McPeek Seeks First Breeders' Cup Victory

Kenny McPeek has won 94 graded races since beginning training in 1985, topped by 20 grade 1s, including Swiss Skydiver in this year's Preakness Stakes (G1) and Sarava in the 2002 Belmont Stakes (G1). 

He has racked up 16 in-the-money finishes from 31 starters at the Breeders' Cup—the only trainer with 12 or more runners to have more than half his runners hit the board. His horses have also earned over $3.3 million in Breeders' Cup purses with six seconds and 10 thirds. 

But none managed first, a winless streak with its fair share of tough beats that McPeek aims to end at this year's Breeder's Cup.

This week at Keeneland in Lexington he has perhaps his best chance to pick up an elusive Breeders' Cup victory. He starts five horses—King Fury and Camp Hope in the TVG Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), Crazy Beautiful and Simply Ravishing in the Juvenile Fillies (G1), both Nov. 6, followed by Swiss Skydiver in the Nov. 7 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). 

"I just approach it a horse at a time. It's not gonna break my heart if we don't win one," McPeek said. "Typically we've run well, and I think we've had some fourths in there, too. When you run well, it's almost like a win, anyway (due to rich purses). 

"A small amount of frustration, but like I said, you just approach it a horse at a time. We're going to do that same thing this year. We've got a nice lineup, and hopefully one of them punches in. I just hope they all run well."

His group this week is led by Simply Ravishing, winner of the Darley Alcibiades (G1) for Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing, and Nehoc Stables, and Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver, the leading candidate for 3-year-old filly honors after five graded stakes victories this year. They are pegged at morning-line odds of 5-2 and 2-1, respectively.

Few of McPeek's Breeders' Cup starters over the years have been as well backed. The average odds of his 16 horses that ran either second of third was more than 14-1, inflated by Repent's runner-up finish in the 2001 Juvenile at 44-1 and Signalman grabbing third at 67-1 in the 2018 Juvenile.

Repent was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Johannesburg in one of the more memorable Breeders' Cup near-misses for the trainer. Others were Callahan's Beautician, second beaten three-quarters of a length by She Be Wild in the 2009 Juvenile Fillies; Tejano Run was third behind Timber Country and Eltish in the 1994 Juvenile; and Rosalind ran second in the 2013 Juvenile Fillies after an awkward start.

Rosalind "probably should have won, but you know those things happen," McPeek said. "As I said, as long as the horses run well and come back okay, we'll keep knocking on the door."

McPeek, 58, isn't alone in having found a Breeders' Cup race difficult to win. The races are regularly filled to capacity with top performers, which can lead to extended slumps even for participants accustomed to winning at a high percentage.

The late Bobby Frankel, a Hall of Famer, didn't win his first Breeders' Cup race until 2001 with his 39th starter when Squirtle Squirt captured the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Trainer John Sadler needed 45 attempts before Accelerate  put him in the win column with a score in the 2018 Breeder's Cup Classic (G1).

Among participants this year, there is a long list of trainers that have not won a Breeders' Cup race. Among these are Christophe Clement (0 for 38), Patrick Biancone (0 for 23), and Dermot Weld (0 for 16).

Perhaps Swiss Skydiver will be the one to change McPeek's Breeders' Cup fortunes. The Daredevil  filly is now a part of Triple Crown history, having become just the sixth filly in history to beat the boys in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course under jockey Robby Albarado.

McPeek has "given me an opportunity that every jockey probably dreams of, riding that filly," Albarado said. 

A Distaff win Saturday from Swiss Skydiver would prove meaningful on many levels. Already the frontrunner to become champion 3-year-old filly, it could put her in the Horse-of the-Year conversation if there is an upset in the Classic, and a victory from her or another McPeek starter would put McPeek in the spotlight.

Swiss Skydiver's year in 2020, in which she has logged graded stakes victories in Florida, Arkansas, California, New York, and Maryland, has showcased her heartiness, as well as McPeek's "never made a shot I didn't take" approach to training. In an era when many graded stakes horses race infrequently, Swiss Skydiver has started nine times this year. Twice she took on the boys.

Of the 114 horses entered in nine Breeders' Cup races Saturday, only Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) longshot Empire of Gold has run more times this year, notching 10 starts to date.

"I've got clients that don't have any fear. They want to run," McPeek said. 

McPeek's achievements have already led him to be considered by the nominating committee for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, according to Brien Bouyea, director of communications there.

A Breeders' Cup victory would fuel momentum. In the spring of each year, a list of finalists is submitted by the nominating committee to the Hall of Fame's full cast of approximately 175 voters, requiring majority approval for induction.

"Once they hit with something big, it really kind of helps to push them over," said Bouyea.

Trainer Mark Casse is one such example, elected this year following War of Will's victory in the 2019 Preakness and Sir Winston taking the 2019 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Like Casse, McPeek has not yet won a Derby, though McPeek has threatened. Tejano Run finished second for him in the 1995 Kentucky Derby (G1), his best finish from six starters.

A Derby victory, like a Breeders' Cup win, could put him in the Hall of Fame conversation.

"I've never put much thought into it, to be honest," McPeek said of the Hall of Fame. "There's so much work to do. So you just keep going. You can't dwell on that. That's up to somebody else. It's not up to me. You know, it would be nice, but it isn't something I put a lot of time and energy into. I've had people say I deserve it, but well, I guess we'll figure that out."

McPeek is the fourth leading trainer by wins all-time at Keeneland, located just miles down the road from where he graduated college at the University of Kentucky.

With 1,743 wins throughout North America and earnings of almost $87.6 million through Nov. 1, he doesn't have the same statistics as Casse, whose stable has won 2,994 races and $182 million. But McPeek also has a favorable history in another category.

He has proven highly successful buying horses at auction, sometimes at bargain prices. As a yearling, he purchased Curlin , who became a two-time Horse of the Year in 2007-08 for Hall of Famer trainer Steve Asmussen.

That rewarding purchase is one of many. A BloodHorse Marketwatch study in September 2019 found that McPeek ranked at the top of the buyers' ranks by number of black-type winners (16) and graded stakes winners (10) bought as yearlings from 2014-17.

Mitchell: Leading Yearling Buyers by Racetrack Performance

McPeek has since added Simply Ravishing and Swiss Skydiver to his graded stakes tally. They were bought by the trainer for just $50,000 and $35,000 apiece.

"Well, I take it real seriously, spending people's money wisely," he said via telephone late last month from the Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale. "I mean it's a really hard game. I think it's a great opportunity for somebody to give you some disposable income to buy horses with—because it's such a game of failure. 

"I love doing it. I love going to horse sales. Of course, I'm at one right now. They're dinging away and I'm out back, trying to find another runner.  As a trainer, I figured out a long time ago I couldn't wait around for people to send me good horses. I had to go find them." 

This year he's found some more—with the talent to contend on the Breeders' Cup stage.