Tag: Kenny McPeek

Envoutante Draws Clear From Bonny South To Win Falls City

Three Chimneys Farm and Walking L Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old filly Envoutante led every step of the way in a powerful six-length win over 4-5 favorite Bonny South in Thursday's 105th running of the $200,000 Falls City (Grade 2), the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixture for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., Envoutante ran 1 1/8 miles over a fast track in 1:49.11 – the fastest Falls City since Silent Eskimo's stakes record of 1:48.85 in 1999.

Breaking from the rail in the field of eight fillies and mares, Envoutante went right to the front and dictated a modest pace of :24.25, :48.95 and 1:13.21 while maintaining a half-length advantage over Our Super Freak, who was followed early on by Market Rumor, Bonny South, Smooth With a Kick, Cash Out, Another Broad and Over Thinking. Leaving the far turn, Envoutante was met by the pressers but she had plenty left and widened her advantage to easily draw away in the stretch.

“It was my first time on her for a race but I've worked her and worked against her before, too, with (Preakness Stakes winner) Swiss Skydiver,” said Hernandez, who also won the 2015 Falls City aboard Ahh Chocolate. “She really kicked away from the field today and was very dominant. At the three-eighths pole I got her into the bit again and she just kicked away. Riding for Kenny is easy and he didn't really give a lot of instructions. When the gates opened, she put herself into a great spot.”

Envoutante was the 5-2 second betting choice and paid $7.20, $3.20 and $3. Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Bonny South, ridden by Florent Geroux, returned $2.60 and $2.20. Another Broad was another 3 ½ lengths back in third under Ricardo Santana Jr. and paid $5.60.

Our Super Freak, Smooth Wick a Kick, Over Thinking, Market Rumor and Cash Out completed the order of finish. High Regard was a late scratch.

Envoutante won the $100,000 Remington Park Oaks (G3) in her previous start on Sept. 27 and placed third behind Speech and Venetian Harbor in the $400,000 Ashland (G1) in July. The Falls City was her first race against elders.

“She was 1-for-1 at Churchill coming into this race,” said McPeek, who collected his first Falls City win. “We were very confident by the way she was working in the mornings and hoping she was going to put it together in the afternoon. She's worked against Swiss Skydiver and has really done well in her training. She's done a lot of traveling this year and got her graded stakes win in the Remington Oaks so winning another one was very special.”

With the Falls City win, Envoutante improved her record to 9-4-1-2. Thursday's $120,280 first prize jumped her earnings to $336,028.

Envoutante is a dark bay or brown daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante. She was bred in Kentucky by Jumping Jack Racing LLC.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Friday with the popular day-after Thanksgiving card highlighted by the 146th running of the $500,000 Clark (GI) for older horses.

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McPeek Seeing Stars? Trainer Has 13 Entries For All-Juvenile Program At Churchill Downs

Trainer Kenny McPeek has 13 horses entered in Saturday's “Stars of Tomorrow II” program at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and among his rising juveniles on the card are Grade 1 winner Simply Ravishing in the $200,000 Golden Rod (G2) and stakes winner King Fury in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).

McPeek will attempt to win his second Golden Rod in this year's edition with Harold Lerner LLC, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' $350,000 Ashland (G1) winner Simply Ravishing. In her most recent start, the promising filly finished fourth in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

“I thought she ran a great race considering how it shaped up early,” McPeek said. “She didn't break well at all and had a tough trip the entire way around there. I think it was very promising the way she finished up considering the problems she had.”

Simply Ravishing was made the even-money morning line favorite in the Golden Rod and will break from post No. 8 with Robby Albarado in the saddle.

Two races later, Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's $98,000 Street Sense winner King Fury is listed at 6-1 on the morning line as he attempts his third victory at Churchill Downs.

“He's 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs so we know he really likes it here,” McPeek said. “We've added blinkers to him in hopes to get him to the next level. I think they could add to his focus and really get him there. His only two blemishes came at Keeneland so we're excited to get him back to Churchill.”

McPeek has won 12 races on the Stars of Tomorrow II program since it was inaugurated in 2006. He won the 2010 Golden Rod with Kathballu and finished second in last year's race with Swiss Skydiver. In 2018, McPeek won the Kentucky Jockey Club with Signalman.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Kentucky Jockey Club is carded as Race 11 of 12 on Saturday's program. First post is 1 p.m. ET, the Kentucky Jockey Club will go at 5:56 p.m., and the Golden Rod will go as Race 9 at 4:57 p.m.

In the Kentucky Jockey Club, Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) third-place finisher Keepmeinmind was made the 6-5 morning line favorite in the field of nine.

The complete field for the Kentucky Jockey Club (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): #1 Sittin On Go (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #1a Smiley Sobotka (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #2 Swill (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 6-1); #3 Arabian Prince (Tyler Gaffalione, Dallas Stewart, 8-1); #4 Keepmeinmind (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro 6-5); #5 Inspector Frost (John Velazquez, Cox, 8-1); #6 Oncoming Train (Rafael Bejarano, Jimmy DiVito, 10-1); #7 King Fury (Hernandez, McPeek, 6-1); #8 Ultimate Badger (Joe Talamo, Romans, 15-1).

The field for the Golden Rod, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Lady Lilly (Tyler Gaffalione, Steve Asmussen, 15-1); No Mo Spending (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes, 15-1); Coach (Joe Talamo, Cox, 6-1); Farsighted (Julien Leparoux, Rusty Arnold II, 15-1); Travel Column (Florent Geroux, Cox, 5-1); Clairiere (Ricardo Santana Jr., Asmussen, 6-1); Lady Traveler (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 20-1); Simply Ravishing (Albarado, McPeek, even-money); Princess Theorem (John Velazquez, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); and Alexandria (Gerardo Corrales, Tim Hamm, 15-1).

 

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Bonny South Taking On Elders For First Time In Thursday’s Falls City

Juddmonte Farms' $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (Grade 2) winner Bonny South tops a competitive field of nine fillies and mares that were entered in Thursday's 105th running of the $200,000 Falls City (G2) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The 1 1/8-mile Falls City has been run on Thanksgiving Day beneath the historic Twin Spires since 1978. It will go as the featured event in Race 10 of 11 with a post time of 3:53 p.m. Eastern. There will be a special first post of 11:30 a.m. for the holiday program.

Bonny South was a highly-touted 3-year-old filly last winter following her 2 ¼-length victory in the Fair Grounds Oaks. Following nearly four months on the sidelines, the daughter of Munnings returned in the $400,000 Ashland (G1) where she finished fourth behind Speech, Venetian Harbor and fellow Falls City rival Envoutante.

Following her race in the Ashland, Cox shipped Bonny South to Saratoga where she was the runner-up behind Swiss Skydiver in the $500,000 Alabama (G1). Bonny South will enter Thursday's Falls City following a narrow defeat in the Oct. 3, $250,000 Black Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico. This will mark her first race against elders.

Jockey Florent Geroux has the call on Bonny South who will break from post position No. 3.

Cox will attempt to win his second straight Falls City following Mylady Curlin's 2 ¼-length score in last year's event.

Chief among Bonny South's rivals in the Falls City is Walking L Thoroughbreds LLC and Three Chimneys Farm's $100,000 Remington Park Oaks (G3) winner Envoutante. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Envoutante has faced Bonny South twice in her eight-race career. Envoutante got the better of Bonny South by two lengths in the Ashland but was defeated by 7 ¼ lengths as the fourth-place finisher in the Alabama.

Brian Hernandez Jr. rides Envoutante in the Falls City from the rail.

Also entered in the field of fillies and mares is Farfellow Farm's multiple graded stakes placed Another Broad, who will make her first start under the care of Steve Asmussen; LBD Stable and David Ingordo's $125,000 Shuvee (G3) third-place finisher Our Super Freak; and G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s graded stakes placed duo of Cash Out and High Regard, who are joined in the gate by his three-time winnerOver Thinking.

The complete field for the Falls City from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Envoutante (Hernandez, McPeek); Another Broad (Ricardo Santana Jr., Asmussen); Bonny South (Geroux, Cox); Smooth With a Kick (Tyler Gaffalione, Chad Brown); Our Super Freak (Gabriel Saez, Cherie DeVaux); Cash Out (Edgar Morales, Rusty Arnold II); High Regard (Corey Lanerie, Vicki Oliver); Over Thinking (Rafael Bejarano, Oliver); and Market Rumor (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes).

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McPeek: Swiss Skydiver’s Heel Scrape Worse Than Originally Thought

After a stumble at the start of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff over the weekend, trainer Kenny McPeek said star filly Swiss Skydiver came out of the race a little worse than he'd hoped. McPeek tweeted a picture of the back of one of the G1 Preakness winner's pastern, which showed areas where skin and hair had been scraped off, presumably when she struggled out of the gate.

McPeek stated the filly is on antibiotics to stave off infection in the wounds. She is still expected to return to competition in 2021.

Swiss Skydiver never regained momentum after her poor start in the Distaff, making a move on the inside but ultimately finishing a disappointing seventh behind winner Gamine. Her record beyond the Preakness includes wins in the G1 Alabama, G2 Santa Anita Oaks, G3 Fantasy and G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Swiss Skydiver is enjoying some downtime at McPeek's Magdalena Farm before resuming training.

 

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