McKinzie (foaled February 25, 2015) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse and breeding stallion who was a multiple graded stakes winner and came first or second in fourteen of his eighteen races.
Background McKinzie is sired by 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and out of the graded stakes winning Petionville mare Runway Model. Through his dam, McKinzie is a descendant of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and was born at Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown Kentucky, home of, among others Littleprincessemma, Careless Jewel, and Eblouissante, a half sister to Zenyatta. McKinzie, a bay colt with a star and two rear half stockings, was sold at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $170,000 to The Three Amigos Racing Stable LLC, a partnership made up of Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram, and Paul Weitman. Put into training in California with Bob Baffert, the Triple Crown winning trainer was allowed to name the horse, and he chose McKinzie after his longtime friend Brad McKinzie, who had previously worked as a racing executive and died in August 2017.
Racing career 2017: two-year-old season McKinzie made his first start on October 28, 2017, in a $50,000 seven furlong maiden special weight at Santa Anita. Piloted by Mike Smith, McKinzie sat fifth in the first quarter mile, drew up to the front of the field and pulled away in the stretch to win by over five lengths in a time of 1:22.70 over He's Stylish and the favored Shivermetimbers. McKinzie's second start came just over a month later, on December 9 at Los Alamitos in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity. McKinzie crossed the wire three quarters of a length behind stablemate Solomini, but was awarded first place upon Solomini's disqualification with Instilled Regard finishing third. The win made McKinzie a Grade One winner in only his second start.
2018: three-year-old season
McKinzie began his three-year-old season on January 6, 2018, in the GIII Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. Sent off as the heavy favorite, he hit the wire three and one half lengths clear of All Out Blitz, with My Boy Jack finishing third. McKinzie's next start came in the GII San Felipe on March 10, in a widely anticipated showdown with the highly regarded 2017 Eclipse Award finalist Bolt d'Oro. After a lengthy stretch battle, McKinzie crossed the finish line with his head in front, with third-place finisher Kanthaka over six lengths behind the two favorites. Due to bumping that occurred on the turn and in deep stretch, a lengthy inquiry ensured that included the stewards reviewing an objection from Bolt d'Oro's jockey Javier Castellano, with the result that McKinzie was disqualified to second place behind Bolt d'Oro. It was the final victory of his career. Baffert was upset with the steward's ruling, stating, “That's some bullshit. Javier had a better story, I guess. I'm shocked, after the way he hit us at the top of the stretch. I don't know what they're looking at, but apparently he talked them into it. That's why they should never talk to the jockeys, just watch it themselves.” Following the San Felipe, it was assumed that McKinzie would contest one final prep for the Kentucky Derby, likely either the Santa Anita Derby, the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, or the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The Santa Anita Derby was considered most likely, which would have meant a rematch with Bolt d'Oro, but in early April, Baffert announced that McKinzie was off the Derby trail with a hock issue."The x-rays were all clean. He did something in his hock. I think he jammed it. He was just a little off one morning when we were going to the track. There was no swelling or anything. He was fine the next day, but the nuke scan showed a little something in the hock. We’re just being cautious. With the Derby–every day he doesn’t go to the track, it’s not in his favor. Whatever is going on, we’re just going to let it heal on its own." With McKinzie injured, Baffert opted to run eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in the Santa Anita Derby instead of the Arkansas Derby.
While McKinzie's initial prognosis had him listed as "unlikely" for the Preakness, leading some to believe he would be back in action by summer, several minor setbacks resulted in the colt missing the Preakness, Belmont, Haskell, and Travers. On September 22, 2018, having been away from the races for 196 days, McKinzie made his return in the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, his first start outside of California. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, he won by one and three quarter lengths over Axelrod, Trigger Warning, and Hofburg, with Core Beliefs, King Zachary, Bravazo, Mr. Freeze and Instilled Regard rounding out the order of finish. Following this victory, McKinzie was officially pointed toward the Breeder's Cup Classic on November 3, 2018.
McKinzie arrived at Churchill Downs with the rest of the Baffert string early on Breeder's Cup week, often training at the same time as West Coast, Marley's Freedom, and 2017 Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman. McKinzie was ridden in the Classic by Mike Smith, who had the alternative option of riding West Coast, another Baffert trainee who had run third to Gun Runner in the 2017 Classic. Smith chose McKinzie as West Coast would be retiring to Lane's End immediately afterward and McKinzie was slated to run at four. Drawing post 6 of 14, McKinzie pressed a hot pace set by fellow three-year-old Mendelssohn and tired after six furlongs, finishing 12th of 14 and beating only Catholic Boy and Roaring Lion. West Coast finished seventh. Before the race, Baffert admitted that the Classic would be a "tall order" for McKinzie and afterwards stated that he made a mistake entering him off of only one race in eight months.
