McPeek stretches himself again with Thorpedo Anna in Travers

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trainer Kenny McPeek describes his late mother, Ann, as an “amazing” woman. He hung on her every word, taking everything she told him to heart.

Among the many snippets of advice she gave him was this: “Son, stretch yourself. You’ll be fine.”

McPeek never hesitates to stretch himself. He stands apart from the crowd in his eagerness to take shots when others might play it safe, in his willingness to consistently think outside the box.

Ann’s words help to explain why her son will buck history by asking Thorpedo Anna, his sensational 3-year-old filly, to beat the boys in Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga. She would be only the eighth filly to accomplish that since the Travers was first run in 1864 and the first since Lady Rotha benefitted from a disqualification in 1915.

Given the daunting history, her Travers assignment might be a stretch. It also was a stretch when McPeek thought Sarava had a puncher’s chance against Triple Crown threat War Emblem in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. Handicappers dismissed the seeming no-hoper at 70-1. When War Emblem lost all hope by stumbling badly at the start, Sarava pulled the huge upset.

It also might have been a bit of a stretch when McPeek sent Swiss Skydiver against the boys in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness in 2020. She justified her trainer’s faith by emerging as the sixth filly to win in the 145th edition of the Triple Crown race. He had unearthed Swiss Skydiver as a $35,000 diamond in the rough at Keeneland’s September yearling sale.

It also was a bit of a stretch when McPeek looked past a surgically repaired ankle that had become inflamed to buy Curlin for $57,000 as a yearling in 2005. Although McPeek did not train Curlin, the purchase burnished his reputation for possessing one of the keenest eyes for a horse in a tricky business. Curlin went on to be horse of the year in 2007 and 2008 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2014.

Given the magical season the Lexington native is enjoying, perhaps Thorpedo Anna’s Travers appearance is not so much of a stretch. When she dominated the Kentucky Oaks and Mystik Dan captured the Kentucky Derby the following day, McPeek became the first trainer to complete that sweep since “Plain Ben” Jones in 1952.

His hometown saluted him with Kenny McPeek day on July 2. Lexington Mayor Linda Gordon said the honoree “exemplifies the best of Thoroughbred racing” during a ceremony filled with emotion.

“Kenny McPeek day in Lexington was probably the most humbling thing I’ve been to,” he said.

Demands on his time have been incessant since that unforgettable weekend at Churchill Downs. He does not mind. He does everything possible to promote a sport that means everything to him.

“The interesting thing is all the things you sign – bourbon bottles, wine bottles, program after program,” he said.

This season already has provided McPeek, 62, with cache he never enjoyed before. Winning the Oaks and especially the Derby for the first time will have that effect.

How meaningful was the Derby and the Oaks-Derby sweep to the man who orchestrated it? Assistant trainer Greg Geier felt his excitement when the rather large McPeek embraced him in a congratulatory bear hug so intense that Geier joked he might have finally been set free with broken ribs.

Nothing needed to be said.

“It’s what you do everything for. It’s the pinnacle of what you do. Everybody knows the Kentucky Derby,” Geier said. “They may not know if you won another race. But the Kentucky Derby, people know what that is.”

There is no dampening McPeek’s enthusiasm. His glass is always half full. “He’s optimistic about everything,” Geier said. “He’s always thinking positively.”

McPeek has been working toward this season since he took out his trainer’s license in 1985.

“There is nothing complicated about what we do. We mostly keep it very simple,” he said. “I think we’re getting rewarded for putting a team together and executing a plan.”

The initial plan for Thorpedo Anna did not involve the Travers. She took her connections there by dominating her division until there was nothing left to prove. McPeek did not need a ton of convincing to give her a shot.

“I do like trying things,” he said, forever mindful of his mother’s advice.