McPeek Bucks the Trend, Wins the Preakness

The Week in Review, by Bill Finley

Trainer Ken McPeek had set himself up for second guessing when he decided to run Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Preakness S.. Not only would she have to face males, the Preakness would be her ninth race of the year and Pimlico would be the ninth track she has competed at in 2020. With a start in October, she would have raced during every month on the calendar but April.

By modern standards, it has been a bruising schedule and one that few trainers would ever even consider. Most will not push their top horses, preferring a four or five-race campaign with ample time off between races. Had McPeek followed conventional wisdom, after a second-place finish in the Sept. 4 GI Kentucky Oaks, Swiss Skydiver would have “trained up” to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Instead, McPeek picked the most difficult challenge out there, a start against males in the Preakness, where she was dismissed at 11-1.

But instead of running a tired horse, McPeek brought a battle-tested, sharp and game filly to Pimlico. In a stirring stretch drive, she outfought a GI Kentucky Derby winner in Authentic (Into Mischief) to win by a neck. It was the best race of her career, and also her trainer’s finest moment. McPeek proved that his way works, that horses don’t have to be babied to be successful.

“I do believe that if they’re doing well don’t be scared to run,” McPeek said. “We buy our racehorses to run not to just watch them train. I do think there is some over analysis, where people say, ‘Oh, no, you’re running them back too quickly.’ When I first started training it wasn’t anything to run a horse back in 10 days, two weeks. Now it’s almost as if they write you off if you do that. Four weeks is plenty of time. It’s no problem, especially if a horse is healthy. I have always believed that when you have one that is doing well you shouldn’t hesitate.”

McPeek never took the challenge of running a filly in the $1-million Preakness lightly. On paper, it looked like Swiss Skydiver might be overmatched. She had already faced males once, coming up short in the GII Blue Grass S. She finished second behind Art Collector (Bernardini), who she’d have to face again in the Preakness. And she probably wasn’t at her very best in the Oaks when beaten by long shot Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil).

But the more he thought about it, he couldn’t find a reason not to run. The other options were to face older fillies and mares in a race like the GI Spinster S., try the turf for the first time in the GI Queen Elizabeth II S., race in a GII Black-Eyed Susan S., which has a $250,000 reward or stay on the sidelines until the Breeders’ Cup. The risk of running in the Preakness was higher than it was for the other possible races, but so was the reward.

But if not for a push from his wife, Sherri, he might not have gone in the Preakness.

“I have to give some credit to my wife,” he said. “She said, ‘They’re athletes, she wants to run. Why not do this?'”

Owner Peter Callahan was also on board.

“I could have run her against older fillies or on the grass and she could have certainly won those races,” McPeek said. “But Peter Callahan and I both think big. Peter is as game as Dick Tracy and I am too. We talked about it and I told him I want to run her in the Preakness and he said go for it. Some owners might have over thought it. He just went with the flow on the whole thing all year. We’ve been rewarded, thank goodness.”

He collected his first Triple Crown victory in 2002 when winning the Belmont with Sarava, who looked hopelessly overmatched when facing War Emblem, who was shooting for a Triple Crown sweep for Bob Baffert. Sent off at 70-1, Sarava is the longest priced horse to win a Belmont S.

“I just didn’t know how good he is. You’ve got to throw them in the ring sometimes to find out,” he said after the race.

In some respects, his willingness to take chances hasn’t served him well. Owners flock to the trainers with the highest winning percentages and McPeek isn’t one of them. He is winning at a 17% rate this year, but is only a 15% trainer for his career. He says that owners need to look beyond winning percentages.

“I think trainer winning percentages are ridiculous,” he said. “I am what you could call a progression trainer. I like the first race to be a good race, the second race to be better and the third race to be the best race. If you don’t win first time out you hurt your percentage. You also have to remember how important black-type is. I could run in an allowance race or I could run in a stakes to get black-type and I will take chances in stakes. Black type is especially important with fillies. Black-type is the most important thing in the world to people who breed horses. Long-term success depends on their residual value. Worrying about my win percentage is probably about number nine down on my list of the things I worry about with each horse.”

