Buckhead and Sandy Springs residents have two horses running in Kentucky Derby

Buckhead’s Larry Connolly and Sandy Springs resident Keith Mason will be watching the Kentucky Derby on May 4 with more interest than most as they have two horses competing in the Run for the Roses.

The syndicate they formed, West Paces Racing LLC, owns one-third of both Dornoch and Society Man.

“We’re the only ownership group that has that,” Mason said.

They named it West Paces Racing because many of their investors came from the Cherokee Town Club, where Connolly had been president and where they both were members. They also shared an office on West Paces Ferry Road, Mason said.

West Paces Racing is a “moneyball outfit,” which Connolly defined as always looking to get the best horses for the money they have available.

Connolly said in the lead up to the race as an owner he’ll call the trainer to check on the status of the horses after their morning workouts.

“You’re hoping for a conversation and not one where you know they stepped in a hole, or you know they kind of flew they’re not heating well yet again a slight temperature. You just hold your breath that they stay healthy,” he said.

He said they have close to 50 people affiliated with the partnership who will “invade” Louisville for Derby Weekend. They get credentials for 12 people to escort the horses from the barn to the paddock, which is done on the track on the outside rail.

“For 15 minutes you’re treated like a rock star,” he said.

He said the electricity generated by 150,000 fans is immeasurable, fun, and exciting.

His first exposure to racing was from growing up in Rye, New York. He went to the Belmont and Saratoga racetracks for social reasons. It wasn’t until he met Lawrence Kenny in the 1990s that racing became an interest.

Kenny, a Scotland native, had tried a career as a steeplechase jockey before going back to school and into business. Between 1996 and 2001 Kenny and Connolly went to Cheltenham Festival in Scotland every March.

“It’s like the Breeders Cup for steeplechase when the good horses from Europe congregate in this lovely village in the Cotswold,” Connolly said.

In the evenings they would go to the pubs where the owners, trainers and jockeys would be. They talked about what it would be like to own a horse and have it run at Cheltenham.

In 2012 when Connolly’s company was sold to Advent International, now known as Cotivity, his time was free to do things like the trip he made to Saratoga to watch the Traverse Stakes race with Mason that helped ignite their desire to own horses.

Mason said his first trip to the Kentucky Derby was in 1991 when he was Gov. Zell Miller’s chief of staff.

He joined the Donegal horse racing syndicate through his connection with general partner Jared Crawford. When another partner had to sell his stake, Connolly bought him out.

At the time, Keen Ice was owned by Donegal and ran seventh in the Derby and third in the Belmont, losing to American Pharoah. But in the Traverse, Keen Ice beat American Pharoah at the wire

“That was one of the most exciting moments in my life outside of family,” Connolly said.

Through their stake in the Donegal syndicate, he and Mason became familiar with Oracle Bloodstock, bloodstock agents that are key to purchasing the right horses, Connolly said. They talked about forming a syndicate. In 2019 they formed West Paces Racing. He asked his golf buddies to invest because his goal is and remains to introduce this sport to his friends as he knew they would enjoy it, too.

Mason said West Paces Racing first identified and bought the largest share of Dornoch and Society Man, named both horses, and led the management of their training and racing, along with their bloodstock agents—Conor Foley and Jim Hatchett of Oracle Bloodstock and their trainer—Danny Gargan.

Dornoch qualified for the Derby in early March by winning the Fountain of Youth race.

Dornoch is from Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic’s second crop, who was also second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby Derby to Triple Crown winner Justify. His dam is Puca (by 2008 Derby winner Big Brown), which makes Dornoch a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. He was a $ 325,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2022.

Society Man was also sired by Good Magic. He was an $85,000 buy at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Expectations for Society Man were lower, and he was a bit slow to get to the track, but he always improved. In the Memorial, he went off at 106 to 1 but managed to come in second, which qualified him for the Derby.

Looking ahead, Paces Racing has two horses in Florida that Connolly said they bought last fall that look promising. They will ship to their trainers in a month and by next summer they hope to have success with them.

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