Van Kempen on Another Bargain Dream Ride
By Del Mar Publicity DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 21, 2010) -- If you're not familiar with the mare Lunge, don't feel ashamed.
Veteran trainer Jim Cassidy claimed her, on behalf of Vista, California resident and horse owner Don Van Kempen, for a mere $20,000 in 2004. She hardly established a reputation on the track either. Lunge made just nine starts -- Van Kempen owned her for the last four -- in an injury-plagued career, yet her impact on Southern California racing has been rippling of late.
Van Kempen, the primary owner of Don Van Racing, Inc., ultimately chose to breed Lunge to leading California sire Unusual Heat. They produced a son that racing enthusiasts have come to know quite well, The Usual Q.T., a 4-year-old gelding who's earned just a shade under $1 million in 15 career starts.
Van Kempen and Cassidy have cultivated a four-time (and counting) graded stakes winner from an initial $20,000 investment. Now their sights are firmly set on Del Mar's finest two minutes, the $1 Million Pacific Classic Presented by TVG Saturday, August 28.
Score one for the little guys of racing.
Van Kempen clearly recognizes the luck behind his tremendous fortune.
"To end up with a horse like this is unheard of, it just doesn't happen. It's a stroke of fate that touches you on the shoulder," said the owner.
His superstar has far surpassed all reasonable expectations and only shows signs of improving. The Usual Q. T. delivered a sterling performance – with a nifty 11.14 final furlong – in Del Mar’s Eddie Read Stakes on July 24. Jockey Victor Espinoza guided "Q.T." through a near perfect trip, and an impressive two-length victory on Del Mar's opening weekend. The gelding's dominant effort left a strong impression on the racing community.
“Q.T." could go off as one of the favorites, if not the favorite, in the Pacific Classic. For Van Kempen, it's an opportunity to claim the premier race at his home track's meet, just a few exits south of his backyard patio. The sudden rush of recognition and notable wins might overwhelm other owners who also make their keep on relatively cheap claimers. Van Kempen, however, seems completely unaffected by the process. And The Usual Q.T. isn't his first bargain bin superstar, which also helps.
Van Kempen enjoyed similar success, on a similar budget, with Moscow Burning from 2003 to 2006. The distaff runner won 11 races, including the Sheepshead Bay Handicap at Belmont, earned over $1.4 million, and received Cal-bred Horse of the Year honors in 2004. Van Kempen eventually sold Moscow Burning to Japanese buyers for $1 million. Cassidy had claimed her for $25,000 in the summer of 2003.
Combine the sale price with Moscow Burning's on-track winnings and Van Kempen made his money back almost 100 times over. "Q.T." is quickly traveling down the same financial path. To own one horse with that return rate is unexpected. To have two horses do it is unreal.
Stories like Don Van Kempen's are hard to come by at Thoroughbred Owners of California conventions, or anywhere for that matter.
Van Kempen has every right to gloat and puff out his chest. He could ramble on about his stakes wins at Del Mar, or slip his wild success into conversations at black tie gatherings, or drive around in a Ferrari with a "QTIZMIN" license plate prominently displayed on the back. But Van Kempen isn't one to boast; not his style.
The 70-year-old New Jersey native wears a stoic expression at all times and speaks in a consistent, measured tone. There's no mystery behind Van Kempen; he's candid, polite, and completely assured of his actions and opinions. Yet even after 40 years as an owner, and despite his level attitude, Van Kempen, like everyone else, can't quantify this hot streak he's riding.
"Who knows how I ended up with this horse," said Van Kempen about The Usual Q.T. Although puzzled by his personal achievements, the owner fully comprehends what his current situation means to racing. "I'm the little guy who didn't spend much, what, $25,000 for Moscow, $20 [thousand] for Lunge, won almost $2.5 million off those horses. That's what brings people to the game. No one would go if there weren't horses like that."
Of owning "Q.T." he says, "It's wonderful. All my life I worked hard. I didn't play golf. I didn't own a yacht. I like races."
You'd bet a man so attached to tote boards and photo finishes would put a Pacific Classic horse near the top of his bucket list. Van Kempen, though, contemplates next Saturday from his typically cool disposition.
"I'm not an excitable guy, not emotional; it's another race, another day."
You're halfway tempted to pour a bucket of ice water on Don's head, or shake him by the shoulders, or check his pulse for a heartbeat. Would someone please explain to Van Kempen that this is a colossal event and he should act accordingly? Oh well, don't bother, it won't do any good.
To him, the Classic offers "Nothing to be overwhelmed [by]; a lot of the excitement you've had, it wanes a little bit." As for his thoughts about The Usual Q.T., whose eight wins have all come on turf, and the events that led to entering his gelding in the headliner on Polytrack, Van Kempen responds with some added passion.
Some observers pegged "Q.T." for the Arlington Million, as the gelding tends to run better on grass. While Van Kempen took a hard look at that Chicago race before ultimately growing wary of the travel, possible rain and the potential for soft turf, he scoffs at the confounding turf label.
"[Q.T.] ran every place I've run him. How can you call him a turf specialist?" he says. The horse is winless in five races away from turf (though he does show three seconds), which includes a ninth-place finish on a synthetic track at the Sunshine Millions Classic in January. Van Kempen blames that particular performance on poor execution, not the surface.
"The way the race shaped up, he ended up laying first or second. He just doesn't run that way."
Make no mistake; the owner loves his stakes winner on Del Mar's synthetic track. "The thing about running him here is he runs like a superhorse," says Van Kempen. "He trains like a freak."
Van Kempen credits Cassidy for the strong workouts, and for his running machine's spectacular performances.
"The thing about Cassidy is his patience. He can sense what it is," he says. In Van Kempen's opinion, the trainer's patience has made all the difference.
"We could have jumped the gun, ran [The Usual Q.T.] in stakes when he wasn.t ready and got him hurt. The trainer is the whole thing."
The Usual Q.T. is also pulling his weight. "He's more of a mature horse and finally figured it all out," says Van Kempen. "He's just now being what he is."
The scene is set for Van Kempen and his second surprise find. Their preparations since the Eddie Read have played out according to plan and the gelding looks eligible to fire a big shot. A local horse winning the Classic has a nice ring to it, and Van Kempen figures it's a natural.
Don Van Kempen runs lucky, and The Usual Q.T. is a truly good horse. We'll find out where that momentum leads them on Saturday.
