McKinzie works seven furlongs for possible San Pasqual start
ARCADIA, Calif. – McKinzie, the brilliant winner of the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds on Dec. 26, worked seven furlongs in 1:25.40 at Santa Anita on Monday for a potential start in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Feb. 2.
Trained by Bob Baffert, McKinzie won the seven-furlong Malibu by 4 3/4 lengths for his fourth stakes win in seven career starts.
McKinzie won the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby in September in his first start since last March, but was 12th of 14 behind Accelerate in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.
The $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles and is a key prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 9. Baffert said he is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding McKinzie’s participation in the San Pasqual Stakes.
“I want to see how he comes out of this,” Baffert said after the workout.
Monday’s was McKinzie’s third workout of the month. He had half-mile workouts on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11.
The San Pasqual field is expected to include Gift Box and Battle of Midway, the first two finishers of the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26.
Also on Monday, Baffert worked Sassy Sienna a half-mile in 49.80 seconds under jockey Drayden Van Dyke. Sassy Sienna recently joined Baffert’s stable, having previously been trained by Brad Cox.
A 4-year-old, Sassy Sienna has won 3 of 13 starts and earned $426,766. Under Cox’s direction, Sassy Sienna won the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park last April and was later sixth in the Kentucky Oaks. Sassy Sienna has not raced since an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland in October.
On Sunday, Baffert unveiled a promising 3-year-old filly when Flor de La Mar won a maiden special weight race by five lengths under Joel Rosario.
Flor de La Mar was always near the front and rallied three wide to take command of the race in early stretch. She ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.45, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 78. Rosario did not urge the filly in the final strides.
Owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing, Flor de La Mar was purchased for $500,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale. She is by Tiznow and out of Sacristy, who won the Grade 3 Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park in 2012 and was seventh in the Kentucky Oaks that season. Sacristy won 3 of 11 starts and $252,112.
“She’s really nice,” Baffert said of Flor de La Mar. “We got her in late.”
