2018 Eclipse Awards: McKinzie

As 2018 dawned, McKinzie was the best 3-year-old in trainer Bob Baffert’s barn, and as the year ended, he had reclaimed that spot. The middle of the year . . .

Well, McKinzie went to the sidelines with a minor injury, and a horse named Justify came along as a more-than-worthy replacement. But McKinzie came roaring back, winning a pair of Grade 1 races in the final 3 1/2 months of the year to end up a finalist in this division.

At the Eclipse Awards, McKinzie will take a backseat to Justify, who is the obvious choice to win this category. But that should not detract from what McKinzie accomplished.

There were high hopes for McKinzie since before he ever started, as he was named for the late Los Alamitos executive Brad McKinzie, who was close friends with Baffert and one of McKinzie’s co-owners, Mike Pegram. He won both his starts at 2, including the Los Alamitos Futurity via disqualification, and came into the year at or near the top of any Kentucky Derby shortlist.

:: 2018 Eclipse Finalists: Profiles and photos for all categories

McKinzie started the year with an easy win against overmatched competition in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes, then had a battle royale with Bolt d’Oro in the Grade 2 San Felipe, in which McKinzie crossed the wire first but then was disqualified in a controversial decision following a series of bumps in the final quarter-mile.

The race took its toll. McKinzie ended up needing time off, forcing him out of the Triple Crown races.

He got plenty of time to recover as Justify grabbed the headlines. By the time McKinzie returned to action, Justify had been retired, and McKinzie picked up where he left off.

In his first start in more than six months, McKinzie captured the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. The deep track and cross-country ship took its toll. A week after the race, Baffert said McKinzie had lost weight.

But he gained it back in subsequent weeks and trained strongly, giving Baffert hope that he’d be up to the challenge of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He wasn’t. McKinzie faded after pressing the early pace and wound up 12th.

It was time to regroup anew. McKinzie returned to his base at Santa Anita and by early December was training like his old self. He was shortened up to seven furlongs for the Grade 1 Malibu on the opening-day card Dec. 26 and served notice that he’ll be a force in 2019, as he crushed his 13 rivals with a sensational, 4 3/4-length victory under regular jockey Mike Smith.

McKinzie, a colt by Street Sense and out of the Petionville mare Runway Model, was bred by the Summer Wind Farm of Jane Lyon. He was purchased as a yearling for $170,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale by Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.

McKinzie is remaining in training at age 4.