McKeever gets a little pre-nuptial bliss from Bullseye Beauty

As great as last weekend was for Andrew McKeever, this one should be even better.

“I’m getting married,” McKeever said this week by phone from Louisiana, where he and Kathleen “Weenie” Aertker will be tying the knot Saturday.

No doubt there will be mention at the wedding celebration of Bullseye Beauty, whose victory in the $100,000 Holiday Inaugural over Tapeta last Saturday at Turfway Park kept the filly unbeaten in three starts over synthetic surfaces.

Bullseye Beauty, bred and owned by Neil Jones, is the first stakes winner trained by McKeever in more than eight years. The 3-year-old daughter of Dialed In won the Lady Erie at Presque Isle Downs in August, ending a drought dating to January 2013, when Daisy Devine notched the last of her eight stakes wins under McKeever’s care. Daisy Devine, a Grade 1-winning earner of nearly $1.1 million, remains easily the best horse McKeever has trained in a career dating to 1995.

“It’d been a while,” said McKeever, a 55-year-old native of Ireland. “I’ve had to persevere through some pretty difficult spots, use a little trial and error. We’ve had a good year, though, and it’s been wonderful to work for Mr. Jones, who’s one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. He can give you sage advice not only about the horse business, but life in general.”

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McKeever said he and Jones, a Washington state resident with an extensive background in racing in the United States and Europe, are hoping to enjoy further success with Bullseye Beauty. Her triumph under a heady ride from Joe Talamo in the six-furlong Holiday Inaugural at Turfway in Florence, Ky., equated to an 83 Beyer Speed Figure and ran her career mark to 4 for 8.

McKeever, whose stable is currently split between Keeneland and the Folsom training center in Louisiana, said it took him a few days to figure out the logical next spot for the filly is the $100,000 Wishing Well going 6 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 29 at Turfway.

“Been kinda busy traveling and getting ready for the wedding and everything,” he said. “Good times.”