The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby is almost here and it already has everything. But like most big and fancy events, this has drama with Kenny McPeek at the heart of it all. The trainer was in the news for his reaction to his horse being scratched, and he’s at it again. However, he is calling out an NBC reporter who is currently live for spreading misinformation.

It all started when news broke of McPeek scratching Blackout Time from American Turf during race 9 on Derby Day. No reason was as such was explained why. It led a user on X to call McPeek out for retaliation. That’s after vets scratched Right to Party from the Kentucky Derby on May 1st, a decision that shocked McPeek.

“Unfortunately @KennyMcPeek is taking his ball and going home,” David Pruett wrote on X. “I was hoping a man of such conviction would be better. Get them next time Ken!!”

As expected, that did not go down well with Kenny McPeek. Instead, he hit back writing, “Well , since the horse had a foot abscess it was a little hard to run Blackout Time today.  Be better David.”

It does clarify why Blackout Time was scratched, which led to the real drama. In reply to the same tweet, an X user called out NBC reporter Randy Moss for spreading misinformation. As per several users, Moss reportedly insinuated that McPeek scratched Blackout Time because he was angry at the vets for the Derby scratch.

And McPeek sprang to action, replying with, “He’s Misinformed.” Although given McPeek’s recent reaction to vets and regulatory vets, it’s only natural to see where Moss is coming from. After all, McPeek has hit out at them and the organization time and again. The most recent incident being when White Abarrio won the G2 Oaklawn Handicap.

There, he praised the horse’s owners for suing the Breeders’ Cup after White Abarrio was scratched from the G1 race in November 2025. He also hit out at the vets and more in a podcast appearance and has continued that across social media. Not only that, but more recently, his reaction to Right to Party’s scratch from the Kentucky Derby was more telling.

The thoroughbred was scratched just two days before Derby day, a move that stunned Kenny McPeek.  

Kenny McPeek shocked by Right to Party’s scratch

As per the Courier Journal, Right to Party was scratched by the regulatory vets “for being unsound due to right front lameness”. That shocked Kenny McPeek to quite an extent for journalist Stephanie Kuzydym to get his  real-time reaction during an interview. Her report reveals that McPeek and his team were not just shocked but unhappy. After all, he had just one horse in the Derby and now lost it for what he believes was an unnecessary reason.

“They just flabbergast me. We’ve X-rayed him. We’ve scanned him, my vet says — I just feel badly for Chester (Right to Party owner Chester Broman Sr.),” McPeek told the Courier Journal.

“This is what they do to us,” McPeek told The Courier Journal. “We PET scanned him. Horse hasn’t trained any different in three months, no different.”

In another interview, McPeek expanded on the scratch and his shock. As per the report, McPeek, who has won all three Triple Crown races in his career, revealed that Right to Party was lame all week. Not only that, he provided the vets with an X-ray and a PET scan as per their request. 

The official recommendation of the scan gave the horse the green light to race, as did McPeek’s own vets. And it led to him hitting out at the regulatory vets again, just days after his podcast appearance.

“I’m sorry for Mr. Broman,” McPeek said on Throughbred Daily News. “It doesn’t affect me. I’ve had my glory, but what I’m concerned about is the state of the industry and how we can continue like this.

“I have worked my tail off to build this game, to bring people in, to grow it. I built an app, I’ve done everything in my power to help this sport, but this industry doesn’t help itself. I’m not optimistic.”

With that, McPeek had made his point, not just to Pruett, but to Moss and NBC too. For a trainer who has never been shy about speaking his mind, correcting a live TV reporter on Derby day was just the latest entry in a very long list.