McPeek Duo Target Golden Rod, Jockey Club

 

One can reasonably expect the name of Kenny McPeek, a trainer who always has some very promising juveniles in his barn, to be tossed about frequently during the Fall Meet at Churchill Downs, a racing session well-known for being an early proving ground for 2-year-olds.

 

The 52-year-old Lexington native will take aim at both of the 1 1/16-mile major events on Saturday’s “Stars of Tomorrow II” program when he saddles Grayson Farm’s I’m A Chatterbox and Five D Thoroughbreds’ Kathballu in the $200,000-added Golden Rod Stakes (Grade II) for fillies, and Magic City Thoroughbred Partners’ Jumpin Frac Flash in the $200,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII).

 

McPeek has a good history in both races, having won the 2010 Golden Rod with Kathmanblu, a full sister to Kathballu, and he took the 2001 Kentucky Jockey Club with Repent. 

 

He just missed winning another Golden Rod in 2001 with Take Charge Lady, one of the best horses he has trained. Take Charge Lady finished second to Belterra in the Golden Rod and returned the next year to be runner-up to Farda Amiga in the Kentucky Oaks. She also won Keeneland’s Spinster (GI) twice in a career during which she won 11 of 22 races, participated in three Breeders’ Cup events and earned $2,480,377.

 

Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia favors Kathballu a solid chance to emulate her sister. The daughter of Bluegrass Cat is the 6-1 third choice in a field of 12 entered on Wednesday to compete in the Golden Rod.

 

Kathballu finished sixth in her racing debut at Keeneland on Oct. 17, but returned at Churchill Downs with a head-turning maiden victory at the Golden Rod distance of 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 7.

 

I’m a Chatterbox is a 20-1 risk in Battaglia’s morning line following a third-place finish behind Golden Rod rival Simply Confection in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on Nov. 9. But McPeek thinks that effort, in which the daughter of Munnings set the pace until just over a furlong remained, could be better than it might appear at first glance.

 

“She drew the one-hole in her last race and I think she was kind of compromised there,” McPeek said. “She had to kind of commit (to the lead), or else. I’m hoping she can get an outside trip (in the Golden Rod) and she can stalk a bit better. She worked really well this past week in preparation for it, so I think she’s in with a big chance.”

 

Jumpin Frac Flash drew the outside gate in a field of 12 for the Kentucky Jockey Club, and is rated a 15-1 shot following a five-length romp in a one-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 13. The win followed losses in a pair of starts at Keeneland, but he displayed significant improvement in a 1 1/16-mile outing in his second start an appeared to relish the two-turn distance.

 

The son of Any Given Saturday is owned by Magic City Thoroughbreds, who also own Frac Daddy, who was the runner-up to Uncaptured in the 2012 Kentucky Jockey Club. 

 

“His last race was real impressive and I think he wants two turns instead of the flat mile,” McPeek said. “He has worked well, too.”

 

Like all horses stabled at Churchill Downs, Kathballu, I’m a Chatterbox and Jumpin Frac Flash missed training time last week when an early winter blast resulted in a frozen track that resulted in the cancellation of two racing days and three training sessions before racing and training resumed on Friday. But that is not a major concern for McPeek heading into Saturday’s race.

 

“We got some really nice works in on Sunday,” he said. “We were able to gallop Saturday and work Sunday and none of them seems the worse for wear. Everybody else had to deal with it, too.”

 

Source: Churchill Downs Communications