Jockey John McKee first grabbed headlines as a hot-riding apprentice at River Downs in Cincinnati in 2002, topping the standings with 114 winners from 494 mounts and eclipsing an apprentice record set there by the legendary Steve Cauthen. Seventeen years later, following a decade of leaner years, McKee is in the midst of a career resurgence, once again at a Cincinnati-area track, Turfway Park in the northern Kentucky town of Florence. Entering Thursday night’s card, and with last Friday’s win in the Forego aboard Midnight Pleasure in the rearview mirror, he led the 2019 Turfway standings with 13 winners from 44 mounts, placing him ahead of Luan Machado and Rodney Prescott. That 30 percent win rate in the new year follows a rewarding 2018 in which McKee won 133 races from 688 mounts riding predominantly at Turfway and Belterra Park, the racetrack that replaced River Downs. It was his highest win total since he won 210 races in 2004. His mounts earned $2,013,990, his richest year since 2008, when his rides made $2,206,001. “I had a great 2018,” said McKee, 37. “Hopefully, I can keep it going.” Despite his spike in numbers, his year was somewhat easy to miss since it came outside of the limelight of the premier Kentucky tracks of Churchill Downs and Keeneland, where he once regularly competed but rode only sparingly last year. He went winless in 23 rides at Keeneland in 2018 and was 2 for 21 at Churchill, participating there only during the fall meet. His slowing business at the major Kentucky tracks was one of the reasons he chose in 2014 to again make Belterra his principal base in the summers, rather than Churchill, even though he resides in Louisville with his wife, Shelly, and sons, Gavin, 18, and Max, 6. That decision may put him on the road, but he still is able to make time for family, said friend John Engelhardt, executive director of the Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, who watched McKee during a long stint in publicity at River Downs and later Belterra. “There is a lot of Perry Ouzts in him,” he said, referring to the 64-year-old rider who is a fixture on the circuit. “Show up to work, do your job, go home.” As a younger man, McKee ventured farther away. Following his early success at River Downs, he ranked among the leaders most everywhere he went, even one winter in New York at Aqueduct. There, riding as an apprentice in 2002-03, he won 52 races over the inner-track meet, good for fifth in the standings behind Hall of Famer Javier Castellano. Even after losing his apprentice allowance, his momentum continued. In 2004 he won the jockey title at Oaklawn Park, rode in his first Kentucky Derby (finishing 13th on Pro Prado), and topped the standings at the Churchill Downs fall meet, ahead of Pat Day. McKee also rode in the Derby in 2005 and 2006, finishing 13th with Greater Good and 12th with Lawyer Ron. All three Derby mounts were for trainer Bob Holthus, for whom McKee was the primary rider during the jockey’s early years. Working with Holthus brought McKee to new heights, including wins in the Southwest, Rebel, and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn on Lawyer Ron in 2006. “That was fun,” said McKee. “Bob Holthus gave me a huge life on a national scale.” McKee and Holthus won 195 races together from 2003-08 before Holthus began using other riders more frequently. He died in 2011 at age 77. These days, McKee does not have the backing of one vast stable, and instead rides for a number of small to medium-sized barns. One of those belongs to that of Lexington, Ky.-based trainer Stephen Lyster. “John usually gives me a good ride every time,” Lyster said. The two have gone 5 for 5 together since Turfway began racing in late November. McKee now needs just 21 victories to reach 2,000, a major milestone he should reach during Turfway’s winter meet. McKee has mounts in seven of the eight races at Turfway on Friday, all contenders ranging in prices on the morning line from 3-1 to 6-1. With his business reignited, no wonder McKee is excited for the future. “I’m still young,” he said. “Without any injuries, I’d say I have at least 10, 15 years left.” :: WIN A TRIP TO THE QUEEN'S PLATE: Click here to cast your vote for the 2018 Horse of the Year contest, and be entered to win a trip for two to the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine!