Baffert hopes Alysheba Stakes launches McKinzie to greater glory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The McKinzie Road Tour hits Churchill Downs on Friday, the first stop after leaving California before heading to New York.

In the Grade 2, $400,000 Alysheba Stakes for older horses on Friday, McKinzie will be looking to get back to the winner’s circle after a pair of narrow losses at Santa Anita, most recently four weeks ago in the Santa Anita Handicap following the San Pasqual. The Alysheba, race 7 on the card, is a means to an end, as trainer Bob Baffert is using this race to move McKinzie along toward the Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day.

Baffert badly wants a win. He believes McKinzie could be the best older horse in the country.

“He’s a top, top horse,” Baffert said. “I can’t believe he keeps getting beat.”

He barely got beat last time, with Gift Box nosing out McKinzie in a thrilling edition of the 1 1/4-mile Big Cap. McKinzie recorded Beyer Speed Figures of 102 and 103 in the Big Cap and San Pasqual – similar to what he earned winning the Malibu on Dec. 26 – but could only finish second.

In the Alysheba, McKinzie benefits by cutting back to 1 1/16 miles and racing at equal weights of 118 pounds after competing as the highweight in his last three outings. He could have as many as 10 rivals, though Multiplier and Prime Attraction both were entered back in the Grade 1, $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic on Saturday.

The wild cards are that in McKinzie’s only prior start at Churchill Downs he finished 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and there is the likelihood he will be competing on an off track Friday.

McKinzie drew the rail for the second straight race. Mike Smith has ridden him in all nine of his previous starts and is back aboard.

His rivals include Seeking the Soul, back in action just five weeks after finishing eighth of 12 in the Dubai World Cup, and Instilled Regard, fourth in the Kentucky Derby last year when trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and now returning to the dirt under Chad Brown to see what his path forward will be in 2019.

Seeking the Soul has finished in the money in eight of 10 starts at Churchill Downs, including a win in the 2017 Clark and a runner-up finish behind City of Light in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Earlier this year, he got a Beyer of 103 when second to City of Light on an off track in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream.

Instilled Regard returned from a five-month layoff to finish second in an allowance race at Keeneland last time out. That was his second straight grass race after nine straight on dirt.

“Running against McKinzie is a huge challenge, but he ran so well on dirt here in the Derby last year that if we were going to try him again on dirt, this is the surface to try him on,” Brown said. “We can use this race to gain some information and see how to manage him the rest of the year.”

The talented but oft-injured Tom’s D’Etat makes his first start since finishing ninth of 12 in the Pegasus World Cup in January. Trainer Al Stall Jr. said Tom’s D’Etat came out of the Pegasus in good shape, but developed an abscess in a hind foot while training for the March 23 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds.

“It healed accordingly, we let it grow out, and this is the next logical spot,” he said.

Silver Dust and Copper Bullet, second and fifth in the New Orleans Handicap, also are in this field. Copper Bullet was favored in the New Orleans Handicap, but never fired.

Casino Star and Hawaakom were second and fourth in the Fifth Season at Oaklawn last time out.

Bourbon Resolution will be dangerous if he can repeat his last effort, when he earned a career-best Beyer of 96 when romping in the Ben Ali at Keeneland.