Kentucky Derby Week 2025 | Legion Bloodstock

Hey, welcome back into trackside Churchill towns.

Hey Louie, you're on the air. 437-9680 is our UPS jobs tax

line alongside Kelly Francois. Louie Rubow here with you up

until noon V show after us round table three to six and catch the

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Horseshoe Indianapolis and 1st bet today hanging out and I want

to welcome in. So guys who've got some horses

running, my goodness gracious, the connections of Otto Marie

Drexel Hill with us here. Guys.

How are you? Derby week, Gwen, Derby week.

How's it going, man? Happy to be here.

Yeah, no doubt about it. Tell us a little bit about Otto

Marie back in today, man, getting into Derby last year, I,

I, I got to be honest, Cali was like, hey, I want to have these

guys on. They've got these great

connections and all these things.

How many Derby horses have you had out of your out of your

audio bloodstock agency there and and what just the journey

with Anna Marie last year? Yeah, I mean, you know, we

formed this group about 3 years ago.

So Anna Marie was our our first Derby starter.

Yeah. You know, I, I worked on the

backside here for for years as an assistant trainer.

So did Christian. So, you know, we had Derby

horses through the guys we worked with.

But as a group, Anna Marie was our first.

And then to be right back in it this year with, you know, Flying

Mohawk and then obviously a couple Oaks Phillies, it's been

pretty special. Just the marathon thing today

with him. Are you excited to see him try

it out? I mean, it's really.

Interesting. We are, you know, and last year

we all talked about it, you know, Anna Marie, the race we

were most looking forward to for him, you know, was truly the

Belmont. But obviously they changed the

distance when they moved up to Saratoga.

We think he'll run for days. Wit thinks he'll run for days.

It's just checking another box with him, trying something

different. Second race off.

The layoff should hit him right in the head.

I really do think he's going to run a big race or some speed in

that marathon race. That should set up for him.

We know he loves Churchill Downs, but yeah, we're expecting

a good race for him. Yeah.

And let's also discuss Drexel Hill, of course, here with Kyle

Zorn, Travister, Christian Volante here with Legion

Bloodstock. Talk a little bit about Drexel

Hill. She's personally my favorite

priced horse for the Oaks. I think she's she, I think she's

going to be coming in with a big race.

I'm going to let Christian talk about you.

I've been talking Christian name Drexel Hill, so we're going to

oh, how. About that, yeah, the name of.

Those So Drexel Hill is named after a town in Philadelphia.

One of our partners is from that town, so we named her Drexel

Hill. We bought her as a yearling.

She went to Travis's training center.

She's been very straightforward the whole time.

Barb Mitchell had her to get started and we moved down here

to wit, and pretty much from day one with wit, he's kind of

thought she was Kentucky Oaks Philly.

So here we are. Interesting, interesting way and

I love it. What did you guys make of that?

Of that run in new. York.

It was kind of interesting after her last race in New Orleans, we

were trying to figure out the best spot for her would be.

We kind of talked to Wit about it and he liked the idea of the

Busher Stakes. He said down the backside he was

not very pleased with our decision to go to the butcher

because she wasn't very engaged. But thankfully Ben woke her up a

little bit and she did what she always does.

She always puts in an effort and always tries, and that's just

her. Now you guys said, you guys

joined up about 3 years ago talk.

Give us a little bit of the story of how this all came to be

because you guys are such a tight bunch and you guys have.

Seen such? Success right off the get go.

Just give us a little bit of the that pre story storyline.

So we'd all been friends for a decade or more prior to this and

kind of all done things kind of together, but with our own

different entities. And then we kind of got together

and thought about doing something collectively for a

change. And we sat down in Saratoga

about three years and talked it all over and decided, let's just

do this. And we caught it.

Legion, Bloodstock and. Here we are.

Was there any who started the conversation of meeting

together? I think it was Travis and I that

started talking about it. Prior to this, when I was buying

other horses, Travis had always broke our horses for other kinds

of the training center. So he and I had always done

stuff together at sales. And then Kyle is Kyle, but he's

a great part of the addition to the team.

Kyle is Kyle, man. That's like.

You know what way worse things have been said about you, right?

