In the span of just seven years, Sol Kumin has experienced a multitude of thrills with some of the most famous and accomplished horses of the past decade.
He owned a share of Triple Crown winner Justify and 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner and Horse of the Year Authentic . Also, champions along the lines of Lady Eli and Monomoy Girl. He celebrated a Preakness Stakes (G1) victory with Exaggerator and a Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) win with Catholic Boy .
Yet it's a grade 3-winning filly that has taken Kumin and his family full circle in the sport.
As much as Kumin is best-known for buying into experienced runners and owning shares of horses with multiple partners, Fluffy Socks stands as an example of his commitment to the sport at all levels.
In Fluffy Socks, Kumin has his first homebred graded stakes winner. Sent west earlier this week by trainer Chad Brown to run Aug. 21 in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1T) for 3-year-old fillies, she's a daughter of Slumber , a grade 1 winner on turf for Kumin's Sheep Pond Partners as well as Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables, out of the Kitten's Joy mare Breakfast Time, who also raced for Sheep Pond.
"Fluffy Socks is probably the favorite horse in the barn right now," said Kumin, who races her through his Head of Plains Partners group. "We raised the mom and Slumber was one of our first good horses with Chad Brown."
Adding to the family feeling, Fluffy Socks was named by Kumin's son, Sam, the youngest of three children for Kumin and his wife, Elizabeth, who has bonded with the filly.
"Sam loves her. Every night before dinner we drive over to Chad's barn and spend about 15 minutes with her," Kumin said. "Right now, she's at the top of the list for us as far as a family favorite."
While Fluffy Socks is Kumin's first homebred graded stakes winner, she may have company in a few years.
Inspired by her three wins in five starts last year—including scores in the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar and Selima Stakes at Pimlico Race Course—Kumin said he acquired Slumber from Calumet Farm and moved him to Rockridge Stud in New York, where he was bred to 20 mares.
"We just love Slumber and believe in him as a stallion," Kumin said about the 13-year-old son of Cacique. "Obviously we had 'Fluffy' from him. I don't know how commercial it will be. We'll see. But for us we're going to try to have 10-15 mares and crank out some New York-breds and see what we can do with them."
For all of the thrills he has enjoyed from a long list of grade 1 winners, many of whom were private purchases, Kumin has received a special joy from having a filly with a pedigree that hits home with him.
"It's the first family we ever really bred by owning the sire and dam, so I understand what people say about breeding a horse like her," he said. "You feel closer to these homebred horses than the ones you buy who are already on the track. It feels good to win races any way, but with a horse like her it feels even better. It's an awesome feeling."
Fluffy Socks is the second foal from Breakfast Time and her first winner. She has also produced a 2-year-old Exaggerator filly named Ojeleye, a yearling Creative Cause filly, and a weanling Exaggerator colt.
In the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Oaks, Fluffy Socks will try to get back on the winning track by following the formula that accounted for her last victory, which came when she traveled to Del Mar and captured the Nov. 28 Jimmy Durante at a mile as a 2-year-old.
So far in 2021, she has posted two seconds in three starts, all of them in New York. She is coming off a fast-closing second by 1 1/4 lengths in the July 23 Lake George Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course and owns an overall record of three wins from eight starts with earnings of $284,880.
In the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Oaks, she will face eight rivals, including the top three finishers in the July 24 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) at a mile distance at Santa Anita Park.
Kaleem Shah's Madone prevailed in the San Clemente, rallying from ninth to score by a half-length. Trained by Simon Callaghan, the daughter of Vancouver has captured two of her last three starts, also taking the Senorita Stakes (G3T).
Going Global was second in the San Clemente, suffering her first loss in five United States starts for trainer Phil D'Amato. Owned by Michael Dubb, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano, she is a three-time grade 3 winner at Santa Anita.
Slam Dunk Racing and Joey Platts' Tetragonal was third in the San Clemente, 1 1/2 lengths behind Madone. A daughter of Mehmas, she is trained by Richard Baltas.
Godolphin's Javanica was second last year in the Jimmy Durante and is exiting an allowance optional claiming win earlier in the Del Mar meet. The Medaglia d'Oro homebred is trained by Eoin Harty.
The TVG Pacific Classic Day card also includes the $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies on the main track at a mile, which attracted a field of seven.
The entrants include Baoma Corporation's Private Mission, coming off a sharp allowance optional claiming win for trainer Bob Baffert, and Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Forest Caraway, also an impressive allowance level winner, and KMN Racing's multiple California-bred stakes winner I'm So Anna.
Del Mar, Saturday, August 21, 2021, Race 9Entries: Del Mar Oaks (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Closing Remarks (CA) Umberto Rispoli 122 Carla Gaines 6/1 2 2Javanica (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 122 Eoin G. Harty 10/1 3 3Going Global (IRE) Flavien Prat 122 Philip D'Amato 9/5 4 4Madone (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 122 Simon Callaghan 5/2 5 5Feathers (IRE) Abel Cedillo 122 Peter Miller 20/1 6 6Ivy League (KY) Kyle Frey 122 Richard E. Mandella 20/1 7 7Fluffy Socks (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Chad C. Brown 4/1 8 8Tetragonal (IRE) Joe Bravo 122 Richard Baltas 12/1 9 9Soaring Sky (IRE) Florent Geroux 122 Jessica Harrington 12/1
Del Mar, Saturday, August 21, 2021, Race 6Entries: Torrey Pines S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lady Mystify (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Peter Eurton 7/2 2 2Lisette (KY) Umberto Rispoli 120 Patrick Gallagher 6/1 3 3Jeanne B (CA) Wayne A. Barnett 120 Daniel Franko 30/1 4 4Forest Caraway (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Peter Miller 5/2 5 5Day Plan (KY) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 120 Jonathan Wong 15/1 6 6I'm So Anna (CA) Kyle Frey 122 Steve M. Sherman 4/1 7 7Private Mission (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Bob Baffert 9/5
