Wet track a new test for McKinzie in San Pasqual

ARCADIA, Calif. – Somewhere soon, a rich Grade 1 is waiting for McKinzie.

It might be the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 9, or maybe the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 30.

“Those are the options, those two,” trainer Bob Baffert said this week at Santa Anita, where McKinzie runs Saturday in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes. “If he runs well [Saturday], then I can make up my mind where to go next.”

McKinzie is going nowhere until he takes care of business in the San Pasqual, a 1 1/8-mile race that follows his Dec. 26 romp in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs. Baffert is not concerned with the nine-furlong San Pasqual distance, nor did he express worry about rival Battle of Midway. Baffert said the main hurdle for McKinzie is a wet surface.

“The challenge is with the track. I don’t know how the track is going to be,” Baffert said. “I worry about that. I don’t think I’ve ever run him in the mud. I don’t think I’ve ever worked him in the mud.”

A second storm was due early Saturday. A wet track would be new footing for McKinzie but no problem for Battle of Midway, the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Grade 1 winner with proven wet-track form.

Battle of Midway, the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, won his career debut on wet-fast at Santa Anita; he finished third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby on wet-fast at Churchill Downs.

McKinzie and Battle of Midway are the principals in the San Pasqual, race 9 on a card that includes the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds and a mandatory payout in the Rainbow pick six on races 5-10.

Eight entered the San Pasqual, including Grade 1 winner Pavel, multiple Grade 2 winner Giant Expectations, Grade 3 winner Dalmore, Sonneteer, Dabster, and Shivermetimbers.

The pace should be legit. Dalmore, Dabster, McKinzie, and Battle of Midway all have speed. Fortunately for the top two contenders, they are drawn outside and figure for in-the-clear trips.

KEY CONTENDERS

McKinzie, by Street Sense
Last 3 Beyers: 103-64-107

◗ Though he won the nine-furlong Pennsylvania Derby with a 107 Beyer, skepticism lingers that the race was not as strong as the figure. If so, McKinzie is vulnerable Saturday at the distance.

◗ Baffert said McKinzie has trained very well since the Malibu.

“He couldn’t be working any better now,” Baffert said. “I was tempted to run him in the Pegasus the way he worked” Jan. 21.

Battle of Midway, by Smart Strike
Last 3 Beyers: 100-100-99

◗ He retired to stallion duty after winning the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile but returned to the track last year when he was found to be subfertile.

◗ Hollendorfer gradually raced Battle of Midway into form; he won a Grade 3 in November at Del Mar and finished second last out in the Grade 2 San Antonio. Under pressure throughout, he fought back and missed by a half-length to perfect-trip winner Gift Box.

Giant Expectations, by Frost Giant
Last 3 Beyers: 85-96-92

◗ A multiple graded winner, Giant Expectations is his own worst enemy. He has broken slowly in 9 of 17 starts. He has not raced since last fall due to a self-inflicted injury. While schooling at the gate, he threw a fit, got a cut that required 12 stitches, and missed nearly three weeks of training.