Hanging out with the Legion Bloodstock guys here on ESP at

680 and 105.7. Connections, of course, of

Drexel, he'll talk a little bit about working with Wit.

Beckman, rising star in our sport, for sure.

Otto Marie last year, certainly the connections with him.

This year with Drexel, he'll talk about working with Wit and

why, why that was the decision, what you did get.

To get Wit and I worked together at Todd Pletcher's.

We've been very good friends for a long time, and it kind of just

worked out perfectly. We're right about the same time

we were starting Legion, he called me and said that he was

ready to leave Chad Brown and go on his own and we could be of

any assistance and we have been. And he's he's really a huge

difference maker for us as a group.

We talk about pedigree with horses and you know, for

example, we see Rodriguez running a lot like his dad on

medic, that kind of stuff. When you work with a guy like

with how much Chad Brown influence do you see with him?

I think you see a nice mix of Todd and Chad.

I think with turf Forces he kind of leans more on the Chad front,

but his dirt horse is definitely of a very Todd style of

training. I think he really brings the

best of both worlds and you're seeing it with his results.

Actually, I'm seeing this a different way.

Talk about how different wit is against the Chads, the

Pleasures, the Bafferts. What?

What separates him? He's.

I mean, having worked in those barns, they're phenomenal

trainers in their own right. But what's very unique, and he

definitely approaches every horse as an individual and kind

of the training he does with all of them, It's been a lot of fun

to watch as he's kind of developed his program around the

horses and it's similar, like he's taking parts of their

programs, but it's definitely his own style of doing things.

He comes he he comes up with his own ideas of what needs to be

done with the horse. He's not take.

It this is. Not and I know and I know.

That what has. Come across.

This a lot. Where everybody's asking him

about the, you know, about the influences.

No, he's doing things on his own.

And if there's any other way, any examples that you can give

that just separates him again from those guys because it's

there, It's there. It's just, you know, we need, he

just, you know, needs and he's had enough horses to see it.

But yeah, plenty of examples. I'm sure you've got them.

Yeah. You know, I mean, you don't have

to go back too far with Wit, you know, it wasn't.

But, you know, three years ago that Wit was just starting out

and grooming his own horses and, you know, and they were just

kind of, you know, manes and tails in there.

They weren't anything spectacular.

And you know, I think not, obviously this is not saying

Todd or Chad doesn't have that work ethic, but just to start

all over and kind of, you know, from grassroots and and doing

it, you know, which which pedigree not just with who he

worked with. His dad's a vet, you know, you

know, he's worked on the farm setting for a long time.

So I think he brings that aspect into it as well.

You know, he has a lot of those characteristics of his dad.

You know, he really micromanages each horse.

So, you know, that's that's the other thing I would say is, is

wits a very hands on trainer as well.

Absolutely, Travis, you've been quiet.

Let's let's get. To you exactly, but I also

wanted to bring you on you kind of.

In the. Partnership you probably get all

of these you. Know coming from the sales.

They probably. I'm just making some guesses

here. They go straight to your place.

Yeah, most of the horses, you know, not everything, but I'd

say 90%, I'm for sure go come to the training center in South

Carolina. Perfect.

And you're at the sales, I imagine yourself also going

through all of these purchases with the guys.

And also just wanted to touch a little bit on Legion itself.

What do you guys what? Is obviously.

You're already you're. Starting off at what a lot of

owners and goals are right Oaks, Derby, so on and so forth.

Listen, they're going to be a lot more right big races that

you guys are going to be winning, but I know that there's

room to grow. What else?

I mean as far as. Other people coming in to.

Legion. What else are you looking for

in? On that end, go back to Kyle, by

the way. Yeah, Yeah.

That's kind of my my thing. So, you know, we've, we've

gotten real aggressive this past year with trying to bring new

people into the game. We're doing a lot of digital

marketing, media marketing type stuff.

You know, we have different entities with Legion.

Obviously we, you know, we're, we're full service blood stock

agency. So we, we buy a lot of private

horses for people. But you know, Anna Marie started

in a racing group. Drexel Hill is in a racing group

running under our silks. It our racing groups are very

different from obviously my racehorse with the micro share

model. We're not West Point, we're not

Eclipse. We, we kind of have this smaller

boutique type, you know, operation where most of our

owners that have got into the racing groups have been

referrals from other people. But we're trying to bring new

people in because I get people walking up to me all the time.

