Ken McPeek

And just like that, last month's GI La Troienne is suddenly a distant memory. That mysterious May 2 effort, a seventh-place finish and her only off-the-board result in 13 prior starts, was righted Saturday as reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) got things back on track with a really never-in-doubt win in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' race for this November's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar. Named last year's Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old Filly, Thorpedo...

GI Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) will square off against old foe, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner, and 'TDN Rising Star Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), plus G1 Dubai World Cup champ Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) and GISW sprinter and 'TDN Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) in next Saturday's 44th running of the $1-million GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs, which is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic. The last time Mystik Dan and Sierra Leone faced one another was in the 2024...

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) returned to the Churchill Downs work tab Sunday with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00 under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., preparing for a likely start in the $1-million GI Stephen Foster Stakes June 28. Mystik Dan, who won the GII Blame Stakes on May 31, breezed at 7:15 a.m. EST. He began his move with a three-furlong split of :36.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:12, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. Owned by 4 G Racing, Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby and...

Take Charge Milady (f, 3, Take Charge Indy--Price too High, by Scat Daddy) defeated returning champion Immersive (Nyquist) by a neck in a thrilling renewal of Saturday's Monomoy Girl S. at Churchill Downs. The latter, sidelined due to bone bruising and off as the 2-5 favorite in a scratched-down field of four, was making her first start since capping a four-for-four season in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar. Take Charge Milady, winner of the Martha Washington S., second in the GI Ashland S. and 12th in...

Trainer Christophe Clement sadly passed away without being inducted into the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame class, and I freely admit that I did not cast a ballot for him again. Something is amiss because it feels like a failure on my part, the voters and by the system. When the envelope has arrived in the mail these past few years and I look down at the list of trainers it always fills my cup full of dread. Take your medicine, I tell myself, but it's so...

Since his upset victory in the GI Kentucky Derby nearly 400 days ago, not a whole lot had gone right for Mystik Dan (Goldencents). Yes, he was a meritorious second to a loose-on-the-lead Seize the Grey (Arrogate) in the GI Preakness Stakes, but he subsequently failed to shine in the GI Belmont Stakes, the GI Malibu Stakes when racing first off a 6 1/2-month absence and the GI Pegasus World Cup, defeating a total of four horses. Trainer Ken McPeek has remained unflappable and unwavering in his belief that Mystik...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Journalism (Curlin) has gotten plenty of ink--and rightfully so--ahead of the 151st running of the GI Kentucky Derby. But here's something that you may not know about the 3-1 morning-line favorite. How did Journalism--campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse partnership of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, breeder Don Alberto Stable, Robert LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5 and the Coolmore partners (Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith)--get his name? "We have always tried to mimic the Claiborne tradition of naming horses with one-word names with a...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A year after recording a historic double with Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the GI Kentucky Oaks and Mystik Dan (Goldencents) in the GI Kentucky Derby, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. is coming back for more. The native of Lafayette, Louisiana will pilot the stretch-running GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Burnham Square (Liam's Map), a live contender for trainer Ian Wilkes in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, and the Kenny McPeek-trained GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes runner-up Take Charge Milady (Take Charge Indy) in Friday's Kentucky Oaks. The aforementioned...

With a lot of the negative news we often confront in racing, sometimes it's important to also see the good, like how taking just five minutes to talk to a young person who is just beginning their journey in the racing business can be. By my estimate, each person listed below graciously spent five to 10 minutes of his or her time during a very busy Derby week visiting with a dozen students from Bluegrass Community and Technical College's Equine Studies program. Yet the impressions they left will last far,...

It was on the first Saturday in May, 2024 that Mystik Dan (Goldencents) ran the race of his life to win the GI Kentucky Derby by a nose over Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). One year and four starts later, he hasn't won again, but will hope to end the losing streak on the anniversary of his greatest triumph. On Saturday, Mystik Dan will take on seven others in the Lake Ouachita S. at Oaklawn Park. It will be his first start since he was beaten 20 3/4 lengths in the...

A Review, By Bill Finley Whether it was 60 Minutes, the FX Network, HBO or some other programs, the television media has bludgeoned the horse racing game in recent years. The great parts of this game barely get mentioned while the programs concentrate on the ugly aspects, namely breakdowns and drugs. So it was reasonable to be worried that more of the same was on its way when Netflix announced it was producing a racing documentary called 'Race For The Crown.' But this show, which includes six episodes, isn't like...

It was business as usual for reigning U.S. Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in Saturday's $1.25-million GI Apple Blossom Handicap, as she pulled clear of five overmatched rivals to score by 4 1/4 lengths to take her career record to 10 wins from 12 starts while barely drawing a deep breath. Let the record show that all-time Louisiana-bred earner Free Like a Girl (El Deal) was closest to the champ at the wire and big-figure allowance winner Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) was third as the 27-10...