‘We’re very excited about it.’ Lexington trainer happy to have Breeders’ Cup at home.
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2020 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.
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When the Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington this weekend, a local Thoroughbred industry star will have the chance to cap a whirlwind year with some major laurels.
A graduate of Tates Creek High School and the University of Kentucky, Kenny McPeek began his journey as a trainer more than 30 years ago. His biography is peppered with several dozen victories in major stakes contests, including the 2002 Belmont.
But despite its unusual nature, 2020 is shaping up to be one of the most successful and memorable years of McPeek’s career. And he’s excited for the chance to write a triumphant coda to this unique season in his own backyard.
“It’s always nice to have it at home,” McPeek, 58, said of the Breeders’ Cup in a recent phone interview with the Herald-Leader. “Logistically, it’s a lot easier. We’re very excited about it. It looks like I may run as many as five (horses) total.”
The leading lady of McPeek’s storybook 2020 script is Swiss Skydiver. After a runner-up finish among the girls in the Kentucky Oaks, the 3-year-old filly bested the boys in the final leg of the Triple Crown last month when she swept past favored Kentucky Derby winner Authentic to capture the Preakness.
“It doesn’t get much more exciting, to be honest,” McPeek said of Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness run. “It was pretty fulfilling to go through all the work and planning and then have things go right. It’s such a game of failure. So many times we run horses and they don’t run well. So, when it goes good it’s a blast.”
What makes Swiss Skydiver so special? McPeek first mentioned her even-keeled demeanor.
“She’s just so workmanlike and predictable and easy,” McPeek said. “She’s also, obviously, really talented, so when you put all those things together it makes a trainer’s job easy. She’s just a really special filly. It’s been a great year with her.”
Swiss Skydiver is clearly the class of the 3-year-old filly crop. Though she finished third in the Rachel Alexandra back in February, she bounced back with three straight wins in graded stakes races for 3-year-old fillies. After running second in mixed company in the Blue Grass Stakes, she added another victory in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.
Swiss Skydiver has finished off the board just once in her career and has already earned nearly $1.8 million.
“I trained Take Charge Lady back in the early 2000s and she was a top 3-year-old filly as well,” McPeek said. “Swiss Skydiver certainly fits that package, she’s a beautiful filly. They’re different-type horses but I think she’s one win away from being my leading earner in my career. That’s something we hope she knocks out.”
Big decision
The question is, in which Breeders’ Cup contest will she aim for to knock it out?
McPeek must decide on Monday whether to run Swiss Skydiver against the gals in the Distaff or again have her face some of the world’s best colts in the Classic. Should she be entered in the Classic, it would likely set up an exciting showdown between the three winners of this year’s Triple Crown races. Authentic and Tiz the Law — who won the Belmont — were pre-entered in the Classic along with Swiss Skydiver.
“We’ll study the past performances in both races and work on a decision,” McPeek said last week. “We’ll look at the numbers and study them like we did for the Preakness. We want to see how the pace might set up. There’s some details to work through.”
Then Saturday, McPeek said Swiss Skydiver would go in the Distaff unless there are surprise defections Monday from the Classic.
Had circumstances not lined up for Swiss Skydiver to run in the Preakness, there might not even be a question as to which Breeders’ Cup race she’ll enter. But they did.
“Even being third in the Preakness would have been a respectable run,” McPeek said in an interview last month. “We felt that there was one horse to beat and that was certainly Authentic … She had a chance, and when they’ve got a chance I’m gonna run.
“You look at your options race to race, and she had pretty much conquered the whole filly division earlier in the year … So we said, ‘How good is she? Can she improve, or can she beat the colts?’”
Swiss Skydiver answered with a resounding ‘Yes.’ Now, McPeek will decide Monday in which Breeders’ Cup Championship his prized filly will write the final chapter of a storied 2020 campaign.
Next woman up
Fans will get a look at McPeek’s latest star-in-the-making during Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for 2-year-olds.
Simply Ravishing has stormed onto the stage with three wins since August, most recently in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades during Keeneland’s Fall Meet last month. She’ll aim to keep that momentum going in the Juvenile Fillies.
McPeek has also pre-entered Crazy Beautiful in both the Juvenile Fillies and the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Camp Hope and King Fury in the Juvenile.
Asked what makes Simply Ravishing so good, McPeek replied: “She’s undefeated right now, so a whole lot. She’s not been headed in her life, so there’s no telling what the upside is.”
2020 Breeders’ Cup
What: World Championships of Thoroughbred horse racing, including 14 races over two days
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: Keeneland Race Course in Lexington (no spectators)
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 7:43 AM.