And I, I think you'll find out that there's a lot more interest

of people wanting to get in horse racing.

It's things that, or maybe they've tried it and it's the,

the, it's not the, the dollar amount of bills, it's the amount

of bills. And, and this is they, you know,

they don't, they don't know how to communicate with the trainer

and stuff like that. So we're, we're, we're trying to

figure all those things out for them and say, look, we're going

to simplify this. We're going to make it a fun

experience. And I, and I think that's the

one thing you, you, if you ask people, look, are they all going

to turn into Bianna Maria Drexel help?

No, but we're going to have fun regardless if we go run at

Indiana Downs or wherever we're right, we're going to have a

blast. And that's that's what our

ownership is about. And you know, spending some time

with you guys, that's immediately what I pick up.

No matter what, you guys are making this a fun time, so

listen. You.

Never know who's listening we got a lot of listeners just plug

away how can any how can anybody reach out and.

Contact, You know, the easiest way is to drop us an e-mail

info@legionbloodstock.com. We check those, check out our

website info. No, I'm sorry,

legion-bloodstock.com, Sorry, there's so many of them I've got

to go through. But you know, we're real proud

of the, the body work we put together in three years.

It gives a, you know, a little bit more back history on each

one of us. You know, Travis's training

center, which I want to, I want to talk about that real quick.

Yeah. Please, I was actually going to

ask. You about that?

Yeah, I know Travis is. Going to he's quiet and he's

very humble, but I, you know, I get this question a lot like

man, why you guys have so much success right off the bat?

You know, I believe in the horses that we buy.

These two guys have a lot more experience in the sales rings

than me. So these are these are the eyes

in in there. But having Travis's training

center is a huge part of this. Now, like Travis said, he trains

for a lot of other people outside of legion as well.

But for us to be involved in the process and our trainers with

Jeremiah, everybody we work with, from the minute we buy

these horses, they go into that process and we are there along

the way. You know where and it's not a

knock on other people, but you know, a lot of these other

syndicates or something they're sending them, spreading them out

Nocal and stuff like that and they're getting updates, but

we're doing it in real time, our trainers down there.

And then Travis's opinion of these sources, we're able to

pivot with the group horses or anybody's source for that

matter. If he says, look, this horse is

showing me what I think this is going to be an early May June

type horse or guys, Anna Marie example.

I I think he's going to be probably later fall type horse.

We make those adjustments on the fly and it's worked out really

good for not just our personal clients, but extremely well for

our our racing groups. Theory and the way you guys

operate completely horseman based that is you guys are here

for the horses and that's of course what is the most

important thing that you've got going on here.

And I think what's great is that.

You. Are and you just really?

Explained it so well that you guys are a true team and

communication and I, you know I've seen other.

Syndicates and that's that has been an issue and but I think

with the way you guys operate it's so seamless.

And it's so it's very, it's inclusive.

In the sense where everybody's welcome and everybody is

involved and it's, it's all, it's just good.

Vibes all around. All vibes, Let's go.

Yeah. 100% and it's, you know, there's another part of the

business that a lot of people don't understand.

You know, it's just as much fun obviously going to the races,

but go to the sales. We, we bring all our clients

there, show them why we're picking these horses out.

And then the next step we take them all to Travis's.

Travis has got a beautiful facility and in Saint Matthew,

South Carolina, you know, his wife always cooks a big dinner

for everybody and stuff. So we make it a whole experience

from start to finish. It's not just so so it almost

becomes these people's babies, you know, they followed them

along the way. Why not?

Why not? Can I ask Travis a question?

Why South Carolina? You know, and I know there's a

there's a real steeplechase culture in in some of those

places, but why South Carolina for for your?

Where I grew up. OK, great.

You know, I went to work for Web Carroll back in 2008.

He had, you know, obviously training center was big and

flourishing at the time. And I worked for him for 10

years and he was ready to retire.

So I bought the farm from him in 2016.