Following the Breeder's Cup, McKinzie was given a brief break before being put into serious training for the GI Malibu on December 26, 2018, opening day at Santa Anita. Ridden again by Mike Smith and sent off at 6/5 odds as one of four Baffert trainees in the race, he uncharacteristically laid at the back of the field in 10th place of 14 after the first quarter mile. Moving up to 8th after the first half mile, McKinzie displayed a rapid turn of foot around the far turn and came down the center of the track in the stretch, drawing off to win by four and three quarter lengths over Identity Politics and Still Having Fun, with Axelrod finishing fourth. Smith did not use the whip on McKinzie for the length of the stretch. With his victory in the Malibu, McKinzie's earnings reached $1,086,000.
2019: four-year-old season Following his victory in the Malibu. On January 12, 2019, Bob Baffert announced that the colt was unlikely for the Pegasus, as his goal was for McKinzie to be the best older horse of 2019 and didn't want to ask him to do too much in the first month of the year. "He's the kind of horse that I can't be too hard on him, because he's light." Baffert listed the Santa Anita Handicap and Met Mile as spots in which he hoped to enter McKinzie in the first half of the year.
On February 2, McKinzie was sent off as the slight favorite and high weight over 2017 Breeder's Cup Dirt Mile winner Battle of Midway in the GII San Pasqual at Santa Anita. Pressing Giant Expectations in the early stages of the race, McKinzie took the lead coming into the stretch and was overtaken by Battle of Midway near the finish line, losing by a half length and 4 1/4 lengths ahead of third place Giant Expectations. Pavel was fourth, with Dalmore rounding out the order of finish. The race would turn out to be the final of Battle of Midway's career, as the horse suffered a fatal injury in training three weeks later.
On February 17, Baffert announced that McKinzie would make his next start in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 9. On March 2, McKinzie became one of seventeen horses nominated for the race. He was assigned the high weight of 123 pounds, with 2018 San Antonio Stakes winner Gift Box assigned 122. On March 4, Mckinzie worked six furlongs in 1:13.80 in his final workout for the contest. The following day, after the 21st fatal breakdown at the track since the meet started on December 26 (Battle Of Midway was the 18th), Santa Anita closed "indefinitely" until the cause of the fatalities could be discovered and fixed. On March 17, it was announced that live racing would resume at Santa Anita on March 29, and the Santa Anita Handicap was rescheduled for April 6.
McKinzie, drawing the rail for the Santa Anita Handicap and again carrying more weight than the rest of the field, stalked the pace set by Gift Box and Prime Attraction. He approached Gift Box at the top of the stretch and the two slowly drew away from the rest of the field, hitting the wire in a photo finish. Upon examination of the photo, Gift Box was determined to be the winner. McKinzie was well clear of third place Mongolian Groom.
On April 17, Baffert announced that McKinzie, Marley's Freedom, and Mother Mother would be among his horses shipping back to Churchill Downs to run on Kentucky Derby weekend, with McKinzie aiming to use the Alysheba Stakes on May 3, Kentucky Oaks day, as a prep for the Met Mile in June. On April 27, McKinzie worked five furlongs in a bullet 58.60. Breaking from the rail in an eight horse field in the Alysheba, McKinzie broke second behind Tom's d'Etat and took the lead on the backstretch with six furlongs to go. With a half mile remaining in the race, Tom's d'Etat took over the lead and Bourbon Resolution followed, McKinzie falling back to third. Mike Smith took McKinzie outside of Tom's d'Etat and regained the lead at the top of the stretch, and McKinzie opened up on the field, hitting the wire clear of the rest of the field under a hand ride and in a final time of 1:41.10.
After the Alysheba, Baffert confirmed that his next plan for McKinzie was the Met Mile on Belmont Stakes Day. McKinzie was set to carry the co-high weight of 124 pounds along with two time Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow. The #2 slot for McKinzie in a one turn mile was a concern expressed by NBC broadcasters, as McKinzie did not like being inside of horses. The horse ran into traffic trouble, with the official chart stating "...having been caught behind a wall of equines, was about three wide at the commencement of the stretch run, still lacking room of any sort with which to launch a rally of his own, checked when in close proximity to the heels of Thunder Snow just inside the eighth pole, was then steadied a few strides later when beaten to position by the same opponent, angled into a firm fit on path two right afterwards, attaining racing clearance for the first time during the stretch drive, kicked in willingly when given his cue, split foes late and got up for the place." Mitole was the winner, finishing less than a length ahead of McKinzie and extending the winning streak that he had begun in March 2018 to seven straight races. Thunder Snow was third. For his second-place finish, McKinzie earned $220,000, his career earnings amounting to $1,642,910.
After the Met Mile, McKinzie returned to California, with his next start expected to be the GI Whitney at Saratoga on August 3. On July 17 at Del Mar, McKinzie worked six furlongs in 1:12. He worked four furlongs in 48 seconds flat on July 29 before shipping to the Spa. McKinzie drew post six in a field of eight, sharing the high weight of 124 pounds with Thunder Snow, Vino Rosso, and Yoshida. Preservationist was assigned 122 pounds, Monongahela 120, and Imperative and Forewarned 118. During a Barstool pizza review with Todd Pletcher, trainer of Vino Rosso, the subject of jinxing a horse by betting on him came up, to which Pletcher suggested, "bet on McKinzie, help us out."