Tag: Racing

Baffert: McKinzie May Have Had A Good Excuse For That Met Mile Finish

If McKinzie looked to be missing a bit of closing kick in the stretch of the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap last weekend, he may be forgiven. Trainer Bob Baffert said the horse, who finished fifth as the favorite, came back to the barn missing two shoes.

McKinzie's right front and right rear shoes were missing, which left Baffert somewhat puzzled, as stepping on a front shoe with a hind foot would usually result in a loss of the front shoe alone. Jockey Mike Smith said he thought the Cinderella moment happened about 50 yards out from the gate. Baffert told the Paulick Report Tuesday the horse did not grab a quarter in the process, meaning he didn't seem to damage the flesh on the back of his front foot, but the separation of the front shoe did seem to take a small amount of hoof wall with it.

The trainer told the Albany Times-Union's Tim Wilkin that in 45 years of training horses he had never seen a horse lose a front and hind shoe together like that.

Despite running half-barefoot, McKinzie did make a closing effort in the stretch, but fell well short of front-running winner Vekoma.

Baffert told Wilkin there were no concrete plans for the horse's next start earlier this week, but he was considering the G1 Pacific Classic in late August at Del Mar. The 5-year-old won the G2 Triple Bend in June after a disappointing eleventh in the Saudi Cup.

 

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Grade 1 Winner Wicked Whisper Seeking Oaks Points In Keeneland’s Beaumont

JoAnn and Alex Lieblong's Wicked Whisper, winner of last fall's Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park, will make her 2020 debut Friday when she headlines a field of six 3-year-old fillies in the 35th running of the $100,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select.

The race, to be run over the Beard Course of 7 furlongs, 184 feet, offers 34 points on the Road to the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 20-8-4-2 scale to the top four finishers. The Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select will go as the seventh race on Friday's nine-race program with a 4:24 p.m. post time.

Trained by Steve Asmussen and to be ridden by Joel Rosario, Wicked Whisper has not raced since finishing fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita. She will break from post position four.

Looming as one of the main threats to Wicked Whisper is Whitham Thoroughbreds' Four Graces. Winner of the Dogwood (G3) last month at Churchill Downs, Four Graces has won three of four career starts for trainer Ian Wilkes. Julien Leparoux has the mount Friday and will exit post position three.

Invading from California is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables' Speech. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Speech finished second in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and prior to that was beaten a neck in an allowance test at Oaklawn Park by runaway Acorn (G1) winner Gamine. Javier Castellano has the mount on Speech and will break from post two.

The field for the Beaumont Presented by Keeneland Select, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Slam Dunk (Luis Saez, 118 pounds), Speech (Castellano, 118), Four Graces (Leparoux, 118), Wicked Whisper (Rosario, 123), Sconsin (James Graham, 118), Turtle Trax (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118).

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