McKinzie rebounds with easy win in Triple Bend Stakes

From the moment he climbed aboard McKinzie in the paddock before Sunday’s Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith had confidence in a horse he knows quite well.

“He looked so good,” Smith said. “He warmed up good. As soon as he broke, I felt the power was there.”

McKinzie conveyed that energy into a comfortable win in the $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes. McKinzie ($3) closed from last in a field of five to win the seven-furlong race by 1 1/2 lengths over 10-1 Fashionably Fast.

McKinzie was timed in 1:22.56 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98.

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The Triple Bend was McKinzie’s first start in a sprint since a win in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs in December 2018.

Trained by Bob Baffert, McKinzie has won seven stakes. Smith has been aboard for all of them.

Sunday, McKinzie broke from the outside post and trailed early leader Ax Man by 1 1/2 lengths through an opening quarter-mile in 23.59 seconds. Racing three wide on the turn, McKinzie made progress on the leaders approaching the stretch.

Fashionably Fast was in contention in early stretch, but could not keep pace with McKinzie, who was hand-ridden to the wire.

“I was basically cruising around there,” Smith said. “That was a good bunch of horses.”

The Triple Bend was McKinzie’s first start since an 11th-place finish in a field of 14 in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29 in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m glad he came back to run like that,” Smith said. “I hand-rode him. Bob said, ‘If you’re fortunate to win and not squeeze the lemon, do that.’ It worked out.”

Fashionably Fast, winner of four consecutive stakes for California-breds, finished a neck in front of 18-1 Dark Vader, who was followed by Flagstaff and Ax Man in the small field. The Triple Bend was Fashionably Fast’s debut in a graded stakes and ended a six-race winning streak that began last July.

McKinzie, who races for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, is a 5-year-old by Street Sense who has won 8 of 16 starts and earned $3,438,560. The Triple Bend was the first time Smith had ridden McKinzie since a second at 3-10 in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes last September at Santa Anita.

Joel Rosario rode McKinzie to a second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita last November and in Saudi Arabia.

McKinzie is scheduled to run in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile on July 4 at Belmont Park. Last year, McKinzie was a troubled second in the Met Mile under Smith, losing by three-quarters of a length to Mitole.

Smith, 54, had a memorable weekend at Santa Anita. Saturday, he won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Honor A. P. and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on Swiss Skydiver.