Latest news with #KenMcPeek
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Thorpedo Anna Breezes For Personal Ensign; Kenny McPeek Plots Path To Breeders' Cup For Mystik Dan
Thorpedo Anna Breezes For Personal Ensign; Kenny McPeek Plots Path To Breeders' Cup For Mystik Dan originally appeared on Paulick Report. Reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna continued her preparations for the $500,000 Personal Ensign (G1) on August 23 as clockers caught her breezing five-eighths in 1:01.80 to the inside of Midnight Concerto on Sunday over Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma dirt training track. The pair of Ken McPeek trainees stepped onto the track after the 7:00 a.m. (ET) renovation break, with Luis Rivera Jr. atop Thorpedo Anna and Danny Ramsey on Midnight Concerto. The two came through the lane with Thorpedo Anna holding a short advantage on the inside before Midnight Concerto put her neck in front passing the wire and provided her stablemate with a challenge, which is what McPeek said he was looking for in the work. 'It didn't unfold like we had hoped – the workmate was supposed to be closer to them, but she got the competition to the wire, which is what we wanted,' McPeek said. 'She's done real good here. On the truck up here earlier in the season, she came up on a really hot day and she got a little overheated on the truck, so we gave her a little extra time before we put her in the tack.' Thorpedo Anna looks to add to an impressive 14-11-2-0 record that includes a sophomore campaign that featured Grade 1 wins last year in the DK Horse Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks, along with top-flight scores in the Kentucky Oaks and Cotillion ahead of a win in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Her stellar campaign, which also saw her finish a head second to Fierceness in the DraftKings Travers (G1), was enough to award her the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. This year, the 4-year-old Fast Anna filly won the Grade 2 Azeri and Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park en route to an uncharacteristic seventh in the Grade 1 La Troienne, but she rebounded with aplomb last out to take the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 28 at Churchill Downs. McPeek said Thorpedo Anna remains a star at his Saratoga barn, where she greets visitors and fans almost daily. 'She loves being up here. She likes the walk out [to the track] and back up. She's always bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We tend to spoil them, and we let people spoil them,' McPeek said. 'She's got tons of people that adore her and I get calls from people every day who want to see her, 'Can we touch her, pet her, see her?' Yeah, sure.' A winner of over $5 million in purse money, Thorpedo Anna is campaigned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, breeder Judy Hicks, and Sherri McPeek's Magdalena Farm. McPeek provided an update on 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan, who finished fourth in Saturday's Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs where he made his first start on grass. There, he stalked the pace in second under regular pilot Brian Hernandez Jr. and was in a four-way scramble for the lead at the top of the lane, but flattened out and settled for fourth 3 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Fort Washington. 'I think he ran respectable if you like being fourth, but of course, we wanted to run a little bit better than that,' McPeek said. 'He's been a really good horse and I think he's overachieved all his life. I think it was worth a try and you don't know unless you really put them out there and try them. It looked like at the head of the lane he was going to win, and he had some good horses get past him.' McPeek said he is unsure what the immediate plans are for the son of Goldencents as he maps out a path to the Breeders' Cup in November at Del Mar. 'We learned something, and I don't think there was any shame in the effort. The hard part now is we've got to figure out where he fits. We've got to figure out where to get him into the Breeders' Cup – is he for the Classic, the Dirt Mile, the Mile? It gives us some options. He came out of the race in good order. I might send him back to Churchill. I'll look at the schedule and see if I can make a decision on his next start before I move him [from Colonial].' James Ball, Magdalena Racing and Kenneth Rhodes' Take Charge Milady breezed Saturday at Saratoga with an eye to the $600,000 Alabama (G1) presented by Keeneland Sales on Saturday at the Spa, but McPeek said the daughter of Take Charge Indy will not be entered as he was not satisfied with the way she emerged from the work. 'I think I'm going to give her a break,' McPeek said. 'Yesterday's work was OK, but there were some post-workout issues. She didn't eat up good and I'm not going to run her. She's gone all winter, spring and summer, [so] we're going to pull the plug on her and point her to a winter campaign.' Take Charge Milady was second to La Cara in the Ashland (G1) in April at Keeneland ahead of an off-the-board finish in the Kentucky Oaks, but she rebounded two starts back with a win over Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Immersive in the Monomoy Girl in June at Churchill. She was last seen finishing a distant last-of-4 in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 19 at Saratoga. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Contemplating Options': Mystik Dan Possible For Turf Debut After Saratoga Work
