McPeek has talented pair coming into Stephen Foster Stakes
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Trainer Kenny McPeek looked loaded for bear with his 2-year-olds at the end of 2021. Rattle N Roll won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and Smile Happy took both his starts at Churchill Downs, including the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, stoking additional hopes of success back under the twin spires the following spring. But neither colt made an impact on the 2022 Triple Crown trail.
McPeek took a different path in continuing to develop both horses, with Rattle N Roll finding his stride in lower-level stakes last year while Smile Happy got time off. Now, his efforts are paying off as two of the best older horses in training in Kentucky are housed in his barn.
Rattle N Roll scored his third consecutive graded stakes victory – and seventh stakes win in his career, overall – in winning Saturday’s Grade 3 Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs. He added that to wins in the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland in April and the Grade 3 Pimlico Special on May 19. In those three wins, Rattle N Roll has earned consistent Beyer Speed Figures of 101, 101, and finally, 100 in the Blame.
“I think this horse benefited at the end of last year and into this year running in Grade 2s and Grade 3s,” McPeek said. “It taught him to mature.”
The Blame is designed as a prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Stephen Foster, now set to be run July 1 at Ellis – and the toughest competition Rattle N Roll could face could be from his own barn. Smile Happy was a two-length winner of the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes on May 5 at Churchill Downs. His Beyer of 110 is the highest on the main track at more than a mile so far in 2023.
Both Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy race for the Mackin family’s Lucky Seven Stables, and McPeek said both will be nominated to and trained toward the Foster.
“It’s a good problem to have moving forward with two very strong-caliber horses,” he said.
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