'He was on'; McKinzie re-rallies to win Churchill's Alyshba Stakes

McKinzie appeared put away through the turn of Friday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Alysheba Stakes, only to begin a fierce rally on his way to an easy score in the Kentucky Oaks undercard feature.

Credit goes to jockey Mike Smith as the 4-year-old son of Street Sense appeared to be laboring down on the inside of Tom’s d’Etat. Smith swung his mount outside, took aim on the leader and went by to an easy score.

The final time of 1:41.10 for 1 1/16 miles was just .06 off the stakes and track records.

“He was just kind of spinning his wheels and wasn’t ready to go with that horse at that point,” Smith said. “I thought, let me ease him back — give him a chance.”

“Once he got out,” Smith added, “he was on.”

McKinzie, who won a pair of Grade 1 races at age 2, suffered narrow defeats to begin this season in the San Pasqual (G2) and Santa Anita Handicap (G1).

“Coming in, I thought if he gets beat today — I can’t believe he’s not undefeated this year,” Baffert said. "But post position's been killing him. He got in a little predicament there. Mike just stayed there. When he asked him to go, he went.

"It was nice to see this horse run really well. I've always been really high on this horse."

Baffert, of course, will also have three of the top betting choices in the Kentucky Derby in Game Winner, Improbable and Roadster.

"I knew if there's one horse that can't get beat this week," the trainer said, "it's this guy right here. He's going to set the tone for us."

Baffert said he'll look at the Met Mile (G1) on Belmont Stakes weekend next with McKinzie.