This spring Kenny McPeek grew to become the primary coach since Ben Jones in 1952 to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) in the identical 12 months with Thorpedo Anna  and Mystik Dan , respectively.
He’s extremely regarded for locating racehorses at an inexpensive value on the gross sales. He’s accountable for discovering horses reminiscent of two-time Horse of the Yr Curlin  , Thorpedo Anna , Harlan’s Vacation, Daddy’s Lil Darling, Swiss Skydiver , Take Cost Girl , and many others.
For periods six by means of eight of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sept. 15-17, McPeek has been the main purchaser. He purchased eight yearlings Tuesday for $1,057,000, bringing his totals for the sale to 26 yearlings and $4,887,000, with a median of $187,962.
“I have been actually happy,” McPeek stated. “We have been capable of accomplish loads of good enterprise previously few days, and we’ll have a couple of extra earlier than the sale is over. We simply love coming to the Keeneland September Sale. It is loads of work, a bit exhausting generally, however there’s loads of reward on the opposite aspect of it.”
The Keeneland September Sale is a protracted course of, and McPeek stated he could not do it with out the assistance of Dominic Brennan, certainly one of his assistant trainers, who helps him short-list. McPeek and Brennan have labored the sale collectively for 30 years.Join BloodHorse Every day
“Dominic has change into to us like Batman to Robin. He is an enormous assist and has been for a protracted, very long time.”
Picture: Keeneland PhotoMcPeek bought Hip 1863, a Maxfield colt, on the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
McPeek is thought for locating nice physicals, and this sale has been no totally different. He has bought yearlings by quite a lot of stallions, together with 4 by first-crop yearling sire Maxfield  .
“I feel (Maxfield) has actually stamped them, all of them appear like they have velocity and sophistication,” he stated. “And I am actual large on the hind leg and stability, and he is actually impressed me as a younger stallion.
“I used to be really the underbidder on the one which Donato Lanni purchased (Hip 1108) that introduced $575,000.”Â
McPeek has additionally been impressed by the yearlings of Rock Your World  . He stated bodily they’ve stood out, and he’s an enormous fan of Sweet Experience  and that his affect is continuous by means of his sons.Â
“Independence Corridor, I feel is a extremely good first-crop stallion. I feel between Independence Corridor, Maxfield, Rock Your World, these are those at this stage which have piqued my curiosity. We weren’t trying to find these, it simply occurs to be the physicals that we ended up buying,” stated McPeek.
“As soon as I see a horse that I am actually drawn to, then I take a look at the web page. After which I attempt to determine the place it is coming from. What am I taking a look at? Am I taking a look at a turf horse, grime horse, sprinter, router?Â
“I feel there’s a methodology to the insanity on how they’re bred and the way they’re made, so that you wish to see a sample.”
McPeek didn’t work Ebook 1 or Ebook 2 as a consequence of conflicts, together with being at Saratoga Race Course for Thorpedo Anna’s exercise forward of her begin within the Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing this weekend.Â
“She is only a actually particular filly to be round,” he stated. “She was only a modest value, had all of the elements in the precise place, and she or he’s simply the queen.”
Thorpedo Anna price simply $40,000 when McPeek picked her out on the Fasig-Tipton October Sale in 2022; she has profession earnings of greater than $2 million.
“I’ve made a profession out of working the again books. Once I was a younger coach, I used to only work Books 5, 6, and seven (after they had Ebook 7). Whenever you discover a good horse in these again books, I do assume it sharpens your eye lots to organize you for the sooner books,” stated McPeek.
“I’ve a extremely robust middle- and lower-market shopper base, I imply actually robust. I prefer to name them my basis. I will proceed to work laborious for these folks. These are the those that helped me get to the place I’ve gotten. I will proceed to attempt to discover good horses for them.”
Day 8 Sale Numbers and Figures
A filly by Nyquist  topped the eighth session of the sale Sept. 17. Legion Bloodstock, agent for Icon Racing, went to $375,000 for Hip 2611, consigned by St George Gross sales, agent.Â
Picture: Keeneland PhotoThe Nyquist filly consigned as Hip 2611 within the gross sales ring
The filly was bred in Kentucky by Pursuit of Success. She is out of the Superior Once more mare Elevate the Flag , a half sister to champion 2-year-old and a number of grade 1 winner Storm Flag Flying.Â
“She is an excellent bodily by an excellent stallion (Nyquist). An enormous pedigree, arguably one of many higher pedigrees round,” stated Archie St George of St George Gross sales.
“(The market) is superb, it is very vibrant. The horses are promoting effectively, there’s loads of motion within the again ring, and we have been very busy within the barns. From prime to backside it has been good,” stated St George.
The common for the eighth session was $72,823, with a gross of $20,827,500. The median was $55,000, as 286 horses modified fingers on the final day of Ebook 4, from the 363 supplied. Seventy-seven failed to satisfy their reserve, leading to an RNA charge of 21.2%.Â
Taylor Made was the main consignor with 32 head bought, grossing $2,540,000. McKinzie  led the sire standings for the second day in a row with 11 yearlings bought for a complete of $1,560,000.Â
The gross was down barely from final 12 months’s $21,786,500, however the common and median rose from $70,279 and $50,000, respectively. A complete of 310 horses had been bought.Â
“I feel we have an opportunity for this to be our highest-grossing 12 months within the final 20 years of Keeneland September. At this time particularly, it is simply been actually robust, the market simply retains rolling,” stated Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Taylor Made.
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