The Preakness capped off the best two days of McPeek’s career. On Friday, he finished one-two in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. Simply Ravishing (Laoban) romped and may be tough to beat in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Like Swiss Skydiver, she hardly broke the bank at the sales. She was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. That’s $15,000 more than he paid for Swiss Skydiver at the 2018 Keeneland September sale.

McPeek will have one more chance to pick the tougher of two races for Swiss Skydiver. After the win in the Preakness, an argument can be made that she belongs in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic for another chance of beating males. The safer choice would be to go in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. McPeek said Sunday that he hasn’t made his mind up yet but said he prefers the Classic distance of a mile-and-a-quarter over the Distaff distance of a mile-and-an-eighth. A Classic would win would mean a Horse of the Year title, which might not be the case if she were to win the Distaff. The gunslinger, McPeek may not be able to resist the temptation to run in the Classic.

But no matter which race she runs in, Swiss Skydiver will no doubt show up. She’s been first or second in each of her last six races while facing the best 3-year-old colts and fillies in the sport. Her trainer must be doing something right.

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‘She’s A Throwback Horse’: McPeek Reflects On Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness, Horse Of The Year Discussion

After walking Swiss Skydiver a few turns in the Preakness Stakes Barn at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md., on Sunday morning, trainer Ken McPeek was still trying to wrap his mind around the 3-year-old filly's sensational triumph in Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) under a heads-up ride from jockey Robby Albarado.

“I should probably retire today,” McPeek said, “because I don't think it can get higher than this. I really don't. She's beat so many odds. I'm beyond proud of her, proud of Robby and everyone who's handled her. It's been a real team effort. I have some unbelievable people who work for me that help handle the details.”

Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver not only beat the boys in the Preakness, the daughter of Daredevil registered the second-fastest running time in the storied history of Maryland's signature Triple Crown race. The 1:53.28 clocking for her thrilling 1 3/16-mile tour of the Pimlico oval was second only to 1973 Triple Crown champion Secretariat's 1:53 stakes-record time.

“It was surreal,” McPeek said. “It's still surreal.”

Swiss Skydiver defeated Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic by a resolute neck to become the sixth filly to win the Preakness and first since Rachel Alexandra got the better of Derby winner Mine That Bird in 2009. After saving ground on the first turn and into the backstretch aboard the McPeek trainee, Albarado made a decisive move that propelled the filly into the lead heading into the far turn, easing his mount around tiring pacesetter Thousand Words before darting back to the rail inside Authentic. Swiss Skydiver and Authentic dueled around the turn and through the stretch with the 11-1 filly gamely holding off the 3-2 favorite to the wire.

The Grade 1 victory aboard Swiss Skydiver was Albarado's first since 2017, as well as his first graded-stakes win of 2020. The veteran jockey, who has ridden the winners of more than 5,200 races and $220 million in purses, has experienced slowing business the past few years but showed the racing world that he can still win the big ones.

“The thing about it was that we took a negative and made it into a positive. We didn't have a rider until Saturday night (Sept. 26),” said McPeek, who was left without a rider when Tyler Gaffalione opted out. “I called Robby right away and I said, 'Here's what it is going to take for you to ride her. We're going to offer the mount to Mike Smith and wait for his agent to call me back. If his agent says no then I'm going to present to the owner that you're going to ride her. He said, 'OK, let me know, let me know.'

Trainer Kenny McPeek

“We waited for Mike Smith's agent to return our offer, but once I got confirmation he couldn't ride her, I called Robby and said, 'You're on.' I said, 'But here's what we're going to do. We're flying up together; we're going to get on her all week.' I think it was fortuitous because he got on her every day and got to know her. He spent time with her and, every day, he got more confident in her. You need a rider with confidence because if she takes you there, she'll win. We pulled it off.”

Swiss Skydiver is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Monday morning to prepare for a start on the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup program at Keeneland in either the Distaff (G1) or the Classic (G1).

“I like the mile and a quarter of the Classic, but the Distaff, today, is probably the wiser move. But the farther she goes the better,” McPeek said. “We can sit on it. We won't make a rash decision.”

Swiss Skydiver entered the Preakness with four graded-stakes victories against 3-year-old fillies, including the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga, and second-place finishes in the Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland against the boys and Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill. Her victory in the final leg of the reshuffled 2020 Triple Crown puts her in the discussion for Horse of the Year, McPeek said.

