McKinzie, Mitole tune up for Breeders' Cup with Thursday works

ARCADIA, Calif. – McKinzie and Mitole shared the racetrack for workouts at Santa Anita early Thursday morning. They may share the winner’s circle here a few hours apart on Nov. 2.

McKinzie and Mitole are leading contenders for Breeders’ Cup races and had separate tune-up workouts at a half-mile on Thursday. They worked just after dawn.

McKinzie, bound for the $6 million BC Classic at 1 1/4 miles, worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds, his first workout since his second as the favorite to longshot Mongolian Groom in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes here on Sept. 28.

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“He just cruised around there,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

McKinzie has won 7 of 13 starts and earned $2,298,560, all for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. The 2 1/4-length loss in the Awesome Again “didn’t take anything out of him,” Baffert said.

Baffert said earlier this week that Joel Rosario will replace Mike Smith on McKinzie in the BC Classic.

Mitole could go favored in the $2 million BC Sprint at six furlongs. Trained by Steve Asmussen for William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, he was timed in 48.80 seconds on Thursday.

“He seems to be getting stronger,” said Scott Blasi, Asmussen’s assistant.

Mitole won the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at seven furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 24 in his last start.

The 2-year-old filly Donna Veloce worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds for the BC Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1. Trained by Simon Callaghan for Kaleem Shah, Donna Veloce won her career debut in a maiden special weight race by 9 1/4 lengths at 6 1/2 furlongs here on Sept. 28. Thursday’s workout was her first since that race.

“It was a chance to stretch her legs,” Callaghan said. “Her major work will be in about a week.”