Breeders' Cup Clocker: McKinzie, Midnight Bisou given final workouts

Santa Anita
Monday, October 28, 2019
Weather: Clear
Track: Fast
Turf: Firm
Temperature: 50

ARCADIA, Calif. – Only five potential Breeders’ Cup starters worked Monday at Santa Anita, but two of them, McKinzie and Midnight Bisou, are expected to go postward the favorites in their respective races Saturday.

The weather was unseasonably cold Monday, with the temperature dropping to 50 by the time dawn broke and the first wave of Breeders’ Cup horses hit the track at 6:30 a.m. In fact, the forecast calls for even chillier weather during the early morning hours as the week progresses, although no rain is predicted through Breeders’ Cup weekend.

Midnight Bisou (Distaff) was the first Breeders’ Cup worker of the morning and the first of three on “maintenance Monday” from the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen. Midnight Bisou is so talented, she can make even a pedestrian 50.92 half-mile look special, just cruising along through even splits with those long, powerful strides while obviously eager to do so much more.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s special section with fields, odds, comments, and more

Coming off a set-down seven-furlong drill just six days earlier, McKinzie (Classic) was reined in some this morning, although he showed excellent acceleration both to the wire and when encouraged ever so slightly continuing to the seven-furlong marker on the clubhouse turn. McKinzie posted splits of 24.94 and 48.77 for his opening half before completing five furlongs over the still sluggish strip in a sharp 1:00.94, before easing up after six panels in 1:14.67. This was arguably the best move of his series leading up to the Classic.

Like Midinght Bisou, stablemates Engage (Sprint) and Snapper Sinclair (Dirt Mile) were never asked for anything close to their best on Monday in typical Asmussen fashion five days out from their races. Engage breezed an easy three-eighths in 12.15 and 37.67, out a half in 51.46, while Snapper Sinclair completed four furlongs in 25.34 and 51.34 a short while later, both purposefully fanned four to five paths off the rail turning into the stretch.

Applecross (Juvenile Fillies Turf) had the distinction of becoming the first Breeders’ Cup entrant to work on the turf, cruising around the wide dogs in a slow and easy 53.10. The Irish-bred filly was getting her first opportunity to experience the local course with Flavien Prat aboard.

Asmussen opted to wait until Tuesday to give Mitole his final little blowout for the Sprint, instead sending him for a schooling session at the gate this morning, after which he galloped a mile while giving his rider all he could handle the entire way. The same could be said for Classic contender War of Will, who seems like a handful to gallop on a regular basis while training without the blinkers he’ll wear for the first time in the afternoon in the Classic. His stablemate Got Stormy (Mile) was also full of vim and vigor this morning, two-minute licking for much of the way during her routine training session. Likewise, Omaha Beach (Dirt Mile) continues to look terrific coming out of his grueling effort in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship and his extremely impressive work Saturday.