Creative Minister leads a charge of three leading contenders trainer Kenny McPeek and jockey Julien Leparoux have in separate allowance races Friday at Oaklawn Park. Creative Minister goes in the ninth race, while Ten Days Later is in the sixth and Let’s Duet starts in the 10th. McPeek and Leparoux have gotten off to fast starts at the meet. McPeek is 3 for 10 and Leparoux is 5 for 21. They have teamed together on a regular basis, among their winners Butterbean in the recent Mistletoe Stakes. “Julien’s ridden for me the last couple of decades,” McPeek said. “Sometimes we’ve been on the same circuit, sometimes we haven’t. Julien’s got great timing, good [hands], fits what’s typical to my style. He’s just a consummate professional.” Timing figures to come into play for Creative Minister, who shortens up to a mile for a nonwinners-of-three-races-lifetime allowance that carries an optional claiming price of $40,000. The short-stretch race is a departure from the longer routes in which Creative Minister has been competing, among his efforts a third-place finish in last year’s Preakness. McPeek said he looks forward to seeing how the distance move plays out for Creative Minister, who is the class of the field with earnings of more than $500,000. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “We’ll have to see,” he said. “He’s a nice horse. I like the condition – the never-won-three side of it. He’s been a horse we thought would jump through his conditions. He hasn’t done it. Maybe this week it’s his turn.” Creative Minister should get an ideal pace setup, as there appears to be a good amount of speed to fuel his kick. He’s looking for his first win since he captured a first-level allowance in May of 2022 at Churchill Downs. Following the start, Creative Minister was third in the Preakness, fifth in the Belmont Stakes, and second by a nose in the Bourbon Trail at Churchill. “He had a really good 3-year-old year and we had high hopes for him this year, thinking he’d go to another level as a 4-year-old,” McPeek said. “He struggled a little bit, had some reasons. He’s still a horse that’s very professional, goes out every day and gives us a lot. We’re still pretty optimistic he’ll take it to another level at some point.” Creative Minister will break from post 9. His 11 rivals include Winters Lion, who is cross-entered in the Woodchopper on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and Heroic Move, the runner-up in the Zia Park Derby. In race 6, Ten Days Later goes in a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles. He split the field at this level at Oaklawn last out, when sixth as the favorite in a 12-horse race run on a wet track Dec. 17. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures “I think the last race, the outside draw forced us to take back and the speed was able to skirt away from him,” McPeek said. “We’re wheeling back. I don’t think he ran all that hard the other day.” McPeek said Ten Days Later prefers a fast track. In race 10, Let’s Duet goes in a first-level allowance for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles and seeks to become the third next-out winner to emerge from a Nov. 16 race at the same level at Churchill. ◗ Jockey Luis Quinonez enters the card one win from 4,000. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.