#Kenny McPeek

Headlined by classic winners Authentic, Swiss Skydiver and Tiz The Law, 184 horses were drawn Monday afternoon into 14 fields for the $28 million Breeders' Cup championships Friday and Saturday at Keeneland. The morning lines were determined by handicapper Mike Battaglia. [] Below are the fields and odds for the 14 Breeders' Cup races in reverse…

Potential Breeders' Cup Horses Work Lexus Raven Run Winner Caramel Swirl Returns To Churchill Downs Conditioner Cox's "Cool Little Horse" Perryville Winner He'smyhoneybadger LEXINGTON, Ky. - Charles Fipke's undefeated Lady Speightspeare, scratched at the gate for the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, at Keeneland…

Cheval Grand, shown winning the 2017 Japan Cup, returns seeking a repeat victory in Sunday's renewal. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Weekend horse racing action stretches from Tokyo to Bahrain with a stop in England and a quick look at Hong Kong's preparations for its big weekend two weeks down the calendar. The Grade 1…

The Kentucky Derby, the first and perhaps most important leg of the Triple Crown, is just two days away and horse racing fans will finally get to see what the race looks like without a Bob Baffert-trained colt on the track. Zandon, this year's betting favorite to win in the field of 20 thoroughbreds at 3-1, enters the 148th Run for the Roses having…

A historic 15 weeks after it began, the 2020 Triple Crown drew to a close as Swiss Skydiver crossed the line first in the 145th Preakness Stakes at a spectatorless Pimlico to become the sixth filly to win the race. She was the first filly to run in the Preakness since Ria Antonia in 2014, who finished last. Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra was the…

Colonel Liam, shown after winning the 2021 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, returns to try for a repeat win Saturday. Photo by Lauren King, courtesy of Gulfstream Park Dec. 30 (UPI) - Eight horses celebrate their third birthday Sunday by lining up for the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park - the holiday weekend's way station on the "Road…

The 145th running of the Grade-1, Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the only race in the U.S. with a 20-horse field and it can provide great wagering opportunities for bettors. The favorite has won the run for the roses the last several years, but even with the top choice…

The first day of 2023 kicks off with a bang on the horse racing front. The $250000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park serves as a Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve qualifier, awarding points for entry to the 2023 Derby on a 10-4-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers. Held over one mile on dirt, the Smarty Jones has yet to…

HENDERSON, Ky. -- Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. won on four his five mounts Friday on Ellis Park's eight-race card, including with the promising 2-year-old colt Tiz the Bomb. The race he lost? Gus Gus, owned by trainer Ian Wilkes' wife, Tracey, and Hernandez's wife, Jamie. The two couples also bred the 2-year-old gelding. But Gus Gus' second place in…

For the first time since 2015, there will be no rain falling on the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs for a Kentucky Derby held on its traditional date in Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday in May. The 2020 Run for the Roses was contested under clear skies and a fast track on Sept. 5, with no fans in the grandstand due to the coronavirus pandemic…

Anyone anticipating a return to normalcy in the Kentucky Derby got a dose of crazy Saturday when an 80-1 shot came charging up the rail to win at Churchill Downs. With favourite Epicenter and Zandon engaged in a duel at the front, Rich Strike stole the show with the second-biggest upset in the Derby's 148-year history. The chestnut colt beat 4-1…

From the Turfway Park Media Team: Lucrative purse money and Kentucky Derby qualifying points will be on the line during Turfway Park's annual Winter/Spring Meet, which will begin Sunday, Jan. 1 and feature the Grade III, $700000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday, March 25. Led by the Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by…

The principal action for Kentucky Derby 148 occurred more than 2000 miles west of Churchill Downs Thursday morning as Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Taiba worked six furlongs in 1:12.80. "It was very straight forward," trainer Tim Yakteen said. "He worked three-quarters from the five-eighth pole. It was a typical Taiba work and we accomplished what…

Get the best Kentucky Derby plays from the horse racing experts at TwinSpires, including exacta, trifecta and superfecta picks. The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby will feature a fierce field of 20 horses set to race 1 1/4 miles on Churchill Downs' historic race track on Saturday, May 7. One undefeated runner, a Japanese-bred starter, and a…

According to Churchill Downs' Mike Battaglia's opening odds, thoroughbred contender Cyberknife is a 20-1 shot for Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Even if he doesn't win, his owner deserves a bouquet of roses or at least a glass of champagne. You see, Al Gold had more important things on his mind when he named his Chestnut colt. The prostate cancer he…

Patrick Gilligan, a former Newmarket racehorse trainer who moved to Kentucky five years ago, reflects on the state of American racing as he sees it. Gilligan (left), who was a'small-time' trainer in the UK for 15 years, moved to the U.S. so his son could pursue his goal of becoming a jockey. He wrote a book - Around Kentucky with the Bug - about…

BALTIMORE (AP) - Secret Oath made another impressive move from the back of the pack, but couldn't close the gap. The filly who won the Kentucky Oaks a couple of weeks ago finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday in a tough field featuring eight colts. The pace was not nearly as fast as the Kentucky Derby, and Secret Oath charged ahead…

The Kentucky Derby trail through New Orleans begins on Monday as an evenly matched group of seven juveniles have been entered in the $100000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds. Leading the way is Hayes Strike. Trained by Kenny McPeek, he broke his maiden nicely going mile-five starts back at Ellis Park. He has run consistently better in three graded…

Saturday's 147th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course lost a bit of luster with the defection of upset Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. But the middle jewel of the Triple Crown series offers plenty of other compelling storylines and a solid mix of intriguing newcomers to face off against a couple proven in the Derby…

10 fillies have been declared for the Belmont Oaks which is due off at 21:06 UK time on Saturday evening. Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore have teamed up successfully twice in this mile and a quarter contest in recent seasons, winning it with Athena in 2018 and Santa Barbara last year, both of whom had been placed in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the…

Keeneland Barn Notes: Basin Gets Final Prep for G2 Blue Grass Stakes (Trainer Steve Asmussen / Photo by Holly M. Smith) From the Keeneland Media Team: GRADE 1 WINNER BASIN WORKS FOR TOYOTA BLUE GRASS Toyota Blue Grass (G2) hopeful Basin, who races for Terry Green's Jackpot Farm, was the first horse to breeze over Keeneland's fast track Monday when…

Lucrative purse money and Kentucky Derby qualifying points will be on the line during Turfway Park's annual Winter/Spring Meet, which will begin Sunday, Jan. 1 and feature the Grade 3, $700000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday, March 25. Led by the Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, Turfway Park will offer…

Race 9: 1 1/16th (Dirt), Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3), Purse $400k, 3 (Saturday) The Grade III Lexington Stakes is the last gasp for the Kentucky Derby Prep Trail. Up for the taking are Points that include, 20 for the "Winner," 8 for the "Place" horse, 4 for the "Show" runner, and a measly 2 for the entry who rounds out the "Super." In the…

Rich Strike, the 80-1 shot ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, mounted a furious and improbable rally to capture the 148th Kentucky Derby on May 7. He was not even in the field until another horse was scratched the day before the race. But after skipping the Preakness Stakes on May 21, forgoing a shot at the Triple Crown, Rich Strike…

Rich Strike, the 80-1 shot ridden by Sonny Leon and trained by Eric Reed, mounted a furious and improbable rally to capture the 148th Kentucky Derby on May 7. He was not even in the field until another horse was scratched the day before the race. But after initially pointing the colt toward the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, Rich Strike's owner said…

After winning the Belmont Stakes with Sarava in 2002, trainer Kenny McPeek did not have a top-three finisher in the race again until Atigun a decade later. The 59-year-old is hoping a 10-year span is a charm again when Creative Minister runs in the 2022 Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Listed at 6-1 in the 2022 Belmont Stakes odds, Creative Minister is…

By Andy Serling FOX Sports Horse Racing Analyst The field for the 154th Belmont Stakes, the final jewel of the Triple Crown, is scheduled to break from the gate at 6:44 p.m. ET on Saturday at beautiful Belmont Park. All eyes will be on Rich Strike. While not the morning-line favorite, the upset winner of the Kentucky Derby that was held out of the…

Stats, works, videos and more! A field of eight super talented 3-year-old colts will compete Saturday, June 25, in the 2022 G3 Ohio Derby held at JackThistledown for a purse of $500000. The marquee event is the closer on an 11-race card. With a first post of 12 PM ET, the Ohio Derby will post at 5:35 PM ET. With G3 Stonestreet Lexington winner…

Malathaat, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2021, makes her long-awaited return to the races when she headlines a field of six older females entered for Friday's $300000 Doubledogdare Stakes at Keeneland. An impeccably bred daughter of Curlin, the Todd Pletcher-trained filly earned the first of three Grade 1 victories in her seasonal debut last…

Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade 3) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96th running of the $400000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), a "Prep Season" race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Jockey Club, run at 1 1/16 miles, will award the Top 5 finishers points on a…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Curly Jack May Set Them Straight In G2 KY Jockey Club (Curly Jack / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Michael McLaughlin's $300000 Iroquois Stakes (Grade III) winner Curly Jack headlines a field of nine 2-year-old colts that were entered in Saturday's 96 running of the $400000 Kentucky…

After lots of last-minute decisions, the 145 Preakness (G1) is set - a field of 11 was entered Monday with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic the morning-line 9-5 favorite leaving from post No. 9. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Authentic has won five of six career starts, and put in his final workout - 4 furlongs in 47.60 seconds - earlier…

Rich Strike, the long shot winner of the Kentucky Derby, will make his triumphant return to the track Saturday in New York for the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes. Post time is scheduled for 6:49 p.m. ET and the race will be televised on NBC. While horse racing's Triple Crown is out of the picture, there's plenty of intrigue in Rich Strike's…

