This Kentucky Derby carries a distinct Atlanta flavor.
When those 20 horses dash out of the gate Saturday, two of them will be part of West Paces Racing LLC, a group founded by Atlantans Keith Mason and Larry Connolly in 2019.
WPR, named as tribute to the road in Buckhead where the two founders have conducted business, is the only group with two horses running this weekend. They’re named Dornoch and Society Man.
“We’re the founding owners of two Kentucky Derby contenders, which is amazing given we just started the group in 2019,” Mason said. “It’s rare to have one, much less two.”
Connolly: “There’s a certain sense of pride that a bunch of jamokes from Atlanta, who are new to the game, have started something. We’ve been able to cobble together a strategy and an ownership group, and we’ve enjoyed success.”
When is the Kentucky Derby? Post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 4
UPDATE. Mystik Dan won the race. Dornoch was 10th and Society Man 16th, according to NBC.
Dornoch will start from the No. 1 position in the 20-horse field. His odds are currently listed at 20-1 with jockey Luis Saez aboard. Society Man will start from the No. 19 position. His odds are listed at 50-1 with jockey Frankie Dettori aboard.
Dornoch was named for the most beautiful golf course Connolly plays, which is in Scotland. He has wins at Aqueduct, Gulfstream Park and Keeneland. Mason named Society Man as a nod to the LBJ tapes. President Lyndon B. Johnson used the term “society man” in a joking remark to Georgia Gov. Carl Sanders in 1968. Society Man won at Aqueduct in March.
While Dornoch is considered the more serious contender, WPR is blown away by the unlikelihood of having two horses jockeying for position.
Photo courtesy of West Paces Racing
Photo courtesy of West Paces Racing
“This is how remarkable it is: In terms of the stats and the rarity of this, about 20,000 thoroughbreds are born each year, both fillies and colts, that would be ‘eligible’ for the Kentucky Derby in their three-year-old year,” Mason said. “There are only 20 slots. And we have two of them. I mean, it’s like a .0001 thing – you can do the math – to even be able to be in this position.
“This is the 150th anniversary of the derby. Somehow, I think history is looking down on us.”
It’s the realization of a wildest dream for Mason (Sandy Springs) and Connolly (Buckhead). Mason served as Gov. Zell Miller’s chief of staff and worked in President Bill Clinton’s administration. He went to his first Kentucky Derby in 1991 while working with Miller. He became obsessed, loving the thrill of the race.
In 2013, Mason became part of the Donegal group. He later brought Connolly, a semi-retired businessman who long had loved racing as a New York native, into the fold before they started their own syndicate. The two have experienced successes together in a brief time, but nothing compares with what’s ahead this weekend.
“I’ve had a lot of great experiences, from my times with Gov. Miller and my experiences in the White House and doing a lot of cool and interesting things along the way in my life, but this is really up there,” Mason said. “You basically don’t have any control over what happens. It’s up to a horse. Larry and I, and our team, have helped shape it to where we are. … But we can’t influence the outcome of a horse race, period.”
WPR has led the management of the horse’s training and racing, helped by bloodstock agents Conor Foley and Jim Hatchett of Oracle Bloodstock, along with trusted trainer Danny Gargan.
“It’s amazing,” Connolly said. “It’s surreal. I keep pinching myself. But I know a lot of credit goes to Conner and Jim and the rest of the team at Oracle Bloodstock because we’re a Moneyball outfit, and they have a great eye for quality horses. But the truth of the matter is that we’re often outbid by better resourced outfits. This is our fourth year of owning three-year-olds, and for a young syndicate that’s not as well-resourced as others to have two in the derby, and be able to enjoy this moment with your family and good friends, it’s very special and I don’t take it for granted.”
And for these two gentlemen, partners for a decade and co-founders for what’s really been a brief period, Saturday will be the ultimate memory with their families.
“To be able to spend a very special weekend with my wife, my two children and Keith and his family, knowing that we had something to do with the outcome of getting there, I’d be less than human if I didn’t take some pride (in that),” Connolly said. “So to be able to spend quality weekends with my family a number of times of year and have it be such a pleasant experience, it’s great.
“But make no mistake, there’s a lot of heartbreak in this business. There’s too much heartbreak in this business. You can go into the Hall of Fame and win 20% of the time. So you can’t get too far over your skis, otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for some heartbreak. But if you don’t participate, you won’t enjoy the joy and exhilaration that comes with winning.”
And wouldn’t it be something if Atlanta could claim the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner? Connolly tries not to think about that what if – a classic “don’t get my hopes up” type of deal – but Mason has admittedly let his thoughts be a bit more open.
“Seriously, I have no idea how it’s going to turn out,” Mason said. “That would be quite a dream if we won this deal with either horse. Wow, that’d be unbelievable. I hope I don’t have a heart attack.”
Photo courtesy of West Paces Racing
Photo courtesy of West Paces Racing
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