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| Ken McPeek |
Stats Updated Through: 11/19/2009
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| 2009 Stats: | | Starts | | 501 | | 1st-2nd-3rd | | 97-65-72 | | Earnings (Rank) | | $4,621,971 (21) | | Win % (In-The-Money %) | | 19% (46%) |
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Top Associated Horses:
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Noble's Promise,
Beautician,
Bridgetown,
House of Grace,
Theregoesjojo,
Bold Start |
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Biography, Highlights and Media:
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- Born: Aug. 2, 1962, in Fort Chaffee, Ark.
- Residence: Lexington, Ky.
- Family: wife, Sue, daughter Jennifer Lynne
- Education: Bachelor of Arts in business from the University of Kentucky; 1984
- Web site: www.mcpeekracing.com
- Racing Background: Despite being born in Arkansas, McPeek considers himself a Lexington, Ky. native because he moved there as an infant … The son of horse owner Ron McPeek, Ken grew up in Lexington and played football at Tates Creek High School. After graduating from college, his roommate asked him what he loved. "It was easy," he said. "The answer was horse racing." Although he went to New York to interview for a position as a stockbroker, he instead took a job as a hotwalker for trainer Shug McGaughey
- Racing Career: McPeek has had a stellar 2009, showcasing two of his biggest talents – recruiting new owners into the sport and having their initial (and often modest) purchases blossom into stakes performers. A prime example is Dixiana Breeders' Futurity (G1) winner and Juvenile prospect Noble's Promise, a $10,000 weanling purchase owned by Chasing Dreams Racing 2008 ... “I believe that when you get someone new into the game that you teach them. When you invest someone’s money in this sport, it is important that you do it wisely," said McPeek ... McPeek also trained Dream Empress, the 2008 Alcibiades winner and Breeders' Cup' Juvenile Fillies runner-up for the connections of Chasing Dreams Racing 2008 (then racing as Living the Dream Racing). She was the syndicate's first purchase and they spent $60,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale for her … In addition, to Noble's Promise, McPeek has at least three other juveniles pointing towards the Breeders' Cup: Bridgetown for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Beautician for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and House of Grace for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf ... McPeek took out his trainer's license in Kentucky in 1985, with his father his first client. Got his first break from Roy Monroe, whose son Brian had played high school football with Ken. Through Monroe, McPeek was able to get some better-quality horses. His first big horse was Tejano Run, who ran third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 1994 and was second in the 1995 Kentucky Derby. Purchased for just $20,000 for Monroe, Tejano Run earned in excess of $1.1 million on the racetrack. "The most rewarding aspect of being a trainer is the challenge of working with an owner to discover a diamond in the rough," said McPeek. … He picked out Repent and Take Charge Lady for $230,000 and $175,000, respectively, at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale. Repent was second in the 2001 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Take Charge Lady, undefeated in four starts at Keeneland, was sixth in three consecutive Breeders' Cup tries (’01 Juvenile Fillies, ’02 and ’03 Distaff). In referring to his ability to spot yearlings and make them into graded stakes winners, he said, "I've sharpened my eye over the years." Another astute purchase was She's A Devil Due. A $30,000 purchase, she reeled off four straight wins before finishing third in the Juvenile Fillies in 2000. Conditioned Harlan's Holiday, the morning line favorite for the 2002 Kentucky Derby. Harlan's Holiday finished seventh in the Derby and fourth in the Preakness. Just before the Belmont, owner Jack Wolf moved Harlan's Holiday to Todd Pletcher's barn. Ironically, McPeek won the Belmont Stakes with Sarava, the longest shot on the board at 70-1 ... McPeek took a self-imposed sabbatical from training for nearly a year; in June 2005 he began turning his 160-horse stable over to his assistants, mainly Helen Pitts-Blasi. With horses running in Illinois, New York and Kentucky, McPeek felt his and his clients' interests would be better served with him concentrating his efforts on being a bloodstock agent. Buying for Midnight Cry Stable, he signed the ticket for 2007 Preakness winner Curlin, as a yearling for $57,000. He returned to training in mid-2006 with a more manageable 70-horse stable (including unraced 2-year-olds) ... In addition to his farm and training duties, McPeek continues to purchase yearlings for his clients both privately and at public auction ... Lifetime, McPeek has captured 102 stakes, 43 of them graded, and his horses have banked over $40.8 million
- Breeding/Racing Operation: He and his wife Sue purchased the old Pillar Stud property in Lexington and renamed the 115-acre parcel Magdalena, for the woman they believed to be the matriarch of the original family to live on the land ... McPeek said he got the idea for training on the farm was sparked when he took Hard Buck to Ascot in run in 2004, and saw the way horses have more options of training away from the racetrack. “We have a grass gallop and can take them the opposite way of the racetrack, and we break babies there. “I was just too stressed out before I took that sabbatical,” he said. “I had horses in New York, Chicago, Kentucky and Florida. With the farm, it’s much more consolidated and can see all of them regularly. I just have horses in Lexington and Louisville. It’s a neat set-up for me.” ... Races at Gulfstream Park in the winter and at Saratoga Race Course in July and August. … Key assistants are Jordan Blair (Saratoga and Keeneland), Billy Wright (Churchill and Gulfstream), Michael Kleier (Keeneland), and Allen Shell (Magdalena) …Through Oct. 19, 2009, McPeek’s trainees have won 83 of 432 starts for earnings of $3,384,290.
Breeders' Cup Record| Starts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Earnings | | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | $856,800 |
| 1994 | Juvenile | Tejano Run | 3rd | | 1998 | Juvenile Fillies | Grand Deed | 7th | | 2000 | Juvenile Fillies | She's a Devil Due | 3rd | | 2001 | Juvenile | Repent | 2nd | | | Juvenile Fillies | Take Charge Lady | 6th | | 2002 | Distaff | Take Charge Lady | 6th | | 2003 | Distaff | Take Charge Lady | 6th | | 2007 | Juvenile | Old Man Buck | 6th | | | Juvenile Fillies | A to the Croft | 9th | | 2008 | Juvenile Fillies | Dream Empress | 2nd |
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NOTE: Stats include North American and selected international races. Click here to view selected international race list.
Biographies on jockeys, trainers and owners are from the Breeders' Cup World Championships events from 2001 through 2009, and are intended as informational resources. Biographies will be updated if an individual is again a participant in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Biographies are available for most horses appearing in the top 100 money earnings list, and/or for those who are frequently making headlines in the news starting with the 2006 Triple Crown season.
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