Repent in Travers? Only a 50-50 Chance

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Repent's enthusiastic breeze Sunday morning at Saratoga made trainer Kenny McPeek think he should consider running the colt in the $1 million Travers on Aug. 24, even though Repent hasn't raced since April 6.

While McPeek said he wouldn't rule out the Travers Monday morning, he said it was more likely that he would stick to his original plan of having Repent start his comeback in the Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 2.

"I would put it at less than a 50 percent chance that he would run in the Travers," McPeek said Monday. "I think the Pennsylvania Derby probably suits me better, but if he talks to me loud enough...."

Repent was screaming at McPeek during the breeze, his first since resuming training. Repent underwent surgery on April 15 to remove an ankle chip following his second-place finish to War Emblem in the Illinois Derby. The surgery prevented him from running in any of the Triple Crown races and he was later give time at a farm in Goshen, Ky. to recover from body soreness.

"It was kind of an unusual work. It didn't exactly go as planned," McPeek said. "The horse was very aggressive going to the pole. You could say he ran off. He was supposed to work three-eighths; they ended up clocking him five. He did it simply in the gallop. Then he ran off after the wire, too."

Repent's time for the three furlongs was listed at :37 2/5.

After what he saw Sunday morning, McPeek is being open-minded about where Repent will race next.

"There basically is not that much to do with him," McPeek said. "Can I get him ready to go 10 furlongs in four weeks? I think I can, but I'm not going to force it. If he comes together, I will nominate him and I will entertain it. If he's doing that well, maybe I'll run him in the Travers.

"This horse is begging for 10 furlongs. That would be the biggest thing is if he was doing that well and he was just begging me to run, then maybe he'd need the race.

"I think it's going to be a tough task for me to bring him back with four months off to run a mile and a quarter without a prep. He's going to need some stiff works in company to be ready."

Coming up with capable company for a work is a difficult task, McPeek said.

"It's pretty tough to find a horse fast enough to keep up with him," he said. " Really, Take Charge Lady is the only work horse that can keep up with Repent, but I don't know that I want to hook those two up right now."

Take Charge Lady is also coming back from a layoff. She has been galloping and will have her first breeze next weekend.

For the time being, Repent has to be considered a possible Travers starter.

"Before the workout I wasn't even intending on nominating him," McPeek said. "But he put so much into it. I think he went six furlongs in 1:16 and he was only supposed to go three-eighths. He's just so aggressive and he wants to do it, you don't keep him from it."

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