Sweezey going out on his own as trainer

FLORENCE, Ky. – Kent Sweezey is coming home. Sweezey has been allotted six stalls at the Trackside training center in Louisville, where he will embark on a solo training career using his home state of Kentucky as his primary base.

Sweezey, 31, has worked the last seven years in California and New York as a stable hand and assistant for Eoin Harty, Christophe Clement, and, most recently, Jimmy Jerkens. For Jerkens, he worked closely with such stars as Wicked Strong, Effinex, Unified, and Shaman Ghost.

“Jimmy’s the best,” said Sweezey, who spent his youth in both Lexington and Louisville. “It’s been great to learn under him. The horse always comes first.”

Sweezey said he hopes to run his first starter, Lela’s Gift, on April 9 at Keeneland. The 3-year-old filly is owned in partnership by Sweezey’s father, Wayne, a principal owner of Timber Town Stable in Lexington.