previous record, Lowe reports, was 22, set by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners in 2022.
West Point horses have, through Thursday, earned $9,533,183, the most ever for the stable.
“We are very, very proud,” Finley said. “How can you not be proud of the team, proud of the partners and everybody who works in our ecosystem? I am proud of the horses, too. I would not have expected it at the beginning of the year. It's probably similar to what happens with a lot of people in the horse business when they have success. They look back and a lot of times people will say we didn't truly see this coming. I'm in that camp. While I didn't see it coming, all we try to do is work hard every day and make good decisions every day. I know that sounds like corporate speak, but I have always bought into that mantra. Those are the things that work, working hard and doing it every single day. Really that's the No. 1 thing we can control. We are filled with pride and it just drives home the fact that nobody can do this by themselves. We see people time and time again try to do it themselves for whatever reason. You can't do it that way. Truly, this is a team sport.”
It was horses like Jaxon Traveler (Munnings) who over achieved this year and helped set the record. Soon to be seven, he was bought for $140,000 at the 2020 OBS April Sale. He's gone over the $1-million mark in earnings and won four stakes this year, including the GIII Whitmore Stakes.
While there's nothing wrong with winning the Whitmore, West Point likes to aim high. Finley is encouraged that the stable appears to have a quality group of soon-to-be 3-year-olds who could be Derby material. He said that division is headed by GIII Bob Hope Stakes winner Bullard (Gun Runner), Sandman (Tapit), Keep It Easy (Hard Spun) and the undefeated Laurel Futurity winner Pascaline (Upstart).
“We'll take a week or so to really cherish the 26 stakes wins,” Finley said. “As we were getting close to the 20 mark I was saying wouldn't it be nice to say we won a stakes every two weeks. We got there. I have asked my team to reflect and enjoy the great work we've all been part of. You're not guaranteed anything in this sport and you're not owed anything in this business. You've got to show up. One of the things I monitor and am always looking out for is that every member of the team is still passionate about the horses and our partners. I can look every one of them in the eye and say that we are. This will be our 34th year. That's a good feeling, to have done something for 34 years and to have had some success and still be unbelievably passionate about the industry and about our company. How lucky are we? That's something I don't take lightly.”
West Point's success has been fueled not just by quality but by quantity. Finley started with one horse 34 years ago, a $6,250 claimer. Since, the stable has grown steadily. They now have 123 horses in training and 22 yearlings. Are they nearing a tipping point where more is less?
“I'm not saying this would work with 300 horses, but I think our system has evolved where we've gotten better and we have worked on things,” Finley said. “It may be another cliche, but I'm a big proponent on getting better on a regular basis and never sitting back on our heels. We're never in the back of the foxhole, we're always forward. I think we could get bigger, I really do. Not a lot bigger, but after we've had a year like this one you start to think I want more of this. That's what we do as owners across the spectrum in the horse business. We're not looking to get a whole lot bigger, but we had another good year bringing people into the business. We are also getting a good number of people who own horses joining up with us in joint venturers. More and more people are looking to do that, including breeders that want stay in as owners. And you get people who go to the big sales like Saratoga or the first couple of days at Keeneland and they realize they can't bang heads. It doesn't make sense to bang heads, so you see that a lot of the partnerships now are joining forces with other owners. We will continue to do that. With the right people, the right outlook and the right team, it's a great way to do this.”
West Point will look to get 2025 off to a fast start when it runs Maui Strong (Kitten's Joy) in the Jan 1. Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream.
Can West Point top 26 stakes wins in 2025? It won't be easy but that's because few things are easy in this sport. But West Point's formula is working. Buy a lot of horses, spend a lot of money, team with quality trainers like Steve Asmussen, Shug McGaughey, John Sadler, Christophe Clement, Dale Romans, Dallas Stewart, and Cherie DeVaux and a top bloodstock advisor in David Ingordo and work really hard. Do all that and good things are bound to happen.
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