Tag: Ken McPeek

The Week in Review: Ten Questions the Breeders’ Cup Will Answer

Thoughts I had while perusing the pre-entries for what promises to be a terrific Breeders’ Cup?

  1. What are the chances that Swiss Skydiver is named Horse of the Year?

It now appears almost certain that Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will go in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff instead of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“At this point we are going in the Distaff unless there is a late defection from the Classic,” trainer Ken McPeek told reporters Saturday morning.

The Classic field is loaded, so running Swiss Skydiver in the Distaff, where she will likely be second choice behind Monomoy Girl (Tapizar),  is the logical choice. But will it cost Swiss Skydiver her best chance of being named Horse of the Year? It may and it may not.

Obviously, had she gone in the Classic and won the race she would have been an overwhelming pick for Horse of the Year. But what if she wins the Distaff? If all the top contenders fail to win the Classic, it will probably be enough. The better question is what will happen if Swiss Skydiver wins the Distaff and the Classic is won by one of the top choices and Horse-of-the-Year candidates like Improbable (City Zip), Authentic (Into Mischief) or Tiz the Law (Constitution)?  A strong case could still be made for Swiss Skydiver.

Her overall body of work, in an era where most top horses are babied, is remarkable. Her year began in January at Tampa Bay Downs and she hasn’t missed a beat since. The Breeders’ Cup will be her 10th start on the year and she has competed in every month on the calendar but April while running at nine different racetracks. Her accomplishments include a win over males in a Triple Crown race, the GI Preakness S. She may not be the best horse in training, but has any horse had a better, more complete year? That’s something voters will have to consider.

There is a precedent. In 2010, Blame (Arch) defeated Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and also won the GI Whitney H. and the GI Stephen Foster H. But Horse of the Year went to Zenyatta, her overall body of work on the year swaying enough voters. It could happen again.

  1. Are the figure-makers right about Princess Noor?

Princess Noor (Not This Time) was a seven-figure purchase at the 2-year-old sales, is undefeated and is trained by Bob Baffert. Those are the type of credentials that would normally make a horse a solid favorite in a Breeders’ Cup race for 2-year-olds. But her speed figures tell a different story. Her best Beyer number is a 79. If the Beyer numbers are right, she is considerably slower than several other horses in she will face in the GI Breeder’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

When it comes to the figures, Princess Noor will have to step it up to win the Juvenile Fillies. Can she? Are the numbers accurate? The Juvenile Fillies will have the answers.

  1. Does Wesley Ward have a lock on the Juvenile Turf Sprint?

Trainer Wesley Ward pre-entered 10 horses for the Juvenile Sprint, an unprecedented show of depth. With some horses pre-entered for other races and some others not selected into the field, Ward won’t run all 10. But his plan of attack., dominating the entry box, may well pay off. He won the Juvenile Turf Sprint last year with Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah), one of three starters he had in the race.

  1. How good is Jackie’s Warrior?

Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) hasn’t got much hype, which is a bit surprising. No one has come close to him in his four career starts and another blowout victory in the Juvenile would certainly stamp him as an exciting prospect for next year’s GI Kentucky Derby. The Breeders’ Cup should also provide him with an opportunity to prove he can win when facing pace pressure, something that didn’t happen in his wins in the GI Hopeful S. and the GI Champagne S.

  1. Is Nashville special?

Perhaps the most intriguing horse pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup is Nashville (Speightstown), who is likely to go in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has raced just twice and in nothing tougher than a first level allowance, but many are giving him a chance after a sensational start to his career. He’s won his two starts by a combined 21 1/4 lengths. His Beyer figure of 101 puts him right in the mix when compared to some of the more seasoned horses he will face.

The question is whether or not any horse with so little experience and seasoning can win a Breeders’ Cup race. If Nashville overcomes those obstacles and wins we will be talking about a superstar.

  1. Will the Starship Jubilee Cinderella story continue?

One of  the best claims in decades, Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) will look to pick up a Breeders’ Cup win to add to her remarkable career. She was pre-entered in both the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. The first preference is the Filly & Mare Turf.

