McPeek Hopes Harlan's Holiday, Repent Continues Derby Stablemate Saga
By, William F. Reed

If all goes well between now and the first Saturday in May, Harlan's Holiday and Repent, both trained by Kenny McPeek, will write a new chapter about the agony and ecstasy of running stable mates in the Kentucky Derby (GI).

The problems become especially knotty if the stable mates have different owners. In the 1999 Derby, for example, trainer D. Wayne Lukas found himself watching the race between clients William T. Young, owner of Cat Thief, and Bob and Beverly Lewis, owners of Charismatic.

With an eighth of a mile to go, Cat Thief had the lead and looked a winner. However, Charismatic charged to the lead at the 16th pole and held off the hard-charging Menifee to win the roses.

"You talk about being in a spot," Lukas said after the race. "I was standing with my dearest friend in the world, Bill Young, and Cat Thief surged to the front and I said, 'He hit the front, here we go!' And I started yelling at my wife and Charismatic's coming on the outside. At that point I didn't know if I should jump up and down, holler, throw in the program or what. But then I said, 'I might as well go for it, it's going to happen.' I'm blessed with some beautiful people in my clientele base."

At the start of this year, most Derby experts seemed higher on Repent, owned by Select Stable, than Harlan's Holiday, an Ohio-bred owned by Starlight Stable. However, when Harlan's Holiday took advantage of a blistering pace to roll to victory in the Mar. 16 Florida Derby (GI), he moved past Repent, who was all-out to hold off Easyfromthegitgo in the Mar. 10 Louisiana Derby (GII), in many Derby polls.

McPeek, who has never won a Triple Crown race, says he can't pick one as being better than the other. But he'll keep them apart until the Kentucky Derby. Harlan's Holiday could be headed for Keeneland's Blue Grass Stakes on Apr. 13, and Repent could wind up in the Illinois Derby (GII) on Apr. 6 or the Wood Memorial (GI) a week later.

Sometimes even the trainers and jockeys are fooled by stable mates. And sometimes the so-called "second-stringer" wins the roses while the supposed "better half" of the entry runs up the track.

The curious history of stable mates dates back to the first Derby in 1875. Owner H.P. McGrath was confident he had the winnner in Chesapeake. However, he also entered Aristides as a "rabbit," the racetrack term for a horse who would guarantee a fast pace to set up his stablemate's late charge.

But at the top of the stretch, when it became apparent that Chesapeake Wasn't going to fire, McGrath yelled at jockey Oliver Lewis to "go on" with Aristides. He did, holding off Volcano to win.

In 1918, owner Willis Sharpe Kilmer was confident he had the Derby winner in Sun Briar, who had enjoyed a sensational 2-year-old campaign. In fact, Kilmer moved his stable to Churchill Downs three months before the Derby, all the better to help Sun Briar get properly acclimated.

Two weeks before the Derby, Kilmer bought Exterminator, a 3-year-old gelding, to serve mainly as a work horse for Sun Briar. With only two wins to show for four starts as a juvenile, Exterminator was considered to be something of an "ugly duckling." After Sun Briar had a dull, slow workout the Tuesday before the Derby, Kilmer reluctantly pulled his star from the race and told jockey Willie Knapp he'd be riding Exterminator instead of Sun Briar. The gelding went off at $29.60 to 1, the longest odds in the eight-horse field.

Much to the shock of everyone, especially his trainer, Uncle Henry McDaniel, who bet $200 on the favored War Cloud, Exterminator slipped through on the rail and held off Escoba to win the roses that Kilmer thought would belong to Sun Briar.

"I had always thought I would win the Derby since Mr. Kilmer shipped his stable to Louisville," said jockey Knapp, "but I never dreamed my mount would be Exterminator." The 1919 Derby was the first where stablemates ran 1-2. Sir Barton, who went on to become racing's first Triple Crown winner, whipped Billy Kelly by five lengths. Both were owned by J.K.L. Ross.

The feat was duplicated in 1921 when Behave Yourself and Black Servant ran 1-2, respectively, for Col. E.R. Bradley, who did it again in 1926 when his Bubbling Over and Baagenbaggage ran 1-2, respectively.

In 1942, trainer John Gaver of Greentree Stable gave jockey Eddie Arcaro his choice of Devil Diver and Shut Out. Arcaro picked the right horse - Devil Diver went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career - but Shut Out won the Derby under undistinguished jockey Wayne D. Wright.

