Post positions were drawn and fields were set Sunday for three stakes on an 11-race card next Saturday at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.
The most surprising, and biggest development, was the entry of multiple graded stakes-winning McKinzie in the Grade 1, $250,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, a six-furlong main track run that often determines the top sprinter of the meeting.
Trainer Bob Baffert watched McKinzie zip through a five-furlong work in 1:00.80 Sunday morning before entering the 5-year-old son of Street Sense, a winner of seven graded stakes and more than $3.4 million, in the Crosby.
McKinzie, with graded stakes wins from 7 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles on his record, will be tasked at the shortest distance of his career. Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman and named for the late racing executive Brad McKinzie, the bay horse won his racing debut at seven furlongs at Los Alamitos on October 28, 2017. He notched a Grade 1 score at the same distance in the Malibu at Santa Anita on December 26, 2018 and a Grade 2 in the seven-furlong Triple Bend there in June.
Baffert doesn't expect cutting back by an eighth of a mile would be a problem.
“He's got speed. All good horses have speed,” Baffert said. “The only good horse of mine that couldn't run short was Real Quiet.” Real Quiet overcame his “shortcomings” by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and very nearly the Belmont Stakes.
The field of 10 from the rail: Lexitonian (Drayden Van Dyke); Anyportinastorm (Juan Hernandez); Desert Law (Victor Espinoza); McKinzie (Mike Smith); P R Radio Star (Mario Gutierrez); Fashionably Fast (Tiago Pereira); Law Abidin Citizen (Abel Cedillo); Wildman Jack (Umberto Rispoli); Collusion Illusion (Flavien Prat), and Heartwood (Edwin Maldonado).
Also next Saturday, the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points qualifier, has six signed up to go, featuring Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P.
The field from the rail: Uncle Chuck (Drayden Van Dyke); Thousand Words (Abel Cedillo); Anneau d'Or (Victor Espinoza); Kiss Today Goodbye (Umberto Rispoli); Honor A.P. (Mike Smith), and Cezanne (Flavien Prat).
On the undercard is the $100,000 CTBA Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies. It attracted seven fillies that have shown promise in one or two starts.
The field from the rail: Big Andy (Flavien Prat); Governor Goteven (Tiago Pereira); Reign of Fire (Drayden Van Dyke); Righteously (Mario Gutierrez); Jasmin Chieftain (Juan Hernandez); Love Wins (Abel Cedillo), and I'm So Anna (Ricardo Gonzalez).
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