'Contemplating Options': Mystik Dan Possible For Turf Debut After Saratoga Work originally appeared on Paulick Report. Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby, III, and Valley View Farm's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan took to the grass for the first time on Friday over Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma turf training track, with NYRA clockers timing him through a solo five-eighths breeze in 1:02 flat with Luis Rivera, Jr. up.'Really pleased,' trainer Ken McPeek said at his Saratoga barn. 'I always wanted to try him on the turf, and he looked like he loved it. We're contemplating some options and this is a horse that's done everything we've ever asked him to do. I think he'll relish it; it's just a matter of finding the right spot at the right time.' The 4-year-old son of Goldencents was last seen finishing fourth in the G1 Stephen Foster on June 28 at Churchill Downs, the site of his Kentucky Derby coup last year over subsequent Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Sierra Leone, as well as a 1 1/4-length score in the G3 Blame two starts Dan is out of the Colonel John mare Ma'am, whose four wins included one on turf in 2017 at Ellis Park. Ma'am is a half-sister to Renaissance Art, who was G3-placed going 12 furlongs on turf in Hong Kong, and Revamp, who was placed on synthetic going the same distance in England. His second dam Lady Siphonica is a half-sister to Rose of Summer, dam of Laragh – a G1-winner on synthetic and dual Listed stakes-winner on turf – and multiple turf graded stakes-winner Summer Front. Goldencents has also seen his progeny have success on turf, led by dual G1-winner Going to Vegas, along with multiple graded/group stakes-winners Phantom Currency and Wildman Jack, and G3-winner That's said he is still evaluating options for Mystik Dan, with an eye on the lucrative Kentucky Downs meet. 'There's a race down there that I think will be ideal for him, so right now that's what we're kind of leaning towards,' McPeek Dan holds a career record of 14-4-3-1 with more than $4.4 million in total purse earnings. He was bred in Kentucky by Gasaway, Hamby, and 4 G Racing. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I DID IT!': Ken McPeek Marks Derby-Oaks Double With Tattoo
'I DID IT!': Ken McPeek Marks Derby-Oaks Double With Tattoo originally appeared on Paulick Report. Trainer Ken McPeek made history last year when he pulled off the Kentucky Oaks-Derby double, winning with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan. Now, the veteran Lexington, Ky., horseman has permanently marked the accomplishment — with a tattoo. Advertisement 'I always said that if I ever won the Kentucky Derby, I would get a Tattoo. Derby Oaks Double 2024. I DID IT!!,' McPeek said in a post on X. Some commenters on the post questioned whether the tattoo was real—or if it was even McPeek in the photo. But the trainer quickly shut down the speculation with a follow-up post. 'If you have any doubts, this isn't AI,' McPeek wrote. To further put doubts to rest, McPeek used X's AI tool, Grok, to respond to a now-deleted comment. The tool analyzed the image and confirmed its authenticity, noting that the tattoo celebrated McPeek's 2024 Kentucky Derby and Oaks victories and aligned with verified historical records. No evidence suggested the image was AI-generated. For the most part, the online response was overwhelmingly supportive and positive. Jockey Rajiv Maragh even joined in with a playful question. McPeek was the first trainer to pull off the Oaks-Derby double since 1952, when the legendary Ben Jones achieved it with Real Delight in the Oaks and Hill Gail in the Derby — both ridden by Hall of Famer Eddie Arcaro. Jones also won both races in 1949, and Herbert "Derby Dick" Thompson accomplished the fear in 1933. Advertisement Looking ahead, both of McPeek's stars will return to action at Churchill Downs next Saturday. Thorpedo Anna will aim to bounce back in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis, while Mystik Dan will try to make it two in a row in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. Both races are 'Win and You're In' qualifiers for the Breeders' Cup Distaff and Classic, respectively. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hamilton Spectator
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan snaps 5-race losing skid with win in Blame at Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mystik Dan snapped a five-race losing streak with a 1 1/4-length victory in the $270,000 Blame Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs, where he won the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Mystik Dan won the 150th Derby by a nose in the closest three-horse photo finish since 1947. After that, his skid included a second in the Preakness, an eighth in the Belmont at Saratoga and a ninth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. 'In hindsight, I wish I could take away a couple of those races after the Triple Crown,' trainer Ken McPeek said. 'We got him back to his old self.' Reminiscent of that race, Mystik Dan relaxed off the pace along the inside rail, cut the corner at the top of the stretch and powered home Saturday under Brian Hernandez Jr. 'When Mystik Dan is right, he's such a fun horse to ride because he makes my job so easy,' Hernandez said. Mystik Dan 1 1/8 miles in a stakes record time of 1:48.45. He paid $8.12 to win as the 3-1 third choice. Antiquarian was second and 2-1 favorite Post Time was third. The victory, worth $166,710, increased Mystik Dan's career earnings to $4,417,570. ___ AP horse racing:
Winnipeg Free Press
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan snaps 5-race losing skid with win in Blame at Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mystik Dan snapped a five-race losing streak with a 1 1/4-length victory in the $270,000 Blame Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs, where he won the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Mystik Dan won the 150th Derby by a nose in the closest three-horse photo finish since 1947. After that, his skid included a second in the Preakness, an eighth in the Belmont at Saratoga and a ninth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. 'In hindsight, I wish I could take away a couple of those races after the Triple Crown,' trainer Ken McPeek said. 'We got him back to his old self.' Reminiscent of that race, Mystik Dan relaxed off the pace along the inside rail, cut the corner at the top of the stretch and powered home Saturday under Brian Hernandez Jr. 'When Mystik Dan is right, he's such a fun horse to ride because he makes my job so easy,' Hernandez said. Mystik Dan 1 1/8 miles in a stakes record time of 1:48.45. He paid $8.12 to win as the 3-1 third choice. Antiquarian was second and 2-1 favorite Post Time was third. The victory, worth $166,710, increased Mystik Dan's career earnings to $4,417,570. ___ AP horse racing:
