Ken McPeek

Four of the previous five winners of the GI Beholder Mile were either already in possession of an Eclipse Award or would go on to become a champion later in their career. The Ken McPeek-conditioned 2020 champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) made light work of last year's renewal and the barn will look to defend their title this weekend with Walking L Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's Envoutante (Uncle Mo). Same as she did during her 3-year-old season in 2020, the dark bay was kept busy with seven starts...

If variety is the spice of life, Saturday's GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park is certain to set your taste buds on fire, as a legitimate case can be made for as many as seven of the 11 horses left in the final local lead-up for the GI Curlin Florida Derby in four weeks' time. With the mid-week scratching of GII Remsen S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), Fountain of Youth favoritism could fall to Simplification, one of three in the race by boom sire Not This...

Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy (Runhappy) is among possible candidates for Gulfstream's GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 2, according to trainer Ken McPeek. Lucky Seven Stable also owns McPeek-trained Rattle N Roll (Connect), who is scheduled to make his 2022 debut in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 5 at Gulfstream. Smile Happy had been expected to make his second start of the year in either the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland Apr. 9 or the GII Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Mar. 26. "You may...

Never afraid to try something different or to think outside the box, trainer Kenny McPeek is preparing Tiz the Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) for a trip to the U.K. that could include starts in the G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Apr. 30 and G1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom on June 4. The story was first reported by Thoroughbred Racing Commentary. "Who wouldn't want to win a race like the English Derby?" McPeek said. "It would be special, really special. What was it that Tesio said? The entire...

'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy) and Zandon (Upstart), one a graded winner in their second trip to the races and the other unlucky not to achieve the same, meet for their respective sophomore debuts in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds. The Risen Star is the first of 16 races that comprise the 'Kentucky Derby Championship Series' and offers Kentucky Derby points on a 50-20-10-5 scale. A $185,000 purchase out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Smile Happy was the recipient of an inside-out ride...

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for its three-day stand Friday at noon with the pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-Olds" tabbed as the clear 5-2 morning line favorite while Lucky Seven Stable's undefeated Smile Happy (Runhappy) along with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's GIII Holy Bull S. winner White Abarrio (Race Day) lead the individual choices at 8-1. The third KDFW pool will run through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Bettors can place win and exacta wagers at simulcast outlets...

Tired of the constant drumbeat of bad news, negativity and scandal? So am I. All the problems the sport is dealing with are not going to go away and they need to be dealt with and reported on. But I thought I'd give you and I a break in this week's edition of "The Week in Review." So here are some stories we can all feel good about. Schosberg Claims, Retires Twisted Tom In his role as the president of Take The Lead, a retirement program for Thoroughbreds based at...

Led by last term's hard-fought GII Remsen S. winner Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo), a deep field of nine will line up for Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Donegal Racing and trained by Todd Pletcher, Mo Donegal outslugged Zandon (Upstart) by a nose after a roughly run stretch drive while making his stakes debut in that aforementioned 1 1/8-mile affair at Aqueduct last time Dec. 4. "We decided that the Holy Bull was the right starting point," Pletcher said. "It gives us plenty of options. If...

Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy (Run Happy) and Phoenix Thoroughbreds LTD's Tiz the Bomb (Hit It A Bomb) breezed in company at Gulfstream Saturday morning ahead of a likely encounter in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 5. GSWs Smile Happy and Tiz the Bomb were timed in :46.32 seconds, the third fastest of 83 workouts recorded at the distance Saturday. "It was a nice maintenance work," said trainer Kenny McPeek. "They went a little quicker than I wanted them to. I gave them instructions to go in about :48,...

More so than perhaps any top trainer in the sport, Ken McPeek is always thinking outside the box. And he's at it again. McPeek is in the midst of a three-day excursion to Argentina, where he is shopping for yearlings. It's not at all uncommon for American trainers to buy yearlings overseas, but to do so in the Southern Hemisphere is largely unchartered territory. That's because Southern Hemisphere horses are born primarily in the months of August, September, October and November. For U.S. racing purposes, they turn a year older...

The story of a high-quality Thanksgiving weekend of racing at Churchill Downs was undoubtedly Ken McPeek, who sent out four impressive winners on Saturday's all-2-year-old Stars of Tomorrow card, including GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. hero Smile Happy (Runhappy) and 'TDN Rising Star' Cocktail Moments (Uncle Mo), to follow up a six-length victory by his Envoutante (Uncle Mo) in Thursday's GII Falls City S. Tuesday, the thoughtful McPeek sat down for an expansive interview with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to talk about his loaded barn of promising...

Smile Happy (Runhappy) built on a monster 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut victory on closing day at Keeneland Oct. 29 with an equally eye-catching score in Saturday's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Saturday at Churchill Downs, establishing himself as one of the early favorites for the GI Kentucky Derby about six months down the road. Welcome to Fantasy Island, Lucky Seven Stable. A generous 24-5 third favorite despite the domination of that towering 5 1/2-length graduation, Smile Happy landed in about fifth spot, just ahead of centerfield, as Street Sense S....