Gainesway Buys Breeding Rights to McKinzie

Gainesway Farm has purchased the breeding rights to four-time grade 1 winner McKinzie (Street Sense—Runway Model, by Petionville). He will begin his stud career at Gainesway Farm upon his retirement from racing, the farm announced June 22.

"It is very exciting to stand a horse with McKinzie's credentials at Gainesway," said bloodstock director Alex Solis II. "I don't believe there is a more exciting prospect than McKinzie out there. We are grateful to Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, Paul Weitman, and Bob Baffert for this fantastic opportunity."

To date, McKinzie has earnings of over $3.4 million and has run first or second in 13 of 15 graded stakes during his career.

Gainesway's general manager Brian Graves noted: "McKinzie is a grade 1 winner at 2, 3, and 4 from distances of 7 furlongs to 1 1/8 mile. His speed, versatility, and soundness make him an absolute standout. His 10 individual triple-digit Beyer figures are truly impressive."

McKinzie burst onto the scene as a juvenile, breaking his maiden on debut. He went on to win a grade 1 at 2 when he took the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity.

At 3, the colt picked up two more grade 1 wins in the Pennsylvania Derby and the Malibu Stakes.

At 4, he added two more graded wins in the Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course over dual grade 1 winner Yoshida  and eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner and Eclipse champion Vino Rosso , where he ran a 111 Beyer and a 1/4 Ragozin figure.

"From Day 1, McKinzie has just been exceptional," said Baffert. "He is a gorgeous physical with brilliant speed and stamina. I've only had one other horse in my career that has been able to accomplish what he's done by winning a grade 1 at 2, 3, and 4. It takes an extraordinary horse to achieve that."

McKinzie is out of Runway Model, a dual grade 2 winner that was third in the 2004 Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and went on to be runner-up in the Ashland Stakes (G1). She was sold by the Taylor Made Sales Agency to Summer Wind Farm for $2.7 million at the 2006 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

"The plan with him going forward is to return in the July 4 Runhappy Met Mile (G1)," said Baffert. "Hopefully, this will put us in an excellent position to earn Horse of the Year honors and champion older horse of 2020."