McPeek Goes for Stakes Sweep on 'Stars of Tomorrow'

Nov 26, 2020

Trainer Kenny McPeek has 13 horses entered in Saturday’s “Stars of Tomorrow II” program at Churchill Downs and among his rising juveniles on the card are Grade I winner Simply Ravishing in the $200,000 Golden Rod (GII) and stakes winner King Fury in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII).

McPeek will attempt to win his second Golden Rod in this year’s edition with Harold Lerner LLC, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables’ $350,000 Alcibiades (GI) winner Simply Ravishing. In her most recent start, the promising filly finished fourth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).

“I thought she ran a great race considering how it shaped up early,” McPeek said. “She didn’t break well at all and had a tough trip the entire way around there. I think it was very promising the way she finished up considering the problems she had.”

Simply Ravishing was made the even-money morning line favorite in the Golden Rod and will break from post No. 8 with Robby Albarado in the saddle.

Two races later, Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm’s $98,000 Street Sense winner King Fury is listed at 6-1 on the morning line as he attempts his third victory at Churchill Downs.

“He’s 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs so we know he really likes it here,” McPeek said. “We’ve added blinkers to him in hopes to get him to the next level. I think they could add to his focus and really get him there. His only two blemishes came at Keeneland so we’re excited to get him back to Churchill.”

McPeek has won 12 races on the Stars of Tomorrow II program since it was inaugurated in 2006. He won the 2010 Golden Rod with Kathballu and finished second in last year’s race with Swiss Skydiver. In 2018, McPeek won the Kentucky Jockey Club with Signalman.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Kentucky Jockey Club is carded as Race 11 of 12 on Saturday’s program. First post is 1 p.m., the Kentucky Jockey Club will go at 5:56 p.m., and the Golden Rod will go as Race 9 at 4:57 p.m.

In the Kentucky Jockey Club, Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) third-place finisher Keepmeinmind was made the 6-5 morning line favorite in the field of nine.

The complete field for the Kentucky Jockey Club (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): #1 Sittin On Go (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #1a Smiley Sobotka (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 5-1); #2 Swill (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox, 6-1); #3 Arabian Prince (Tyler Gaffalione, Dallas Stewart, 8-1); #4 Keepmeinmind (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro 6-5); #5 Inspector Frost (John Velazquez, Cox, 8-1); #6 Oncoming Train (Rafael Bejarano, Jimmy DiVito, 10-1); #7 King Fury (Hernandez, McPeek, 6-1); #8 Ultimate Badger (Joe Talamo, Romans, 15-1).

The field for the Golden Rod, from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Lady Lilly (Tyler Gaffalione, Steve Asmussen, 15-1); No Mo Spending (Chris Landeros, Ian Wilkes, 15-1); Coach (Joe Talamo, Cox, 6-1); Farsighted (Julien Leparoux, Rusty Arnold II, 15-1); Travel Column (Florent Geroux, Cox, 5-1); Clairiere (Ricardo Santana Jr., Asmussen, 6-1); Lady Traveler (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans, 20-1); Simply Ravishing (Albarado, McPeek, even-money); Princess Theorem (John Velazquez, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); and Alexandria (Gerardo Corrales, Tim Hamm, 15-1).

KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE POOL 1, SIRE WAGER OPEN UNTIL SUNDAY – Godolphin’s undefeated $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Essential Quality is the 10-1 individual favorite among 24 betting interests in Pool 1 of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which kicks off a four-day run at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day.

The pari-mutuel field of “All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings” is expected to be the overall first-pool favorite for the 23^rd consecutive year and veteran odds maker Mike Battaglia has installed it as the 6-5 favorite.

“We’re very fortunate to have a lot of nice 2-year-olds this year that have consideration for the Future Wager,” trainer Brad Cox said. “The Derby is the goal for many trainers in the country and we have a lot of promising 2-year-olds in consideration.”

Here’s the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 field (with trainer and morning line odds): #1 Caddo River (Brad Cox, 30-1); #2 Dr. Schivel (Mark Glatt, 30-1); #3 Essential Quality (Cox, 10-1); #4 Fire At Will (Mike Maker, 30-1); #5 Get Her Number (Peter Miller, 20-1); #6 Highly Motivated (Brown, 15-1); #7 Hot Rod Charlie (Doug O’Neill, 20-1); #8 Jackie’s Warrior (Steve Asmussen, 20-1); #9 Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro, 20-1); #10 King Fury (Kenny McPeek, 50-1); #11 Life Is Good (Baffert, 15-1); #12 Midnight Bourbon (Asmussen, 30-1); #13 Pickin Time (Kelly Breen, 20-1); #14 Red Flag (John Sherriffs, 30-1); #15 Reinvestment Risk (Brown, 30-1); #16 Rombauer (Michael McCarthy, 30-1); #17 Savile Row (Baffert, 20-1); #18 Scarred (Asmussen, 30-1); #19 Sittin On Go (Dale Romans, 30-1); #20 Speaker’s Corner (Bill Mott, 50-1) #21 Super Stock (Asmussen, 30-1); #22 Ten for Ten (Shug McGaughey III, 50-1); #23 All 3-Year-Old Fillies (50-1); #24 All Other 3-Year-Old Colts and Geldings (6-5)

The pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, opens Thursday at Noon and will close Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be offered concurrently with the sixth annual Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which provides bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Offspring sired by Into Mischief and Tapit were made the co-individual favorites at 6-1 on the morning line by Battaglia. The overall favorite is the “All Other Sires” betting interest, which was made 9-2.

