Ken McPeek

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....

Cocktail Moments (f, 2, Uncle Mo--River Maid, by Where's the Ring) turned in a powerful, come-from-behind victory for 'TDN Rising Star' honors on debut at Churchill Downs Saturday afternoon. The dark bay didn't offer many clues on her worktab and completed preparations for Kenny McPeek with a three-furlong spin in :37 1/5 (5/14) beneath the Twin Spires Nov. 24. Overlooked at odds of 26-1, the Dixiana Farms colorbearer, drawn wide in post 11, was outsprinted in 10th through an opening quarter in :22.37. She began to roll as they rounded...

'TDN Rising Star' Famed (Uncle Mo), currently best known as the half-sister to champion Essential Quality (Tapit), looks to forge her own path as she takes on stakes company in the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. Runner-up in her six-panel debut at Churchill Sept. 26, the dark bay broke through next out with a 7 3/4-length decision going seven furlongs at Keeneland Oct. 30. Famed will have to contend with impressive Rags to Riches S. winner Sandstone (Street Sense). Third behind next-out Debutante S. winner and stablemate...

1st-AQU, $80k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1mT, post time: 11:50 a.m. ET Stone Farm homebred WAR FIGHTER (War Front), a full-brother to European champion 2-year-old and young Coolmore sire Air Force Blue, kicks off his career over the Aqueduct lawn for Graham Motion. The dark bay posted a pair of bullets at Fair Hill for this, including a four-furlong spin in :48 (1/6) over the all-weather Nov. 15. Chatham (Maria's Mon)'s 2020 War Front colt brought $1 million from Lynnhaven Racing at this year's Keeneland September Sale. TJCIS PPs 5th-AQU, $80k, Msw,...

   The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) on Monday denied a request by trainer Ken McPeek to bring clarity to the process of how and when Thoroughbreds coming out of a quarantine can be allowed to enter races.    Back on July 15, another trainer's horse in the barn McPeek shared at Saratoga Race Course tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV-1). State agriculture officials, the New York Racing Association, and the NYSGC then imposed a 21-day quarantine of the entire barn retroactive to July 11, which is a common...

Smile Happy (c, 2, Runhappy--Pleasant Smile, by Pleasant Tap) became the second 'TDN Rising Star' for young sire Runhappy with this visually impressive debut score around two turns at Keeneland Friday. The dark bay fired a five-furlong bullet in :59 2/5 (1/57) for Ken McPeek at Churchill Downs Oct. 22 and was backed at 3-1 in this 1 1/16-mile affair. He raced in some traffic on the first turn and settled on the inside in sixth. Locked and loaded heading into the far turn, the Lucky Seven Stable colorbearer split...

Tiz the Bomb broke through the gate before the start and had to overcome a wide post, but those obstacles proved no matter as the improving colt picked up his second straight stakes win in Sunday's GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. at Keeneland, punching his ticket for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Easily the most expensive progeny of his sire to sell in 2020 when hammering for $330,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Sale, the bay only beat one horse home debuting over five furlongs on the Churchill...