Ken McPeek

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...

One day before saddling $35,000 bargain buy Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) to take on the boys in the GI Preakness S., trainer Ken McPeek was represented by the one-two finishers in Keeneland's GI Darley Alcibiades S. Friday. New York-bred Simply Ravishing (Laoban), just a $50,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling herself, dominated her competition on the front end and ran up the score to 6 1/4 lengths. 'TDN Rising Stars' Crazy Beautiful (Liam's Map) and Travel Column (Frosted) fought it out for second and third. This was McPeek's fifth win in the Alcibiades,...

A trio of 'TDN Rising Stars,' including unbeaten Thoughtfully (Tapit), will square off in Friday's GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The rail-drawn Thoughtfully, tabbed as a 'Rising Star' out of a blowout debut win for Steve Asmussen at Churchill Downs June 11, made good on the promise with a sparkling performance in Saratoga's GII Adirondack S. Aug. 12. The $950,000 FTSAUG graduate tries two turns for the first time here. Drawn one to her outside is fellow...

GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) was assigned gate nine in a field of 11 and was installed the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday' GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. John Velazquez has the return call on Authentic, who goes for a third consecutive victory at the Grade I level, having beaten Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. before defying those who concluded he would not stay the 10 furlongs of the Derby by outfighting heavily favored Tiz the Law (Constitution) beneath...

Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) was named likely to make the line-up for Saturday's GI Preakness S. at Pimlico following a four-furlong work in :48 flat (2/88) at Churchill Downs Sunday. "Most likely he's going to go, but tomorrow we'll make the decision," trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. "We were very happy with the work." Ny Traffic came up a nose short of Authentic (Into Mischief) when second in the July 18 GI TVG.com Haskell S. Sunday's work was his first since finishing eighth behind that rival in the Sept. 5...

GI Alabama winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) remains possible to contest the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Oct. 3. "It's going to depend on who shows up," said trainer Ken McPeek. "We are also nominating her to the [GI] Spinster [Oct. 4] and she's been invited to the [GI] QEII [Oct. 10]. We're shopping it, that's all. We have three good choices. My strong preference would have been a 3-year-old filly Grade I [on dirt], but there isn't one out there." Both alternatives to the Preakness, the nine-furlong Spinster for fillies...

In this corner comes 'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief), a filly by one of the world's hottest and most fashionable sires who was purchased for a seven-figure price tag at public auction and has whitewashed Grade I rivals by a combined 25 3/4 lengths in her last two starts. Sharing space in the other corner is Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), a much more modest auction purchase, who is perfect in her last four against her own sex; and Speech (Mr Speaker), not quite as accomplished as her two chief rivals,...

P. G. JOHNSON S., $93,000, Saratoga, 9-3, 2yo, f, 7f (off turf), 1:21.85, ft. 1--SIMPLY RAVISHING, 122, f, 2, by Laoban 1st Dam: Four Wishes, by More Than Ready 2nd Dam: Emilyna, by Valid Wager 3rd Dam: Piano Affect, by Fappiano ($50,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Harold Lerner LLC, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) & Nehoc Stables; B-Meg Levy (NY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Luis Saez. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $94,600. *First SW for freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). 2--Con Lima, 120, f, 2, Commissioner--Second Street City, by Consolidator. ($15,000...

7th-CD, $97K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 4:16 p.m. ET KING FURY (Curlin), the first and only foal out of the late Grade I winner Taris (Flatter), makes his debut in this two-turn affair. King Fury brought $950,000 from Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm as a FTSAUG yearling and is trained by Ken McPeek. 'TDN Rising Star' Taris, a $90,000 KEESEP yearling turned $2.35 million FTKNOV horse of racing age, concluded her career with a runaway win for Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith in the...

Louis Wright's Inject (Frosted), who turned in an eye-opening performance in her career debut at Ellis to earn TDN Rising Star status, will try and punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with a victory in Thursday's GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Downs. Let go at 7-1 for that five-furlong unveiling Aug. 15, the daughter of first-season son of Tapit came from just off the pace to win by a widening six-length margin at the wire. The $390,000 KEESEP yearling purchase is a half-sister to GI Belmont...

Joe Talamo, recently relocated from the West Coast, won his first jockey's title on the Kentucky circuit after riding 20 winners at Ellis Park's Runhappy Summer meet which concluded Sunday. "It feels really good," said Talamo, who won a race both Saturday and Sunday to pull out of a tie with Rafael Bejarano. "Obviously Bejarano didn't ride the last couple of weeks, so that definitely helped quite a bit, in all honestly. But more than anything, I was just really happy that we got into some nice barns and outfits...

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief), the ultra-impressive winner of the one-mile GI Longines Acorn S. and seven-furlong GI Longines Test S. in her two most recent appearances, drew gate five and was installed as the even-money favorite on Mike Battaglia's morning line for Friday's GI Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Owned by Michael Lund Petersen, the $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training topper is likely to be hard sent by John Velazquez in what will be her second go around two turns. She...