“I think you have to make a case for her. I mean, she's run every month of the year except April, and she ran at the end of March and early May. You have to make a case for her. She's entertained coast to coast, north, south, east, west,” he said. “She's amazing. She's not even tired today. She's a throwback horse.”

The post ‘She’s A Throwback Horse’: McPeek Reflects On Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness, Horse Of The Year Discussion appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Filly Swiss Skydiver Digs Deep To Deny Authentic, Capping One-Of-A-Kind Triple Crown With Preakness Victory

A bold mid-race move by new jockey Robby Albarado saw the filly Swiss Skydiver (11-1) get the jump on Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (3-2) in Saturday's 145th running of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Oaks runner-up slipped between the Bob Baffert-trained stablemates, Authentic and Thousand Words (7-1), on the backstretch, and grabbed the lead before the Hall of Famer John Velazquez cued the Derby winner to make his move.

The 3-year-old daughter of Daredevil lived up to her sire's name through a thrilling stretch battle, denying Authentic all the way through the wire to earn a hard-fought victory by a head and give trainer Kenny McPeek his first Preakness winner. As the 55th filly to start in the Preakness, Swiss Skydiver is the sixth to wear the winner's garland.

Owned by Peter Callahan, Swiss Skydiver also ran the second-fastest Preakness in history, completing 1 3/16 miles over Pimlico's fast main track in 1:53.28.

It was a fitting end to the 2020 Triple Crown, a series filled with twists and turns as the international coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on racing schedules worldwide. All three legs were held without fans as a result, and all three were won by different horses. The Belmont Stakes, typically the third in the series, was held first this year on June 20 (won by Tiz the Law), and the distance was shortened from 1 1/2 to 1 1/8 miles. The Kentucky Derby was held next on Sept. 5, and was won by Authentic, while the Preakness was rescheduled to Oct. 3.

Also unique to 2020, the Preakness was a Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” contest for the Classic. Thus, Swiss Skydiver earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic by virtue of her victory.

Swiss Skydiver was very sharp at the start of the Preakness, bumping a bit with Art Collector to her inside as Albarado muscled the filly toward the lead. However, the jockeys aboard Thousand Words and Authentic seemed to have similar game plans, as that pair made their way toward the rail just ahead of her.

Albarado did make it to the rail with Swiss Skydiver as Art Collector moved to her outside, and she was able to save ground through the clubhouse turn as Thousand Words led his Derby-winning stablemate through a first quarter in 24.48 seconds. Pneumatic made it a three-wide group across the track in the second flight, with Art Collector between horses.

After Thousand Words led through a half-mile in :47.65, Albarado saw an opening between the two stablemates ahead of him. He angled Swiss Skydiver off the rail and sent her through between horses, perhaps taking Velazquez by surprise aboard Authentic.

Albarado had Swiss Skydiver on the lead through six furlongs in 1:11.24, with Velazquez sending Authentic around her outside to challenge nearing the head of the lane. Thousand Words spit the bit and Art Collector was digging in and trying to rally, but it was all Swiss Skydiver and Authentic for the stretch run.

Swiss Skydiver had a half-length advantage on Authentic and was fiercely game, making the Derby winner work for every inch of ground. Authentic did gain on her nearing the wire, but Swiss Skydiver flattened her ears and got her head down on the wire in from. Authentic had to settle for second.

It was another seven or so lengths back to Jesus' Team to fill out the trifecta, while Art Collector checked in fourth. Max Player, the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races this year, finished fifth. The remaining order of finish was: Excession, Mr. Big News, Thousand Words, Ny Traffic, Pneumatic, and Liveyourbeastlife.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Swiss Skydiver is out of the winning Johannesburg mare Expo Gold. McPeek picked her out at the Keeneland September sale and purchased the filly with a final bid of $35,000. Since then, she's gone on to win the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, G3 Fantasy, G2 Santa Anita Oaks, and the G1 Alabama, while finishing second in both the G2 Blue Grass Stakes (to Preakness fourth-place finisher Art Collector) and in the G1 Kentucky Oaks (to Shedaresthedevil).

Swiss Skydiver has compiled a record of six wins, three seconds and a third from 11 starts, with earnings nearing $1.8 million.

