Nole Ksum Racing Stable

01/15/2025

01/10/2025

Munny Problem Update

We got some fresh Munny Problem content today with commentary from Wavertree’s Ciaran Dunne. Your c**t is doing well and picking things back up after the standard easy period that most horses in Ocala get around the holidays.

Ciaran did note that Munny Problem had a bit of a splint flare up (localized swelling on the lateral or medial aspect of the metacarpals or metatarsals—a very common issue in young horses at this stage of their development and rarely a long-term concern), but it didn’t really impact his training schedule as it timed out well with the holiday break.

At this stage, it appears Munny Problem should have no trouble picking up the pace on schedule and eventually starting to do some speed work. He looks to be carrying some good muscle at the moment and we’re happy with his development.

01/10/2025

Incredible Update

Incredible has returned to training at Wavertree now as a gelding and farm conditioner Ciaran Dunne reports that he’s doing well. He’s put on some weight during the time off and has mellowed a bit. He’ll continue to build his fitness back up at the farm with a tentative timeline to return to the Asmussen barn in mid-February or so, pending Steve’s confirmation of that timeline.

The jury is still admittedly out on Incredible, but we do believe strongly that the time off he has had and the decision to geld him will give him the best possible chance to reach his full potential.

As we’ve said previously, the Authentics figure to improve with age and maturity, and that notion was supported last week when Bob Baffert trainee Rodriguez romped on the stretch-out at Santa Anita, earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure and prestigious ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. We expect more Authentic progeny to pop up and start standing out in the coming months.

01/08/2025

California Fire Update

We just wanted to provide an update on the wildfire situation out in California. While the fires have gotten fairly close to Santa Anita, the track and horses are not believed to be in danger at this time and no evacuation orders are in place. The nearest fire is some 7-10 miles from the track and climbing uphill, away from Santa Anita. The fire would need to cross the freeway to get to the track. Training was halted yesterday due to high winds, and again today for both wind and smoke.

Other places where we have horses like San Luis Rey and Los Alamitos are not in the area of concern currently.

We’ll of course keep a close eye on the situation and will remain in contact with our California-based trainers, but for right now, it does not appear that any members of our stable are in danger. Our hearts go out to anyone impacted by this situation—it’s scary to say the least.

01/07/2025

Improbable Luck Update

Improbable Luck returned to the work tab for the first time in 58 days following his leg infection. He covered four furlongs in :50.40 on Sunday at Oaklawn Park in an easy fashion due to it being his first work back. As long as everything continues in good order, we imagine he'll pick things up pretty quick in the Lukas barn.

01/06/2025

Isle Blue Update

We were in touch with the team at Two Springs this morning to check in on Isle Blue. The farm reports that the splint that the filly developed has yet to cool out completely. Due to this, your daughter of Speightstown will require a bit more rest before she can return to training. We’ll keep you updated as to any new developments.

01/04/2025

Madame Secretary Race Recap

Madame Secretary ran a much improved second this afternoon at Santa Anita Park. Your daughter of Constitution stumbled at the start and as you will hear from jockey Juan Hernandez in the video above, he felt she broke so fast the ground came out from under her. She recovered quickly and was able to settle in second behind the eventual winner and post-time favorite, Just as Fancy. She stayed on in the stretch while green throughout, drifting in and out a bit but this was definitely an encouraging effort.

Given her debut and not getting much out of it from either a fitness or education standpoint, we have to treat this effort as her debut. It was a positive sign that she handled both the two-turn distance and the dirt.
We’ll check in with the Mandella barn in the morning to see how she exited the race and follow up with an update.

01/03/2025

Seize the Grey Update

Exciting news, Seize the Grey's Preakness victory has been nominated for the 2024 NTRA Moment of the year. The moment came on May 18, 2024 when your son of Arrogate provided the thrill of a lifetime to all his owners, and gave trainer D. Wayne Lukas his 7th Preakness win.

01/03/2025

Improbable Luck Update

We spoke with the Lukas Team at Oaklawn Park this morning to check in on Improbable Luck, who has recently returned to galloping. Assistant trainer Bas Nicholl reports that your son of Improbable continues to trend in the right direction and that the infection site has healed up nicely. What ended up being a significant setback seems to be behind him and he will continue to gallop regularly until D. Wayne Lukas feels he is ready to return to the work tab.