Way back in 2017, she was claimed for $16,000 off of Jorge Navarro, who had her for just one start. Fast forward to the present and she has earned over $2 million and has beaten males in the GI Woodbine Mile, one of 12 stakes wins for the Canadian-based mare. This will be the toughest assignment of her career, but she has the credentials to win whatever Breeders’ Cup race trainer Kevin Attard puts her in.

  1. How will the many layoff horses do?

The idea of training a horse up to the Breeders’ Cup without any recent preps has become more and more popular each year. But does it work? A handful of top horses who haven’t raced in a while will help answer that question.

Among the pre-entries, there were 26 horses who will come into the Breeders’ Cup with a rest of at least two months. One of the most extreme examples is Vekoma (Candy Rde {Arg}), who has not started since winning the GI Metropolitan H. July 4 in what was just his third start on the year. Then there’s Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), who was pre-entered in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and hasn’t started since winning the GI Jaipur S. June 20.

If the layoff horses thrive, look for even more trainers to skip important fall preps in the future so they can have a “fresh” horse for the Breeders’ Cup.

  1. How many races will Brad Cox win?

With the possible exception of Bob Baffert, nobody is holding a stronger hand for the Breeders’ Cup than Brad Cox, who didn’t win his first Grade I race until 2018. Perhaps no trainer has ever come so far so fast. In a group led by Monomoy Girl and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile starter Essential Quality (Tapit), Cox has pre-entered nine horses, most of them serious contenders in their races.

  1. Is Uni back?

Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) will attempt to win the Mile for the second straight year, but comes into this year’s edition with some puzzling form. She started off the year with a third-place finish in the GI Just A Game S. and then a seventh-place showing in the GI Fourstardave H. Both, for a mare of her quality, were rather lackluster efforts.

She looked much better in her most recent start, winning the GI First Lady S. But the Beyer numbers say she’s not the same horse this year. She came into the 2019 Mile off of successive Beyer numbers of 104 and 105. Her best number this year was the 99 she got in the First Lady,

  1. Did Bill Mott make the right call with Frank”s Rockette?

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is going against conventional wisdom and is ready to run Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) against the boys in the Sprint rather than against fillies in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. That’s a bold move from a Hall of Fame trainer who is convinced that his horse prefers the Sprint distance of six furlongs to the Filly & Mare Sprint distance of seven furlongs. Another factor is the competition in the Filly & Mare Sprint. With Gamine (Into Mischief), Serengeti Empress (Alternation), Speech (Mr. Speaker) and Venetian Harbor (Munnings), it’s no easy spot.

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Tiz the Law Completes Classic Preparations at Keeneland

Sackatoga Stables’ GI Belmont S. winner and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law (Constitution) capped off his serious work ahead of next Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with a five-furlong breeze at Keeneland Saturday morning.

With his regular work rider Heather Smullen in the irons, the New York-bred drilled five furlongs in :59.20 and galloped out an extra eighth of a mile in 1:12.20 (video).

“I saw just what I wanted. He went perfectly,” said trainer Barclay Tagg who will send out his 11th Breeders’ Cup starter next weekend. “We wanted him to go in :59 and he went in :59.20, so it was just right.”

Tiz the Law will be making his first start since dropping a 1 1/4-length decision at the hands of Authentic in the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and was an early arrival at Keeneland Oct. 18. Saturday’s work was his second locally, having breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.20 Oct. 23.

“I thought he needs to get a good feel of this track (because) he has never run over it,” Tagg said of the plan to ship in the colt on the early side. “He has to run against older horses; it is going to be a tough race. “I have a super-duper crew and everything has gone right. We pay attention to the horses. We carry 30 horses at the most and try to get the best out of what we got, and every now and then we get a good one.”

Hronis Racing’s Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro) has been on the grounds at Keeneland since early October and also tuned up for the Classic Saturday with a strong five-furlong work that was timed in :58.80, with a six-furlong gallop-out in 1:11.60 (video).