Here’s the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager field (with morning line odds): #1 American Pharoah (20-1); #2 Bernardini (30-1); #3 Bodemeister (30-1); #4 Candy Ride (ARG) (30-1); #5 Constitution (20-1); #6 Curlin (15-1); #7 Flatter (30-1); #8 Frosted (30-1); #9 Ghostzapper (30-1); #10 Hard Spun (20-1); #11 Honor Code (20-1); #12 Into Mischief (6-1); #13 Liam’s Map (30-1); #14 Medaglia D’Oro (20-1); #15 Munnings (30-1); #16 Not This Time (20-1); #17 Pioneerof the Nile (30-1); #18 Quality Road (30-1); #19 Street Sense (15-1); #20 Tapit (6-1); #21 Tiznow (15-1); #22 Uncle Mo (15-1); #23 Union Rags (50-1); and #24 “All Other Sires” (9-2).

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Thursday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

TWINSPIRES.COM ANALYST HANSON HANDICAPS FRIDAY’S CROSS-COUNTRY PICK 5 – The Cross Country Pick 5 at Aqueduct and Churchill Downs on Black Friday is nearly an all-stakes variety. Nonetheless, the sequence is a challenging one with few apparent stick outs, especially in the Aqueduct legs. The sequence kicks off at 1:46 p.m. ET.

The 50-cent ticket: 2,8,10,11 with 4,5 with 3,4,5,12 with 3,8 with 12 = $32

oLeg A — Aqueduct Race 5 — Gio Ponti S.: Trainer Mike Maker has a pair of solid contenders in #2 Ajourneytofreedom (6-1) and #11 Bodecream (5-1), the latter a stakes-winning gelding who placed in the Saranac (GIII) and Hill Prince (GIII) in his last two. The former should also appreciate the slight drop in class. Perhaps #8 Vanzzy (12-1) can turn recent form around if he can catch a turf with less give in it, while New York-bred #10 City Man (6-1) run close to graded performers Field Pass, Fancy Liquor, and Pixelate in previous runs on the grass.

oLeg B — Aqueduct Race 8 — Comely (GIII): A lightly-raced daughter of American Pharoah, #4 Thankful (4-1) is ready to step back up in trip, and into stakes company, off back-to-back wins, the latter an allowance score over the next-out winner #5 Mrs. Danvers (5-2). The latter, by Tapit, makes a belated two-turn debut here and is out of a half-sister to War Front and last week’s Red Smith (G3) winner North Dakota.

oLeg C — Aqueduct Race 9 — Forever Together S.: #12 Tapit Today (2-1) the one to beat off a one-length tally in the Athenia (GIII), but she doesn’t tower over this crew. #4 Feel Glorious (9-2) could rebound returning to a course over which she’s 2-for-2, while the lightly-raced #3 Sorrentina Lemon (12-1) narrowly missed to Feel Glorious in a stakes here last December and enters in the third race of her form cycle. #5 Chaleur (8-1) should be prominent much of the way and is more capable than what she showed in the Noble Damsel (GIII).

oLeg D — Churchill Downs Race 9: #8 Looking At Bikinis (2-1) disappointed in his comeback attempt on Breeders’ Cup weekend, but was part of a hot pace and not surprising that he’d be in need of a race following a 10-month spell. Dangerous with his best. #3 Empty Tomb (6-1) no match for the graded-quality Performer last time, perhaps bouncing a bit off a big win two back and not handling the mud. Has done his best work around one turn and on a fast track.

oLeg E — Churchill Downs Race 10 — Clark (G1): The Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) was a performance too bad to be true for #12 By My Standards (4-1), whose form earlier this season is hard to fault with three G2 victories and strong second-place efforts to Tom’s d’Etat and Improbable. Drawn wide here, but stands a strong chance at rebounding after reportedly not handling the Keeneland surface all that well.

The 50-cent minimum wager has a 15% takeout and can be placed at simulcast centers and ADWs including TwinSpires.com.

INDOOR CONCESSIONS, DINING CLOSED FOR REMAINED OF FALL MEET – In accordance with the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s most recent health and safety requirements issued on Wednesday, all indoor concessions and dining rooms will be closed for the remainder of the fall meet. All current ticketholders will be refunded.

Reserved outdoor box seats remain open with proper social distancing at limited capacity per the state’s requirements for venues and event spaces. First floor reserved box seats will be sold at general admission pricing for $5 ($7 on Friday and Saturday). Third floor box seats are $12. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.churchilldowns.com/tickets/. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking is available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Temperature checks, physical distancing and mandatory face coverings are required upon entrance and movement within Churchill Downs.

Guests will be able to purchase limited food and beverage from concession stands located outdoors on the ground level. No food and beverage is allowed inside spaces of the track or indoors, including the second floor Clubhouse. Additionally, guests are not permitted to bring food and beverage into the facility.

Wearing cloth face coverings at all times is required when not actively consuming food or beverage; simply holding a beverage or food item does not constitute actively consuming.

Following the conclusion of the race meet on Sunday, Churchill Downs will remain closed for simulcast wagering through Dec. 13, which is expiration date of the latest executive orders.

For more information, visit: https://www.churchilldowns.com/tickets/admissions-services/updates.

DOWN THE STRETCH – There was a $179,981 carryover in the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot for racing on Thursday at Churchill Downs. First post was 1 p.m. and the Single 6 spanned races 6-11. … Trainer Bernie Flint is one win away from 500 Churchill Downs victories. He had two entries in Races 1 and 7 on Thursday. … For more information about the Churchill Downs Fall Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.