The post Filly Swiss Skydiver Digs Deep To Deny Authentic, Capping One-Of-A-Kind Triple Crown With Preakness Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Swiss Skydiver Gets the Better of Authentic in Stirring Preakness Stretch Drive

Only five fillies had managed to take home the blanket of black-eyed susans in the previous 144 runnings of the GI Preakness S. and the last to do so was Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra, who beat GI Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a length in the 2009 renewal. However, in 2020, a year of upsets and the unconventional, a filly took down the Derby winner yet again with Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) getting the better of Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) in an epic stretch battle in this year’s Preakness. In addition to being the final leg of the Triple Crown, rather than the middle jewel, the Preakness was also a “Win and You’re In” for the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Let go at 11-1, Swiss Skydiver was away in good order from post four and settled on the fence in a joint third with Art Collector (Bernardini)–who beat Swiss Skydiver in her first try against males in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. in July–and Pneumatic (Uncle Mo). The trio ran just a length off the front-running Bob Baffert duo of Authentic and Thousand Words (Pioneerof Nile), a late scratch on Derby day after flipping over in the paddock, through a moderate first quarter in :24.48 and a half-mile in :47.65.

Thousand Words threw in the towel at that juncture, leaving Authentic exactly where he wanted to be, alone on the lead. That was Swiss Skydiver’s moment to strike. The chestnut filly took advantage of the opening on the rail left by Thousand Words, slipping through to challenge Authentic. She stuck her head in front as three-quarters went in 1:11.24 and turned for home with a half-length advantage. Swiss Skydiver and Authentic pulled well clear of the rest of the field in the lane, battling it out all the way to the wire in the grittiest of stretch duels. However, despite Authentic’s best efforts, Swiss Skydiver refused to yield to the Derby winner, determinedly fending off her foe all the way to the wire to make history by a neck.  It was 9 3/4 lengths back to 40-1 shot Jesus’ Team (Tapiture) in third and Art Collector was just a head behind him in fourth.

“I’m just proud of Robby [Albarado],” said trainer Ken McPeek, who was winning hiss first Preakness and second Triple Crown race, having saddled Sarava to a 70-1 upset in the 2002 GI Belmont S. We had to call him in at the last minute. He did a great job. I’m really proud of him, her, [owner] Peter Callahan. I wish he was here. This is just a real honor to be around a horse like this. This is a special moment.”

McPeek continued, “It was a genius move by Robby coming up the fence. He saw a hole and went right at it. It felt like she took him there. If he waited, she would take him there. I think she should have won the Oaks too. Maybe if we stay inside, we win that one too, but it is what it is. She’s just really neat to be around. Robby and I have had a great week. We’ve been getting on her, walking her together, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together. This is a lifetime experience for both of us and we hope we’re back.”

When asked if he will take the free berth to the Classic or go back to running against females in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, McPeek said, “We can look at both races, I suppose. We got in for the Distaff after the Alabama, but I would say right now we would probably lean towards the older fillies and mares. But nothing set in stone and we don’t have to make a decision today, I don’t think.”

The stretch duel was reminiscent of another Triple Crown battle of the sexes involving Albarado and Authentic’s pilot John Velazquez. In 2007, Velazquez was the one on the filly, piloting Rags to Riches to a narrow success over Preakness winners Albarado and Curlin in a thrilling battle at Big Sandy in the 2007 GI Belmont S. (video).

“I had an opportunity, a split second, to take advantage of the rail because Johnny [Velazquez on Authentic] was sitting off the fence there,” said Albarado. “I made a conscious decision on the backside. ‘It’s give or take now. Do I make that move now or do I wait to see if they come back to me?’ She’s been doing extremely well. Kenny’s been doing a great job. I’ve been around her all week. I figure she knows where she’s at, she’s in her surroundings. I said let me try and make this Jerry Bailey move and win.”

“We had a good start, no trouble at all,” said Velazquez of beaten 3-2 chalk Authentic. “In the first turn we got by Art Collector. By the backstretch, I tried to open up, but he just stood there and Swiss Skydiver came to him. I tried to get him rolling again, but he just stayed with that other horse from the half-mile pole to the wire.”

