Gift Box, McKinzie put in Friday workouts

The Grade 1 winners Gift Box and McKinzie worked at Santa Anita on Friday in advance of expected wintertime starts.

Gift Box worked five furlongs in 1:00 in preparation for a scheduled start in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis and trained by John Sadler, Gift Box won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in April and has not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in June.

Friday’s workout was the fourth for Gift Box since he resumed training after a summer break.

McKinzie, who won the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga in August, worked a half-mile in 48.80 seconds, his first major exercise since he finished second by 4 1/4 lengths to Vino Rosso as the 5-2 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Trainer Bob Baffert said on Friday that he does not have an immediate race goal selected for McKinzie.

“It was a little maintenance drill,” Baffert said of the workout. “I’m playing it by ear. We have to work around the weather.”

The Friday workouts at Santa Anita were the first since Tuesday because of mid-week rain.

Stubbins getting a break

Stubbins, a two-time stakes winner who was a fast-closing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, is in the midst of an autumn break. Trainer Doug O’Neill said on Friday that Stubbins will resume training in early 2020.

“We gave him a little breather and he’ll be back for the start of the year,” O’Neill said.

Owned by Mcshane Racing, Stubbins is likely to remain in turf sprints. In March, Stubbins won the Pasadena Stakes, a mile dirt race for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita, and in October he won the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Keeneland.

In the final furlong of the BC Turf Sprint, Stubbins closed from 10th in a field of 11 to finish three lengths behind race winner Belvoir Bay.

“I think we’ve got so many options,” O’Neill said. “His race in the Breeders’ Cup showed he can compete with the best turf horses and I think that is the most logical.”