McKinzie, Higher Power Clash in Awesome Again

A battle between two of the top older horses in the country looms Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park when McKinzie and Higher Power meet in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes (G1), a major steppingstone toward the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Both horses have already punched their tickets for the Classic, having won Breeders' Cup Challenge Series preps, as did fellow Awesome Again starter Seeking the Soul, last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner-up. McKinzie qualified by winning the Aug. 3 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, while Higher Power won the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar Aug. 17, and Seeking the Soul took the June 15 Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

If $2 million earner McKinzie can win Saturday, he will likely head into the Classic as the favorite, while a win from Higher Power would confirm him as a rising force within the older horse ranks. Conversely, an upset from any other entrant in the six-horse field would cause some divisional disarray on the West Coast.

The Awesome Again, at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, has a prohibitive 4-5 morning-line choice in 4-year-old McKinzie, a Street Sense  colt who has been a grade 1 winner in each of his three years of racing. This season has been his most rewarding, with earnings of $1,152,560 for owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. Besides his Whitney triumph, he won the May 3 Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) at Churchill Downs and was second in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2), the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino (G1), and the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

He flashed an array of running styles over that stretch for regular jockey Mike Smith, just as he had in his final starts of 2018.

"I think Mike's got him really figured out now," trainer Bob Baffert said. "He's a horse that he can put wherever he wants."

A modest-paced Whitney meant forward placement, pressing the pace on the outside. That followed a troubled second in the Met Mile in which he closed from eighth, only to run into stretch traffic and fall three-quarters of a length short of victorious Mitole.

With little speed in the Awesome Again, McKinzie is expected to be near the lead early, as should the rail-drawn Higher Power, who pushed the pacesetter in the Pacific Classic before drawing off by 5 1/4 lengths.

The Pacific Classic was a breakthrough for Higher Power and provided his richest payday for owner Hronis Racing. The $600,000 winner's share was nearly triple the $200,648 bankroll he brought into the race from 12 starts. But the win did not come from out of the blue for the Medaglia d'Oro  colt, who was purchased for $250,000 by Lane's End Bloodstock from the Stidham Racing consignment at the Keeneland April Sale this year.

A half brother to Oaklawn Handicap (G2) winner Alternation , he was second for trainer John Sadler in the restricted Wickerr Stakes on turf July 21 at Del Mar, won a June 14 allowance on grass at Santa Anita, and finished fifth in the May 27 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1).

"He came out of the Pacific Classic really well—his energy is fabulous," Sadler said. "So rather than wait for the Breeders' Cup Classic, we're going to prep right here at Santa Anita, similar to what we did with Accelerate  last year."

Accelerate provided Sadler with his first Breeder's Cup victory when he won the Classic at Churchill Downs after winning the Pacific Classic and Awesome Again. He earned an Eclipse Award as champion older dirt male of 2018.

Flavien Prat rides Higher Power, as he did in the Pacific Classic.

The remainder of the Awesome Again field consists of Draft Pick, Mongolian Groom, and Isotherm.

Post time for the Breeders' Cup "Win and a You're In" qualifier is 5 p.m PT. It goes as the 10th race on an 11-race card that includes two other graded races, the John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (G2T) and Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T).

Entries: Awesome Again S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, September 28, 2019, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:13 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Higher Power (KY)	Flavien Prat	125	John W. Sadler	2/1
2	2Draft Pick (KY)	Joseph Talamo	121	Peter Eurton	8/1
3	3Seeking the Soul (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	123	Dallas Stewart	4/1
4	4McKinzie (KY)	Mike E. Smith	125	Bob Baffert	4/5
5	5Mongolian Groom (KY)	Abel Cedillo	121	Enebish Ganbat	15/1
6	6Isotherm (KY)	Geovanni Franco	121	Philip D'Amato	30/1