McKinzie Turns in First Work Since Saudi Cup

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman's McKinzie returned to the work tab April 27 for the first time since an off-the-board effort in the Feb. 29 Saudi Cup overseas. The 5-year-old son of Street Sense  worked four furlongs in :49 2/5 on a fast main track at Santa Anita Park.

"He went very nice and he looks great," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said.

McKinzie closed out last season with a runner-up finish in the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and debuted this year in the inaugural Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack. He was one of five North American-based horses to ship to Saudi Arabia for the $20 million event. While Maximum Security and Midnight Bisou crossed the wire first and second, respectively, less than a length apart, McKinzie finished 11th of 14. His stablemate Mucho Gucho was fourth.

Earlier this month in an NBC Sports interview with Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss, Baffert said McKinzie lost weight during his travels for the Saudi Cup but has been regaining weight since returning stateside. The trainer added he planned to ready McKinzie for the Churchill Downs meet, which was slated to begin April 25, but the track's reopening has repeatedly been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

McKinzie has won four grade 1 races in his career, including the 2019 Whitney Stakes (G1), and has earned over $3.3 million to date.