Stroud Treasuring Experience as Horse Owner

Will Stroud has made great strides as a horse owner in his brief time in the business, and he will be hoping to secure a Grade 1 double on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course with Title Role in the $750,000 Belmont Derby and Kensington Lane in the $600,000 Belmont Oaks. The Belmont Derby, a nine-furlong turf route for sophomores, is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's Independence Day program, which is co-headlined by the Grade 1, $600,000 Belmont Oaks at nine furlongs for sophomore fillies in Race 7. The 11-race card also features the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban presented by Subourbon Life in Race 8 and the Grade 3, $225,000 Sanford in Race 5. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern. The Texas-based Stroud is a prominent private equity businessman via his Stroud Companies. He campaigns horses both individually and often in partnership with Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm, For The People Racing and Coolmore. "I've only been in this game four years so to have two Grade 1 runners on the first weekend of the Saratoga meet is special. We're really excited," Stroud said. "Horse racing is definitely my passion and it's great to be able to share it with friends, make new friends, and bring others into racing alongside us. It's been exciting and hopefully profitable; that's the name of the game." Stroud recently bought into Title Role, who arrives at the Belmont Derby from a 1 1/4-length score in the one-mile Group 2 German 2000 Guineas for Coolmore principals Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor. Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, the Too Darn Hot colt, out of the Grade 3-winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Valiant Girl, enjoyed a profitable winter in Dubai at Meydan Racecourse where he posted scores at one-mile in both the Jumeirah Guineas Trial in January and the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas in February. Title Role landed a 2 1/2-length fifth in the Group 3 Greenham when cut back to seven furlongs in April at Newbury ahead of his German Guineas coup. Stroud noted he and Charlie O'Connor, US Director of Sales for Coolmore, had been keeping tabs on Title Role since February. "When he ran fifth at Newbury, we were a little concerned, but he stepped up in the German Guineas and we're really excited about him," Stroud said. "His physical is great, his pedigree is great, and I think his sire will do really well in the U.S. Obviously, the competition he's been facing is top tier, going against the best of the best in Europe. "If you look at the head-on view of his starts, he's lightning—straight ahead, great out of the gate, which is something we look for," Stroud added. The Crisfords enjoyed success with Choisya in the U.S. last year, winning the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in her first stateside start ahead of a pair of top-flight outings at the Spa in the Just a Game [7th] and Diana [4th]. Stroud said he is hopeful that Title Role will enjoy similar first-out success in America. "I'm cautiously optimistic he will adapt well. The Crisfords have been great to work with," Stroud said. "We're probably going to start focusing on the one-mile turf [and longer] races with our program. To have a restricted 3-year-old race like the Belmont Derby is really helpful. We'll see how he does in this. He's proven so far at a mile—he's 3-for-3 at the distance—so we'll see how he handles the extra furlong, but cautiously optimistic is better than pessimistic." Stroud noted that Title Role will stay in the U.S. following the Belmont Derby and will shift to the barn of trainer Brendan Walsh. While no second starts have been circled on the calendar just yet, the Spa does offer the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby presented by Qatar Racing for sophomores on August 8. "Brendan will take over the training after this race at Saratoga," Stroud said. "We'll see how the horse does on Saturday and what he might like [to do next]. I think he's exactly where he needs to be for American racing. The Belmont Derby is a logical step. "Our goal with him is stallion duty, but we've got to walk before we run," Stroud added. "So, let's try and get a Belmont Derby win and see where we end up." Title Role will exit post nine on Saturday in rein to Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Stroud will also be represented in the Belmont Oaks by Kensington Lane [post 3, Joel Rosario] for trainer Donnacha O'Brien. Kensington Lane took down the Group 3 Athasi in May at The Curragh ahead of a fifth-place effort last out in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas. The well-related Starspangledbanner chestnut's second dam is Ramruma, winner of the Group 1 Epsom Oaks, Group 1 Irish Oaks and Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks in 1999. "The Group 3 win in Ireland was a big deal. We're really excited about her," said Stroud, who has interest through Medallion Racing, who co-owns with Agave Racing Stable and Evan Trommer. Phillip Shelton, racing manager for Medallion Racing, told NYRA earlier this week that Kensington Lane will stay in the U.S. following the Belmont Oaks and be transferred to California-based Phil D'Amato with an eye towards Grade 1 races