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Extra motivation Past failures help push McPeek to shoot for the roses
Posted: Tuesday May 02, 2000 08:58 PM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Hard as it was seeing the blanket of red roses tossed over Thunder Gulch in 1995, Ken McPeek found encouragement in training Tejano Run to a second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. "All it did was probably motivate me more, put more fire in me," he said. "It's something I will do one day, it's just a matter of time." Perhaps it will happen Saturday when McPeek saddles Deputy Warlock in the 126th running of the 1 1/4-mile Derby. "It would open a lot of doors for me," McPeek said of a possible victory. The 37-year-old McPeek purchased Deputy Warlock for $220,000 at the 1998 Keeneland September yearling sale for Select Stable owners Jerry and Feye Bach. McPeek regularly goes to the sales to buy one horse for the Bachs, and he believed Deputy Warlock was the standout that fall. The horse proved McPeek right by winning three of four starts as a 2-year-old. This year has been a different story. Deputy Warlock has finished out of the money in all four of his starts, including fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 15, behind Derby rivals High Yield, More Than Ready and Wheelaway. "He hasn't really caught a track that suits his style," McPeek said. "All of those races were won by horses on the lead and I would like to see a race where a closer has a legitimate chance. That is why we are still in the game." McPeek has a lot fewer worries with Deputy Warlock than he did with Tejano Run, who had a lung infection, wouldn't eat well and constantly battled injuries in 1995. "I was thrown a real difficult situation with that horse and we still ran second," he said. "This horse has been a lot easier, so it makes me more relaxed, too." McPeek says Deputy Warlock compares favorably to Tejano Run, except in one area. "He does place himself further back than Tejano Run did, which will compromise his chances," he said. "But this horse has got more turn of foot the last quarter of a mile." And that's good because McPeek wants to see a fast pace Saturday that gradually weakens to allow a fast closer to come on strong at the wire. McPeek didn't waste any time getting into racing after graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1984. After his final class, he showed up for work at Keeneland as a hotwalker for trainer Shug McGaughey. "That was my introduction to the racetrack," he said. McPeek, who looks like he could be a linebacker for his beloved Indianapolis Colts, briefly attempted to find work in the 9-to-5 world, interviewing for stockbroker jobs in New York. But he spent more time attending races at Belmont Park than he did looking for jobs. So he returned to Kentucky and took out a trainer's license. His father, Ron, a thoroughbred breeder, was his first client. Now McPeek's biggest pressure is procuring enough Derby tickets. "There's nothing to be nervous about," he said. "This isn't pressure. This is fun."
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