Kentucky Derby hopeful McKinzie drills seven furlongs

ARCADIA, Calif. – Led by the unbeaten 3-year-old McKinzie, a number of top-class stakes runners worked on a cold, clear Saturday morning at Santa Anita for races here or out of town. Among those on the tab were Kentucky Derby prospects Restoring Hope and Solomini, as well as Santa Anita Handicap hopefuls Accelerate and Pavel.

McKinzie is considered one of the top contenders for the May 5 Kentucky Derby. He worked in company immediately after the final renovation break of the morning and went seven furlongs in 1:25.40 under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who had McKinzie gallop-out a mile at the direction of trainer Bob Baffert.

“They started out slow and then picked it up,” Baffert said. “He got a good blow out of it.”

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Baffert has yet to decide if McKinzie will run in the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe here March 10, or go to Oaklawn for the Rebel on March 17, but McKinzie appears to get over this track very well in his gallops as well as his works. Solomini will go in the other race. McKinzie has not raced since winning the Sham Stakes on January 6.

Solomini, disqualified from victory in the CashCall Los Alamitos Futurity – in which McKinzie was declared the winner -- worked Saturday in company with Restoring Hope. They went seven furlongs, with Solomini starting off behind Restoring Hope and closing some of the gap while being shoved along by jockey Flavien Prat. Solomini was timed in 1:24.80, Restoring Hope at 1:25.

“He needed that. I’m caught up with him,” Baffert said of Solomini, who missed a bit of training time with a minor illness last month.

Solomini is more of a grinding type than Restoring Hope, who “worked pretty darn good” under Van Dyke, Baffert said. Baffert said Restoring Hope would be nominated “everywhere,” and that he’d sort out who goes where after those horses – and others, such as Justify and Nero – work out next weekend.

The San Felipe is on the same card as the Grade 1, $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap, the premier race of the meet for older runners. With West Coast headed to the Dubai World Cup, opportunity abounds. Accelerate, winner of the San Pasqual, and Pavel, who had a troubled trip in that race, both worked Saturday for the Big ’Cap.

Accelerate, working right after the first renovation break at 6:30, went five furlongs in 1:00.80 under exercise rider Cerapio Figueroa.

“He’ll work three quarters next week and if all goes as planned we’ll probably go in the Big 'Cap,” said John Sadler, who trains Accelerate.

Sadler said his other option is to wait for the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 14.

Pavel went six furlongs in 1:14.80 for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Also on the March 10 card is the Grade 1, $400,000 Triple Bend for sprinters. Divisional champ Roy H will head up that field, but his main rival is likely to be City of Light, the Malibu winner who continues to train in spectacular fashion. He went a half-mile in 47 seconds, the best time of 61 at the distance, on Saturday.

City of Light’s trainer, Michael McCarthy, was reeling Saturday morning from the sudden, unexpected death of his father-in-law, the popular dentist Dr. Bob McNamara, on Friday. McNamara was the dentist to many local horsemen and owned numerous horses over the years.

Also Saturday, Giant Expectations, last seen in the Pegasus, worked six furlongs in 1:13.60 for Peter Eurton. He could go in either the Big ’Cap or the Triple Bend.