“I liked the way he came back from it,” said former jockey Juan Leyva, who serves as assistant to trainer John Sadler and who rode Musical Romance (Concorde’s Tune) to an upset victory in the 2011 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. “He was blowing a little bit but not out of this world. His level of fitness has really progressed here.”

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stables’ Vequist (Nyquist) arrived into Lexington from Philadelphia this past Monday and geared up for her start in next Friday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies by zipping a half-mile in :47.20 for trainer Butch Reid (video). The 9 1/2-length winner of the GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga Sept. 6, the dark bay was a latest second to the impressive Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) in the GI Frizette S. at Belmont Oct. 6.

“I think a work over the track is very important and that is why we came when we did,” Reid said. “She had three or four good gallops and the work was fine. She did work at Saratoga [before the Spinaway] but didn’t before the Frizette because Belmont is just up the road from Philadelphia.”

Reid, who won the 2011 GII Breeders’ Cup Marathon with Afleet Again (Afleet Alex), said that Joel Rosario will have the mount Friday.

Monomoy Girl Headlines Busy Morning at CD…

The Saturday morning worktab across Interstate 64 at Churchill was equally busy at it was at Keeneland, with no fewe than 27 Breeders’ Cup pre-entered horses getting in their final serious work.

The two females that will vie for favoritism in Saturday’s GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff were the marquee names on a chilly Louisville morning. Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) was one of a half-dozen workers for trainer Brad Cox, and the 2018 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff heroine tuned up with a steady five-furlong work that was timed in 1:01 flat. With Florent Geroux up and galloping in the company of GI Dirt Mile hopeful Owendale (Into Mischief), Monomoy Girl went in fractions of :12.80, :24.60, :37 and :48.40 before pulling up six furlongs in 1:14.40 (video).

“She’s a champion mare and really a horse of a lifetime,” said Geroux, winner of four other Breeders’ Cup races in addition to the Distaff. “She’s a future Hall of Famer with her resume. The speed figures show she is a little bit faster this year than her 3-year-old year.”

Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), last-start winner of the GI Preakness S., breezed five-eighths of a mile in 1:00 flat in :24.60, :36.40 and :48.20 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.20 (video). While trainer Ken McPeek and owner Peter Callahan still have some work to do, Swiss Skydiver is likely to take up her spot against her peers on Breeders’ Cup Saturday.

“At this point we’re going Distaff unless there’s a late defection from the Classic,” McPeek told pool reporters Saturday morning. “We had a chance to look at not only the regular past performances but all the Ragozin numbers and that’s what we’re doing.”

McPeek says Swiss Skydiver has been ticking right along and is pleased with what he saw on the track Saturday morning.

“She busted out 12s,” he said. “[Jockey] Robby [Albarado] really does have her number right now, he’s got her in nice rhythm out there and knows how she feels under him. I think we’re well loaded and we’ve got her right on even keel.”

McPeek, still in search of a maiden Breeders’ Cup victory, also sent out GI Darley Alcibiades S. romper Simply Ravishing (Laoban) to work five-eighths in 1:00 flat. She and Swiss Skydiver worked on their own.

Tom’s d’Etat (Smart Strike) will enter the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with just three starts under his belt this season and will be having his first run since a troubled third to Improbable (City Zip) in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga in early August. The dean of the field at age seven, the G M B Racing runner breezed a very easy four furlongs in :50.40 Saturday morning.

“We really just wanted to go out there and stretch his legs,” said trainer Al Stall, Jr. “It was just get him around there, save a lot of energy and come out of it nice and just be ready for Saturday.”

Bell’s the One (Majesticperfection) may lack the star power, even with her defeat of Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in the GI Derby City Distaff Sept. 5, but the 4-year-old continues to thrive and worked a smooth half-mile in :47 3/5 at Churchill Downs Saturday morning.

“She did just what we wanted, just wanted an easy half and did it very easily and we’re set to go,” trainer Neil Pessin told pool reporter Alicia Wincze Hughes.”

The defection and subsequent retirement of Bellafina (Quality Road) could make life more difficult for Bell’s the One, in Pessin’s estimation.

