Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series giving us a deep insight into the world of horse racing through the eyes of owners, trainers, and jockeys alike, Netflix’s ‘Race for the Crown’ is truly unlike any other. That’s because it follows these professions as they chase success across the prestigious Triple Crown of this industry — the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Amongst those to thus be featured in this original is actually trainer Kenneth “Kenny” McPeek, whose subtle charm and quiet confidence honestly only made us wonder more about his career.
How Did Kenneth McPeek Earn His Money?
Although born in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, on August 2, 1962, while his mother was visiting his father at the Air Force base where he was stationed, Kenneth McPeek grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. Therefore, since both his parents hailed from this area, with the patriarch even being the owner of a few Thoroughbreds as a hobby, he deems himself a proud racing enthusiast native. According to reports, his passion for this sport had developed when he was just a young boy, yet it wasn’t until over two decades later that he realized he wanted to pursue a full-time career in it. He earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky in 1985, following which he thought of evolving into a financial market stockbroker in New York.
After just an interview, Kenneth knew it was not the right path for him and chose to pursue his passion by overseeing some of his father’s racehorses upon obtaining his training license. He made his professional debut that same year, unaware he would land his first win at River Downs (now Belterra Park) within mere months, in October, after which he continued honing his skills. His big break, though, came in 1991 as he secured a win in a stakes race, only to then follow it up with hundreds more to establish a name for himself as a full-fledged Thoroughbred trainer.
Just some of Kenneth’s most significant victories during this time included the Fort Harrod Stakes in 1996, Turfway Championship Handicap in 1997, Tampa Bay Derby in 1999, Tropical Park Derby in 2000, Louisiana Derby in 2002, Florida Derby in 2002, Fair Grounds Oaks in 2002, Ohio Derby in 2003, Sir Barton Stakes 2003, and Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Turf Stakes in 2004, amongst many others. Yet, despite all of Kenneth’s success, by the time 2005 rolled around, he chose to step away from training for a while so as to scale back his massive operation and become a bloodstock agent. According to records, he had begun feeling as if his six stables across different states, holding 160 horses, were too much, so he evolved into an agent specializing in buying and selling these purebreds.
As a result, Kenneth’s inventory changed, motivating him to return to training a mere year later with Magdalena Farm/Racing Partnerships, a 115-acre parcel that serves as a base for McPeek Racing. Since then, Kenneth has continued reaching new heights – he secured his 1,000th career win at Churchill Downs in 2009, his 2,000th win at Turfway Park in 2024, and he even bagged a Kentucky Oaks plus Kentucky Derby Double Double in the spring of 2024. The latter was the first time since 1952 that a trainer swept both of these prestigious races one after another in the same year, and only two others before him had ever achieved this feat. As if that’s not enough, it’s imperative to note that he is also the proud Owner and Developer of the HorseRacesNOW App, an app he launched in 2010 to provide racing data to everyone interested in this industry.
Kenneth McPeek’s Net Worth
Considering the fact that Kenneth’s career has spanned over four decades and included a few professions related to the same industry, it’s undeniable that he has accumulated significant wealth. After all, he not only receives a significant percentage of the winning purse if his horse secures the first position but also earns a good fee for training them and getting them to the starting line. With his overall experience and reputation, the latter could even be in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars per horse per year, especially considering he has his own farm in central Kentucky for it. Moreover, the hard-working trainer, as well as a continued bloodstock agent, likely also has an additional source of income through bonuses, endorsements, and brand sponsorships.
We should also mention that as of writing, Kenneth’s horses have participated in around 15,000 races, out of which they have won over 2,000, making his lifetime earnings through this avenue alone more than $120 million. These include 8 Breeders’ Cup races and one of each prestigious Triple Crown races – the Belmont Stakes in 2002, the Preakness Stakes in 2020, and the Kentucky Derby in 2024. Therefore, taking all this into account, along with his HorseRacesNOW App, his lifestyle as a happily married family man, his assets, likely investments, returns, expenses, and liabilities, we believe his net worth to be close to $150 million.
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