So I guess we're getting close 10 years, how about that?

But yeah. Congratulations.

But you know, it's, it's, you know, I grew up in quarter horse

racing, quarter horses I rode for since I was 12.

So it's kind of been in my blood from day one.

But it's kind of had the opportunity to go to work for

web and I guess the rest is history.

So yeah, since then we've had country house.

We went to the Oaks with April 1000 and stuff.

So it's been great. How many do you have right now?

Probably 150 right now, yeah. But but it's done, it's done

well. You have a I'm sure that team

that you've got back there at home is just phenomenal.

Yeah, I can't do it without the team at home.

So, you know, probably got 50 employees.

My brother works for me. I got two other assistants.

So that's one assistant. Been there 30 years, so you

know, it's a team. Ever family atmospheres.

So I got a good group of guys, you know, everybody comes back.

I train riders. We like the brother at every.

He's alright. Yeah, like.

He's OK. We.

Brought him along last year. Yeah.

Well. It's so fun because we're so

used to. Hearing about Ocala, FL and but

the South Carolina I've I've spent some time in Aiken and

it's it's it's a great it's just it's so great to be.

Weather. Just weather wise.

Yeah, weather wise, it's, you know, it gets cold, but not too

cold. And the horses really enjoy it.

You know, it's, it's the climb is very conducive to to the

horses. Though now.

It's. This is an insane question to

ask in the sense it's not that. Insane, but because.

Only because of the timing that we're sitting, we, you know,

we're about to. Do Oaks and Derby but.

Any you know from a couple of these sales, anything you guys

are excited? About for, you know, for the

coming. Oh yeah.

There we go. There we go.

I see if you. I mean, every year it gets

better, like Kyle said, you know, just the stuff we sent to

wit, you know, we, he, he didn't have much of a shot for the

first crowd we sent him. You know, he was doing a little

different, but I've sent up some babies already to him at

Keeneland and we went over and watched him train the other

morning. And I mean, it's he's got a lot

of good horses already, but there's a lot at the farm that's

still yet to come up that we think very highly of.

So we can, if it goes right, I think we could be back here next

year for sure. And that's part of the dream.

I mean, we're talking and that's, I figured that was going

to be the answer to the question because I felt comfortable

asking that because how excited. How?

Exciting is it that you guys are here for Oaks and Derby?

You have some that potentially could be firing up some fun, but

just wait until next year, man, because you guys, I have a

feeling guys are going to be cranking it up and you guys

you're going to be cranking it up the right way get.

You out of here on this? What happens on Friday that

Drexel Hill wins the Oaks? What happens?

What does the race look like? What does she do?

What does Ben Curtis do? What is it?

What happens on Friday? What is the scenario in which

Drexel Hill wins the Oaks pace? Okay.

Pace. She needs pace for sure.

She needs some speed. Yeah, she.

Needs speed in front of her. Bens very confident she's going

to love the mile and an eighth. The kind of plan the whole time

with this was After the Butcher. She is a later fall anyhow and

she's run a bunch in her life already.

She's kind of never missed a dance and she's always been rock

solid. So we'd always said After the

Butcher, I'd love to be able to finally give her kind of two

months to come into this race and she's really flourished.

We couldn't be happier with her, I think as long as she gets some

pace, Bens very confident. You told me simply joking is

going to go out so Drexel Hill can close late.

Is this what you're telling me? If we can.

Local sports. Talk we're going to root for our

team so we hope simply joking gets there but yes, we hope we

got the front in the back cover and one of them gets it done for

wit that'll be a Good Friday. They both.

Have looked spectacular here, so I have no doubts that she'll run

really, really well on the back. Why don't you reintroduce

everyone we'll get? Them out of here and we've got

the guys over here at Legion of Bloodstock, Christian Volante,

Travister and Kyle Zorn guys and thank you so much for popping

over. Appreciate it.

Thank you. All right, you and.

Hey, Safe trips today, tomorrow, Friday, all the days.

All right, Thank you very, very much.

This is ESPN 680 at 1057. When we come back, we'll talk

with Bailey Armor. She's from the Horse Sets

podcast with our guy Scott Shapiro.

We talk to her next.