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: KY Derby Winner Returns in G1 Clark'Cap (Rich Strike / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: RED-TR Racing's Kentucky Derby (Grade I) hero Rich Strike will return to Churchill Downs and face a compact field of seven entered in Friday's 148 running of the $750000 Clark presented by Norton…

A pair of undefeated colts trained by Bob Baffert are the morning-line favorites for Saturday's Arkansas Derby, which has been split into two divisions. A total of 22 3-year-olds were entered for the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, leading to the race being split into two divisions. Both races will include 170 qualifying points toward the…

July 8 (UPI) -- Three-year-olds from Ireland, England and France will see what they can do with American rivals this weekend at Belmont Park in the $1 million Caesar's Belmont Derby and $750000 Belmont Oaks. The weekend also includes the Indiana Derby, Iowa Derby and Los Alamitos Derby in California, where trainer Bob Baffert returns from…

Trainer Shug McGaughey knew he had a potential Kentucky Derby contender in Code of Honor after his successful 2-year-old campaign but had re-evaluate his plan after the horse's fourth-place finish in January's Mucho Macho Man Stakes. "I was a little bit shook after the Mucho Macho Man," McGaughey said. "I kind of changed my strategy, and that…

With Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike bypassing the Preakness Stakes to focus on the Belmont, Derby second-place finisher Epicenter is the horse to beat in Saturday's second leg of the Triple Crown. The Steve Asmussen trainee will re-oppose Derby fourth-place finisher Simplification and also-ran Happy Jack in the 1 3/16-mile race, which features a…

One year ago, trainer Todd Pletcher's filly Malathaat started her 3-year-old campaign with a late rally to win Ashland Stakes by a head. The victory launched her to an Eclipse Award-winning season that also included Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes. Pletcher will hope for similar things Friday and beyond with Nest (2-1),…

The draw for Saturday's 147th Preakness Stakes lacked the drama of a Kentucky Derby draw because the field is half its size. The draw was held at a lakeside restaurant in Baltimore on Monday if for no other reason than Pimlico Race Course is very old and shows every bit of its age. In fact, there were more mentions of the post-draw private event…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future. Upcoming Entries I loved the performance Epicenter put forth in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds last month. After carving…

A trio of Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep races will take place Saturday, Jan. 1, across the country to kick off 2022. By far the most competitive on paper is the $250000 Smarty Jones Stake s at Oaklawn Park, which drew a full field of 14 newly turned 3-year-olds. From top to bottom, the Smarty Jones is stuffed with…

Classic Causeway raced two weeks ago. Rattle N Roll, Runaway Wife and Silverleaf went tothe post last week. Allfour are entered to start again Saturday. Trainer Kenny McPeek clearly is notafraid of bringing his horses back on short rest to race again. Especially whenthey send him a message. Itis not about having an alert gallop between races or…

The brilliantly fast Gamine, a dual Grade 1 winner owned by Michael Lund Petersen and trained by three-time Oaks-winning trainer Bob Baffert, has been installed as the even-money favorite for Friday's $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief drew post position 5 for the 1 1/8-mile race with Hall of…

Pappacap (green silks), shown finishing second to Corniche in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is among the favorites for Saturday's Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, a 50-point qualifier for the Kentucky Derby. Photo by John Voorhees, Eclipse Sportswire, courtesy of Breeders' Cup Feb. 18 (UPI) -- This is the weekend when we find out if a few highly…

1 3/16ths (Dirt) Preakness Stakes (G1), $1 million, 3 (Saturday 21 May) The 147th running of the Preakness Stakes is on the clock... Now, that a Derby Champion was crowned last Saturday, it is time to turn our attention to Pimlico Race Course, which once again hosts the 2nd jewel in the Triple Crown. Entries will be taken... and as the field takes…

The Preakness Stakes' age-old form as the deceptively "shorter" centerpiece that has dashed many a Triple Crown dream will be turned on its head this year, as the 2022 top favorite Epicenter will attempt to turn the 147th running of the stakes into a rebound, of sorts, from his inability to hold the lead against a furious assault by longshot Rich…

Churchill Downs' Newsstand: Jace's Road Returns in Sunday's G3 Street Sense Stakes (Trainer Brad Cox conditions Jace's Road / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churhcill Downs Media Team: Albaugh Family Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds' Jace's Road, an impressive debut winner and recent third-place finisher in the $300000 Iroquois Stakes…

The bracing uncertainties of there being no runaway favorite for this afternoon's $3-million 2022 Kentucky Derby illuminate the robustness of the three-year-old Class of'22, as well as that of equine America, and that gives faithful Derby players many ways to cut the complex pie of their exotics. But there's still a blistering race to be run to…

With the Kentucky Derby in the rearview mirror, fans will turn their eyes toward the second jewel in horse racing's Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. The 147th running of the race is set for Saturday at 7:01 p.m. ET at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, where nine horses are set to run the 1 3/16-mile course. Preakness hats turn heads Baltimore…