Six years later, Calumet Farm trainer Ben A. Jones saved Arcaro from making another mistake. Given his choice of riding Citation or Coaltown in the Derby, Arcaro picked Citation. But when Arcaro watched Coaltown use his blazing speed to win race after race, he began having second thoughts.

"Listen, Eddie," said Jones when Arcaro expressed his misgivings, "if I thought Coaltown could win, you'd be on him."

Citation beat Coaltown by 3 ½-lengths, making them the first stablemates to run 1-2 in the Derby since 1926. No stable has turned that trick since then. Of course, Citation went on to become racing's eighth Triple Crown winner. Even now, arguments about the best horse ever begin with Citation, Man o' War, and Secretariat.

In 1957, Calumet was certain it had the Derby winner in the brilliant Gen. Duke, who was considered to be a potential superhorse. But when Gen. Duke was scratched the morning of the Derby because of a training injury, the farm's hopes rested with "second-stringer" Iron Leige, who appeared to be way over his head in a talented field that included Bold Ruler, Gallant Man, Round Table, and Federal Hill.

But Iron Leige responded with a victory that was somewhat tainted by the biggest gaffe of jockey Bill Shoemaker's career. At the sixteenth-pole, Shoemaker appeared to have the race won with Gallant Man. However, he apparently misjudged the finish line and briefly raised up in the irons, giving Bill Hartack the edge he need to get Iron Leige home first.

In 1974, trainer Woody Stephens saddled two horses in the 100th Derby - Judger for Seth Hancock's Cherry Valley Farm and Cannonade for John M. Olin. Almost everyone, including Stephens, thought Judger, who had impressively won the Blue Grass Stakes (GI), to be the stronger contender. On Derby Day, however, Judger struggled home eighth behind Cannonade and jockey Angel Cordero, Jr.

A decade later, Stephens and Hancock figured in another saga of stablemates.

Stephens trained both Devil's Bag for Hickory Tree Stable and Swale for the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm. The trainer thought Devil's Bag, who had been syndicated for $36 million as a breeding sire, might be the best horse he had ever trained.

However, when Devil's Bag suffered a bone chip in his right front knee while winning the 1984 Derby Trial (GIII), Stephens pulled him out of the Derby mix and rested his hopes on Swale, a son of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. The colt gave Claiborne its first Derby victory, beating Coax Me Chad by 3 ½-lengths.

Soon after the Derby, Devil's Bag was retired to stud, a better fate than Swale, who died suddenly of an apparent heart attack soon after winning the Belmont Stakes (GI).

In 1995, trainer Lukas seemed to regard Thunder Gulch as the third best of his Derby entrants, behind Timber County and the filly Serena's Song. But Thunder Gulch won, paying $24.50-to-$1, while Timber Country finished third and Serena's Song, weary from setting the early pace, staggered home 16th.

Likewise, in 1998, trainer Bob Baffert regarded Indian Charlie, the colt he trained for Hal Earnhardt and John R. Gaines, as being more talented that Real Quiet, the colt he trained for longtime buddy Mike Pegram.

In the Derby, Indian Charlie ran a respectable third, but Real Quiet was the winner. Said Baffert, "This is a funny track but I was kind of disappointed in Indian Charlie. I really thought I was going to run 1-2 in this race, but that's horse racing. I told Mike Pegram I can't believe it. The Derby gods were there."

McPeek can only hope that the Derby gods are there for him. The trainer must make sure that he selects the right final preps for the stablemates. If all goes well, you can bet that McPeek's barn will be Action Central the week before the Derby. You go see Kenny, and you get two stories for one visit, a rare bargain in Louisville as the Derby draws near.

Native Kentuckian William F. "Billy" Reed has been a sports writer in various capacities for 42 years and has missed covering the Kentucky Derby a mere two times since 1966. He has been a high-profile sports writer in Kentucky for the Commonwealth's two largest daily newspapers, the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader and was a national columnist for Sports Illustrated, covering among other sports, Thoroughbred horse racing and college basketball. Reed currently pens a column for the Louisville Sports Report, contrbiutes features to the Keeneland program and will be, among varied other assignments, filing Kentucky Derby installments on www.kentuckyderby.com.

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