The significance of the Kentucky Derby needs no reiteration. Many trainers and jockeys spend their entire lives striving to simply participate in the 151-year-old race. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Take late trainer Larry Demeritte, who started from humble beginnings and ran in the 150th Derby for the first time at 75. Then there are those, like Mystik Dan’s trainer, Kenny McPeek.
In the same 150th Derby that saw Larry Demeritte’s horse, West Saratoga, finish 12th, McPeek created history with Mystik Dan. You see, McPeek had won the Kentucky Oaks, a Grade I stakes race for 3-year-old fillies, with his horse Thorpedo Anna, setting up Dan for a truly rare feat even among Derby winners. And on race day, McPeek’s colt achieved that rare feat, winning the race at Churchill Downs and giving his trainer the Derby Oaks Double crown.
And now, a year after that historic day, the trainer has finally fulfilled his promise. “I always said that if I ever won the Kentucky Derby, I would get a tattoo. Derby Oaks Double 2024. I DID IT!!” the iconic trainer for Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan posted on X. While he may have waited for a year to finally make good on his word, the 62-year-old didn’t hold back.
I always said that if I ever won the Kentucky Derby, I would get a Tattoo. Derby Oaks Double 2024. I DID IT!! pic.twitter.com/wlA8N8k5dG
— Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek) June 21, 2025
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