“I don’t know if anyone is fast enough to go with Serengeti,” he opined. “Bellafina was, she laid right off her. Venetian Harbor (Munnings) and Gamine (Into Mischief) are speed horses, but they’ve never gone faster than :45 in their lives and Serengeti can go :43 3/5. If they go :44 and two or three, that sets it up better for Serengeti than for us. But we’re doing good, my filly is going to run her race and hopefully we can catch them at the end.”

Three of Bob Baffert’s top Breeders’ Cup contenders put in their final breezes ahead of their respective World Championship races at Santa Anita Saturday morning.

GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) covered five panels in :59.60 (7/53) (video) ahead of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. The ‘TDN Rising Star’ was last seen finishing second to GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff-bound Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3.

“He was out there doing his thing,” Baffert told the TDN when reached by phone. “He always works alone, him and Improbable. They are both very willing. He bounced out of the Preakness really well and his last two works were pretty strong. He is about as ready as I can have him. I really like the way he is coming into this race.”

Fellow BC Classic contender Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) also breezed five furlongs in Arcadia Saturday, stopping the clock in 1:00.60 (14/53) (video). Winner of the GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 22, the bay was second to his stablemate Improbable (City Zip)–who is scheduled to work Sunday–in the GI Awesome Again S. Sept. 26.

“He went well,” Baffert said of Maximum Security. “He is the lazier type [in his breezes], but he gets enough out of his works. He looks great. He will be right there.”

‘TDN Rising Star’ Gamine (Into Mischief) clocked the fastest five-furlong work of the Baffert trio, covering the distance in :59.40 (2/53) (video). An ultra impressive winner of both the GI Longines Acorn S. and GI Longines Test S., the bay was last seen finishing third in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks Sept. 4 and will cut back in trip for the GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint S.

“Gamine looked fantastic,” Baffert said. “She just sat there with another horse and when he asked her to pick it up, she just went boom. She has matured and just looks really good coming into this race. She has been on the lead and she makes the lead because she is brilliant on her own. But, she is not a speed crazy type of horse. I can see she is on top of her game.”

Baffert also offered a comment on GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies contender and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Princess Noor (Not This Time), who breezed five panels in :59.80 (3/43) in Arcadia Friday.

“She worked yesterday. She looks great,” Baffert said. “On paper, her numbers don’t stack up to those other fillies, but she has done everything here in a hand ride. I think she is special. The thing about the Breeders’ Cup is you can brag all you want, but when the gate comes open, the separation begins. That is the beauty of the Breeders’ Cup. That’s why they have it. The good horses, they separate themselves.”

Baffert’s Breeders’ Cup contingent will fly to Keeneland Tuesday for the Nov. 6-7 World Championships.

Another Hall of Famer sent out a BC-bound Saturday morning in Arcadia with GI Breeders’ Cup Turf runner United (Giant’s Causeway) covering six panels in 1:15 (1/2) (video) for Richard Mandella.

Pletcher Pair Take To Belmont Main Track…

Trainer Todd Pletcher was on hand to see the final Breeders’ Cup works for Halladay (War Front) and Valiance (Tapit) Saturday morning on a brisk Long Island morning.

Halladay, unraced since wiring the field in the GI Fourstardave H. at Saratoga Aug. 22, clocked :49.21 (video) for his four-furlong breeze over the main track. It was the third work for Halladay since having to be scratched from the GI Shadwell Mile S. Oct. 3 with a hind-leg infection.

“I was happy we were able to get it in today. The track dried out pretty nicely considering all of the rain we’ve had,” Pletcher said. “Halladay was a touch keen early on. He went off a little quick but then he relaxed, settled quickly, finished up strong and galloped out well. I was happy with that.”

Also working by her lonesome was GI Juddmonte Spinster S. upsetter Valiance, who stopped the clock in :49 flat (video).

“Valiance maintains form really well. Not only was her work good, but she galloped out well. She seems to be doing as well as she can at the moment,” Pletcher said.

Luis Saez has the call on both horses in the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile and GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, respectively.

