The 2025 racing season at Churchill Downs became even more historic for trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. on Friday when they teamed up to capture the $150th edition of the $600,000 Clark (G2) on Friday with the five-year-old Rattle N Roll.
The 1 1/8-mile Clark, like the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1), was inaugurated during Churchill’s first year of racing in 1875 and has been run continuously ever since. McPeek and Hernandez teamed up in May to win the Derby and Oaks with Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna, respectively, and are the first trainer/jockey combo to win all three races in the same season.
“It’s been a dream year here at Churchill,” McPeek said. “This is such a historic race like the Derby and Oaks and very special to be able to sweep them this year. It’s a team of people behind this horse.”
While McPeek is the only trainer to accomplish the feat of winning all three in the same year, Hernandez joined illustrious company in his sweep. Hall of Fame legend Isaac Murphy was the was first to do it in 1884, winning the Derby and the Clark aboard Buchanan. The Clark at that time was restricted to three-year-olds.
The three-year-old Most Wanted proved a stern foe in deep stretch of the Clark on Friday, but Rattle N Roll pulled it out in the end by three parts of a length after rating a bit closer to the pace than is his custom.
Hit Show, favored at approximately 3-2, crossed the wire in third, 3 1/4 lengths behind stablemate Most Wanted, but was disqualified from third and placed fifth after drifting out into Uno Mas Bourbon and Crupi around the sixteenth pole. Uno Mas Bourbon and Crupi were elevated to third and fourth, respectively, while Cooke Creek, Red Route One, and Grand Aspen were the final across the wire.
Owned by Lucky Seven Stable, Rattle N Roll covered the nine furlongs over a fast track in 1:49.60 and paid $11.52.
The Clark was the eighth career stakes win for Rattle N Roll, a five-year-old son of Connect. He earned his signature win at two in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), and added the American Derby, St. Louis Derby, and Oklahoma Derby (G3) at three.
Rattle N Roll won a trio of stakes last season, too, taking the Ben Ali (G3), Pimlico Special (G3), and Blame (G3). But after finishing fourth in the Lukas Classic (G2) last September, Rattle N Roll was sidelined for a year due to bone bruising.
Rattle N Roll looked in need of a race when finishing third in the Lukas Classic on Sept. 28. Shipped to California for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar earlier this month, Rattle N Roll failed to draw in from the also-eligible list, but took a step forward in the Clark off his one earlier run this season.
“He’s still pretty fresh,” McPeek said. “I think we could get him ready for a race like the Pegasus (World Cup [G1] at Gulfstream (in late January). I think that would be a great next race for him.”
Rattle N Roll has bankrolled more than $2.1 million while winning nine of 23 starts. Bred in Kentucky by St Simon Place and a $210,000 Keeneland September purchase, he’s by Connect and out of Jazz Tune, by Johannesburg.
Kehoe Beach‘s introduction to stakes company went so smoothly in the $292,335 Mrs. Revere (G2), trainer Wesley Ward is eyeing the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland next April for the filly’s four-year-old debut.
Winner of back-to-back allowances by a combined margin of 14 lengths heading into the Mrs. Revere, Kehoe Beach justified her approximate even-money favoritism in the Mrs. Revere with a confident wire-to-wire victory under Frankie Dettori.
Over a turf labeled firm, Kehoe Beach was unpressured through early splits of :24.35, :48.57, and 1:12.49. Widening her margin in upper stretch, Kehoe Beach easily held sway to score by 1 1/4 lengths, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.45 and paying $4.10.
In a three-way photo for the minor places, Pounce finished a head in front of Poolside With Slim, while Minoushka was another head behind in fourth. Eleven three-year-old fillies started.
The Mrs. Revere was the fourth win in seven starts for Kehoe Beach, who races for Thomas Bachman and is trained by Wesley Ward. Kehoe Beach is to be stabled at Keeneland during the winter, with possible forays to Turfway Park for published workouts, according to Ward.
Kehoe Beach is an Omaha Beach half-sister to multiple Canadian champion Are You Kidding Me and the stakes-winning Core Values. All were produced by Sweet Awakening, a Street Cry half-sister to Illinois Derby (G2) winner Recapturetheglory.
Bred in Kentucky by John Bates, Ron Kirk, and Michael Riordan, Kehoe Beach sold for $450,000 at Keeneland September.
Leave a Reply