Md. Million: Make it 11 for Kerness K
Leads nation in wins this year
Frank Vespe
October 25, 2026
Make it 11.
The longest equine win streak in the nation continued Saturday at Laurel Park as Maryland-bred, Maryland-sired Kerness K overcame a hefty weight assignment to win his 11th straight race in a Maryland Million starter handicap.
For trainer Jamie Ness, the streak has become something to appreciate beyond the next trip to the winner’s circle. Winning races – more than 5,100 of them to date — is his business. Winning this many with the same horse is something else.
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“This doesn’t come along very often,” Ness said. “Horses don’t fire every time.”
Kerness K keeps firing. Carrying 129 pounds, the son of Great Notion stalked the pace under Martin Chuan, cruised into contention, and overcame a stubborn Cap Com to win the seven-furlong contest by 1½ lengths. The overwhelming favorite returned $2.60 after stopping the clock in 1:23.25 on a fast track.
It was a bit of a departure. Kerness K has been something of a one-run closer in recent outings; Saturday he showed a more tactical dimension.
“He felt confident today,” said winning rider Martin Chuan. “He broke really sharp, and I took the best position today. I was waiting for the stretch to move, and when I ask him, he goes.
It was Kerness K’s 10th consecutive victory for Ness, who has experienced both sides of the claiming business with the gelding.
Ness initially trained Kerness K for his own Jagger Inc. and co-owner Morris Kernan, Jr., before losing him through the claimbox in December 2024. This past March, he reached back in for the same ownership group to claim him back for $7,500, reclaiming a horse who had just begun what has become an extraordinary run.
Kerness K won by six lengths that March 13 afternoon for trainer Brittany Russell. Ness has kept him unbeaten since, collecting victories at Laurel, Delaware Park, Parx Racing, and Colonial Downs.
Some have been runaways. Others have required a well-timed final surge. Four wins during the streak have come by a neck, a head, or a nose, including an August handicap at Colonial in which he got up in the last jump.
Saturday required a different calculation: how to handle the highest weight in the field while keeping something in reserve for a possible trip to the Claiming Crown at Churchill Downs.
“He’s a little tiny horse,” Ness said. “They put 129 pounds on him today.”
That meant conceding nine pounds to Cap Com, a 66-1 outsider who set fractions of 23.52 and 47.23 seconds and proved considerably more persistent than his odds suggested.
Chuan, though, had Kerness K moving comfortably outside horses. He advanced into third after a half-mile, challenged Cap Com in upper stretch, and edged ahead before being asked for more late. Do It for Michael finished third, 4½ lengths behind Cap Com.
Ness credited Chuan’s familiarity with the gelding and his willingness to do only what was necessary.
“They don’t need to win by seven,” Ness said. “A win’s a win.”
Bred by Bowman & Higgins Stable out of the Include mare No Picnic, Kerness K now has 14 wins from 22 starts and earnings of $349,085. Saturday’s winner’s share was $27,500.
Ness gives sensible placement a substantial share of the credit, putting the gelding in races where he belongs and allowing his soundness and consistency to do the rest. But this particular target carried significance beyond extending the streak.
“The goal was the Maryland Million,” Ness said. “We’re Maryland residents. Our farm’s here. The horse is bred here, so we wanted to make sure we try to make this race.”
With that accomplished, the Claiming Crown is on the radar, provided Kerness K comes out of Saturday’s race well. Ness expects tougher competition there, but he is ready to give his streaking Maryland-bred another opportunity.
“We’re gonna keep rolling the streak as long as we can,” he said.
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