When asked his thoughts post-race, Baffert said, “I was hoping he was on the lead. We had to get the lead. He runs better on the lead. He likes to be out there running fast. But he got beat. He had the whole stretch to get by her. She ran a gallant race. He’s a free-running horse and likes to be on the lead. I saw he wasn’t on the lead and was struggling a little bit. That’s a good filly. He had every chance to get by her. He got beat. He just couldn’t get by her. She dug in. She’s tough.”

 

The Makings of a Champion…

Purchased by McPeek for just $35,000 at Keeneland September, Swiss Skydiver opened her account with a 5 1/2-length graduation in her seven-panel unveiling at Churchill Downs Nov. 16. A close second over a sloppy mile beneath the Twin Spires just two weeks later, she could only manage fifth in Tampa’ss Gasparilla S. Jan. 18 and was third to early divisional leader Finite (Munnings) in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Feb. 15.

Swiss Skydiver had her coming out party so to speak in the Mar. 28 GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, which she won in dominant fashion at odds of 9-1. Victorious again in the May 1 GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn, the Peter Callaghan colorbearer went wire-to-wire for a four-length romp in the GII Santa Anita Oaks June 6. Trying males for the first time in the July 11 Blue Grass, she was bested only by Art Collector, finishing a gallant second and rebounded with a decisive score in the 10-furlong GI Alabama S. at Saratoga Aug. 15. Dispatched as the second choice to Gamine (Into Mischief) in the rescheduled Oaks Sept. 4, the chestnut made a three-wide bid, but could not quite catch GI Juddmonte Spinster S. contender Shedaresthedevil, finishing second.

Pedigree Notes:

Swiss Skydiver is one of four black-type winners and two Grade I/graded winners along with Shedaresthedevil for former WinStar stallion Daredevil, who was exported to Turkey in November. Her dam Expo Gold was purchased by Blue Chip Thoroughbreds for $15,000 at the CTBA January Mixed Sale. Her first foal Is It Gold (Indygo Shiner) is set to sell in foal to Nyquist as part of the South Point Sales consignment at the upcoming Keeneland November Sale. Expo Gold’s recent produce includes an unraced juvenile colt named Inspector General (Daredevil), who was purchased by Southern Racing for just $4,000 at KEESEP; and a yearling colt by Danzing Candy, who RNA’d for $145,000 at the recent Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. The 12-year-old mare was barren when bred to Danzing Candy for 2020 and was bred to Catholic Boy this spring.

Post-Preakness Thoughts…

“I feel very excited and I’m proud of my team and their work with Jesus’ Team. He’s really improved every day. I am very sure that he is going to be a great horse in the United States. I’m very happy for the result in this race, the Preakness Stakes, one of the most important races for 3-year-olds in this amazing country.” –Jose D’Angelo, trainer of Jesus’ Team (third)

 

“I thought he ran fine. He didn’t break quite as sharp as we hoped he would and that kind of had us playing catch-up a little bit. He was kind of in tight and it wasn’t the best trip; it’s not the trip we were hoping for. But we’ve got no excuse. The winner ran huge and we had our shot to get to them and just couldn’t do it.” –Tom Drury, conditioner of Art Collector (fourth)

Saturday, Pimlico
PREAKNESS S.-GI, $1,000,000, Pimlico, 10-3, 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:53.28, ft.
1–SWISS SKYDIVER, 123, f, 3, by Daredevil
                1st Dam: Expo Gold, by Johannesburg
                2nd Dam: Clouds of Gold, by Strike the Gold
                3rd Dam: Cloudy Colors, by Personal Flag
($35,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Peter J. Callahan; B-WinStar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Robby Albarado. $600,000.
Lifetime Record: 11-6-3-1, $1,792,980. *1/2 to Miss Hot Legs
(Verrazano), SP, $151,620. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Authentic, 126, c, 3, Into Mischief–Flawless, by Mr. Greeley.
($350,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC,
MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight
Racing; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob
Baffert. $200,000.
3–Jesus’ Team, 126, c, 3, Tapiture–Golden Memories, by Suave.
($30,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Grupo Seven C Stable; B-Pamela P.
Gartin (KY); T-Jose Francisco D’Angelo. $110,000.
Margins: NK, 9 3/4, HD. Odds: 11.70, 1.50, 40.90.
Also Ran: Art Collector, Max Player, Excession, Mr. Big News, Thousand Words, Ny Traffic, Pneumatic, Liveyourbeastlife. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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