King: McPeek ends skid

Thursday, May 15, recap

Rain kept the turf away

Heavy rain Wednesday that lingered into early Thursday morning resulted in three scheduled turf races being moved to the main track. There were seven scratches in total from the three turf races, which reduced field size in the third race to four horses, the fifth race to seven, and the eighth race to five.

As for the dirt track, it again proved that it is among the fastest-drying in America. It was officially “good” for the opener and upgraded to “fast” thereafter. But there really wasn’t a notable change between how the track looked for the first and how it seemed for the second.

McPeek barn awakens from slump

Trainer Kenny McPeek, uncharacteristically quiet for the first three weeks of the Churchill meet, entered the Thursday card 0 for 20. But after Thursday’s races, he was a far more respectable 2 for 23.

McPeek won the sixth race, a maiden $10,000 claimer, with Tiz Tebow Time and the eighth with Signature Seven in a $50,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds.

His only loser Thursday was Napa Valley, who ran fifth behind Tiz Tebow Time.

A surprising 2-year-old race in the second

Normally, baby races, particularly those at short distances, are dominated by speed. But the opposite happened in the second race Thursday, as the three speed horses faded to bring up the rear of the six-horse field, while the three who were behind early rallied to complete the trifecta.

Milehigh Butterfly rallied from fifth to win at 9-1 odds for jockey Corey Lanerie, followed by Zip It Kim and Frosty Friday, who raced greenly throughout.

As is often the case when speed falls apart and closers take the top positions, the race fell apart late and was run in slow time. The winner covered five furlongs in 1:00.27, receiving just a 35 Beyer Speed Figure.

Horse to Watch

Signature Seven
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Last race: May 15, 8th
Finish: 1st by 5
Beyer: 78
Although he didn’t earn a flashy Beyer in winning this off-the-turf maiden claimer, Signature Seven was visually impressive, finishing strongly on the lead when turned loose by jockey Alan Garcia and galloping out smartly. He is still eligible for a first-level allowance and may repeat against such company.