Winning Ponies

Born Aug. 21, 1981 in Cincinnati, Ohio, McKee now lives in Louisville with his wife and stepson. John's father, David, had been a jockey in the late 1970s and early '80s. When I saw his win pictures, McKee told Maryjean Wall of the Lexington Herald-Leader about his father, it was something that I always wanted to do after that. His father had known Eddie Campbell from his riding days and he suggested that his son approach Campbell to ask him to work with him. Campbell had been Steve Cauthen's first agent and was involved with the early development of veteran rider Earlie Fires. Campbell worked with McKee for almost a year before he thought McKee was ready to ride. He insisted that McKee get a lot of practice in the starting gate and be proficient at switching the whip from one hand to the other before he would give the youngster the green light. He lined up work in the mornings for McKee to exercise horses. By March, he decided McKee was ready. McKee got off to a fast start as a jockey. The now-28-year-old Oh