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‘Derby-Type Horse’ King Fury, Son Of Grade 1 Winner Taris, Captures Street Sense Stakes

King Fury, named after superstar boxer Tyson Fury, collared odds-on 4-5 favorite Super Stock inside the final furlong and grinded his way to a half-length victory in Sunday's eighth running of the $98,000 Street Sense Overnight Stakes on opening day of Churchill Downs' 24-day Fall Meet.

“This is a Kentucky Derby-type horse,” winning trainer Kenny McPeek said. “We may look at the (Nov. 6) Breeders' Cup Juvenile but more than likely just wait for the (Nov. 28) Kentucky Jockey Club. The future is very bright for a horse like this.”

Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the well-bred 2-year-old colt for McPeek and owners Fern Circle Stables (Paul Fireman) and Three Chimneys Farm LLC (Goncalo Torrealba). The son of 2007-08 Horse of the Year Curlin ran 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:44.30.

Purchased for $950,000 at Fasig-Tipton's 2019 Saratoga Sale, King Fury is the first foal out of six-time stakes winner and 2016 Humana Distaff (Grade I) hero Taris.

Breaking from post No. 4 in the field of six juveniles, King Fury rated just behind Franz Josef and Super Stock as the leader rattled off comfortable early quarter-mile clips of :24.60, :49.51 and 1:14.34. King Fury circled three-wide around the final turn as Super Stock took over leaving the final turn. The chestnut colt with a big white blaze found his best running in deep stretch and held off Super Stock as the two battled on determinedly to the wire. A half-length separated the top two at the finish and it was another 3 ¾ lengths back to third-place finisher Oncoming Train.

King Fury, who earned $59,835 for the win and improved his record to 3-2-0-0—$116,979, paid $7.40, $3.40 and $3 as the 5-2 second betting choice. Super Stock, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., returned $2.80 and $2.40. Oncoming Train, with Rafael Bejarano up, paid $3.

Arabian Prince finished fourth and was followed by Franz Josef and Crime Spree. Eucharist was scratched.

King Fury, bred in Kentucky by Heider Family Stables, broke his maiden by 2 ¾ lengths in his career debut on Sept. 3 at Churchill Downs, but subsequently finished eighth one month later after racing four-wide throughout in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (GI) at Keeneland.

“His last race at Keeneland was pretty puzzling because we thought he'd run a lot better than he did,” McPeek said. “I think the track ended up being pretty forward that day and his trip didn't really help things.”

Should McPeek bypass the Breeders' Cup Juvenile which comes 12 days after the Street Sense, King Fury could vie for favoritism in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII), a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Nov. 28. The Kentucky Jockey Club is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” point series that will determine the field of 20 horses that will compete in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1.

The Street Sense is named in honor of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense who became the first horse to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) as a 2-year-old and the Run for the Roses at age 3. He also was the first Champion Two-Year-Old Colt to win the Kentucky Derby since Spectacular Bid who won the Kentucky Derby in 1979.

Each of Sunday's races was for 2-year-olds, and Sunday marked the first time spectators watched live racing at Churchill Downs since Dec. 1, 2019, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. A limited attendance of 1,534 was on-hand with proper social distancing as Churchill Downs followed the COVID-19 health and safety protocols for Venues and Events as mandated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Racing continues every Wednesday-Sunday at 1 p.m. ET through Sunday, Nov. 29.

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New winner for Summer Front at Churchill Downs

9th-Churchill Downs, $87,145, Msw, 10-25, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.25, ft, 4 lengths.
CAMP HOPE (c, 2, Summer Front–Praising, by Pulpit), overlooked at 10-1 for his debut, stalked the early pace from fourth as a pair of longshots slugged it out through moderate opening splits. Eagerly closing on the leaders on the far turn, the dark bay poked his head in front approaching the quarter pole, and despite veering out wide into the home turn, he kicked clear late to win by an impressive four-length margin over 31-1 chance Leblon (Broken Vow). Sales history: $55,000 RNA Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg ’19 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,092. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Bret Jones (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.

 

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