Robert V. LaPenta

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2009 Record: (116-23-15-13)

2009 Earnings: $1,143,270

2009 Win %: 19% In-The-Money %: 43%

Born: Aug. 20, 1945, Yonkers, N.Y.
Residence: Westport, Conn.
Family: wife, Laurie Winters and son, Robert LaPenta Jr.
Education: Iona College, B.A. in accounting ... Received a Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, honoris causa, from Iona in 2000 ... A member of Iona’s Board of Trustees, LaPenta donated $7 million toward the construction of the college’s LaPenta Student Union Building ... LaPenta’s silks are maroon and gold, in honor of his alma mater
Professional Background: Chairman of the board, president and CEO of L-1 Identity Solutions, a provider of solutions and services that protect personal identities and assets ... L-1 Identity Solutions is based in Stamford, CT … LaPenta is the co-founder and former president and CFO of L-3 Communications Corporation, a provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems … LaPenta had previously worked as a vice president of Lockheed Martin Corporation ... LaPenta enjoys skiing and golf. He owns a residence in Deer Valley, Utah, and is a member of Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester County., N.Y. He also golfs frequently in Naples, Fla., during the winter months
Racing Background: Introduced to racing as a youth by his mother … First became an owner in 1998 as a partner with University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino … Started his own stable in 2001, purchasing eight yearlings for $895,000 in the name of Whitehorse Stables ... Was a member of the board of directors of the Friends of New York Racing, an advocacy group analyzing the future of racing in New York
Racing Career: LaPenta’s maroon and gold colors have been a familiar sight in major stakes in recent years …The Cliff’s Edge won The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on April 10, 2004 at Keeneland defeating Lion Heart to give LaPenta his first Grade 1 victory. War Pass became LaPenta’s first Eclipse Award champion when he capped an unbeaten 2-year-old season with a victory in the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile ... Winner of the 2007 Champagne, War Pass failed to regain his championship form at three ... Following a second place finish in the Wood Memorial, a fractured sesamoid was detected in his left front leg that eventually ended his racing career ... A $180,000 yearling buy, War Pass was retired to stud at Lane’s End in Kentucky with career earnings of more than $1.5 million ... Despite losing what he thought was his best shot for a Triple Crown victory in War Pass, LaPenta found himself in the winner's circle after Da’ Tara scored a 36-1 upset in the 2008 Belmont Stakes ... LaPenta’s talented roster of 3-year-olds in 2008 also included Fountain of Youth winner Cool Coal Man and Haskell Invitational runner-up Coal Play, who is scheduled to run in the 2009 Breeders Cup Dirt Mile … Coal Play won the Grade 3 Salvatore Mile at Monmouth Park, a “Win and You’re In” race that earned the colt a spot in the Breeders’ Cup ... LaPenta’s first taste of success in major 3-year-old stakes came in 2004 when The Cliff’s Edge won the Blue Grass Stakes ... The Cliff’s Edge was second in the Travers Stakes later that year ... Aside from War Pass, LaPenta has run two other horses in the Breeders’ Cup: Superfly, a full brother to another top LaPenta runner Andromeda’s Hero, was fifth in the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and C P West was sixth in the same race in ’06 ... Active as both a buyer and seller at sales ... Purchased a Fusaichi Pegasus colt (later named Fusaichi Samurai) for $270,000 at the 2003 Saratoga yearling sale and then sold him for $4.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale in February 2004, a record price for a 2-year-old in training ... Bought a Dixie Union colt for $160,000 as a weanling and sold him for $1.3 million at the 2004 Keeneland September yearling sale …Also sold many successful horses in the 2-year-old in training sales, including Zavata, Pomeroy, and Court Vision
Breeding/Racing Operation: Owns 60 horses, including six broodmares ... Most of LaPenta’s horses are with Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito ... He also has two with Doug O’Neill on the West Coast and 11 with Ron Moquett. . . “We've been a great team and I try to leave him alone and let him do what he does best, but I call him Da Vinci, Michelangelo,” LaPenta said about Zito. “He knows how to pick unbelievably good horses and how to train them.” ... He still owns The Cliff's Edge and sold 75% of War Pass who stands at Lanes End Farm ... Among his best runners in ’09 is Our Edge, a son of The Cliff's Edge who won the Barbaro Stakes at Delaware Park.