such as the Del Mar Oaks, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland and the American Oaks at Santa Anita Park. Stroud's most recent success came via the sophomore filly Life of Joy - named for Stroud's wife Jo—winner of the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March at its namesake track. Life of Joy missed the Kentucky Oaks through injury. Campaigned in partnership with Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm and Mike Morgan's For the People Racing Stable, Stroud said the Brad Cox trainee is now retired. "Mike Morgan has purchased her off of all of us and she'll become a broodmare," Stroud said. Undaunted, Stroud is marching forward with an eye to increasing his racing empire in New York. He is an owner in the stallion Confidence Game, who is standing for a fee of $5,000 at Hidden Lake Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. Confidence Game [20-3-1-4, $823,962], by Candy Ride, captured the 2023 Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park ahead of a 10th-place finish in that year's Kentucky Derby. Stroud indicated he is sending as many as seven quality broodmares to the care of Dr. Stowe Burke DVM's farm in Saratoga Springs to foal out and potentially breed back to Confidence Game. Part of the impetus is that NYRA is accelerating the implementation of comprehensive purse increases for all New York-bred overnight races. Originally scheduled for January 2027, these purse increases in races restricted to New York-breds will now be fully enacted in September 2026 to coincide with the re-opening of Belmont Park. Throughout the 2026 calendar year, NYRA will increase purses in all New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds. "We love the breeder incentives. The climate in New York is great for racing and Saratoga is my favorite track outside of Kentucky," Stroud said. "I think it's a great program and I wish more states would do what New York is doing. I think Saratoga is as good as it gets, and I hope the new Belmont Park will be just as nice." Najja Thompson, Executive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., said he's excited to see Stroud making a commitment to New York breeding and racing. "It is an encouraging example of the confidence that leading owners and breeders continue to place in our program," Thompson said. "As more participants choose to invest in New York, it reinforces the strength of our incentives, the quality of our racing, and the long-term opportunities available throughout the state. We are pleased to welcome those who share our vision for the continued growth and success of breeding and racing in the Empire State." Among Stroud's well-bred mares headed to the Empire State is Lewinsky, a sophomore daughter of Tiz the Law out of the Group 3-winning Pivotal mare Entangle, who won 20-of-33 career starts. Lewinsky, a $100,000 purchase from the 2025 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training, is in foal to Golden Pal. Also headed to New York is Humor Me Baby, who is by Munnings and out of the Colonel John mare Humor Me Colonel—a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Practical Joke, a current Coolmore stallion. Humor Me Baby, a half-sister to stakes-winner Beautiful Empire, was purchased for $300,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "Humor Me Baby is a Munnings that didn't quite work out as a racehorse, but she's in foal to Gunite. She's an April cover," Stroud said. All being well, Stroud is hopeful he will have many reasons to visit Saratoga this summer, including with a pair of promising juvenile fillies in Epic Fury and Just Dance. Epic Fury, by Cyberknife and out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z, is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Nysos, last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile victor and recent winner of the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga. She was acquired for $240,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds In Training where she worked in 10 seconds flat. Epic Fury is stabled with Brendan Walsh and has worked extensively over the synthetic track at Turfway Park, including a half-mile work July 1 in 50 flat. Just Dance, by Triple Crown-winner Justify, was purchased for $230,000 at the same sale as Epic Fury and also breezed in 10 flat. The half-sister to stakes-winner Dance d'Oro is out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Dance Quietly—a half-sister to 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam as well as graded stakes-winners Funtastic, Quiet Giant [the dam of Gun Runner] and Congressionalhonor. The Eddie Kenneally-trained Just Dance recently worked three-eighths from the gate in 37.80 on June 30 at Keeneland. With many irons in the fire, Stroud said he is hopeful to cross another life goal off his list this weekend, even though he will be unable to attend in person as he will be in the nation's capital for America's 250th birthday celebration. "I just got back last night from a bachelor party in Budapest, and I was saying to my wife that I'm not going to get a lot of sleep the next couple days," Stroud said. "Between the jet lag and the excitement of racing, we'll have our hands full. "When I got into horse racing, I said, 'I could die a happy man with a Grade 1 win at Saratoga and a lovely wife.' Hopefully, that will happen."