Lintner: McKinzie 'going the right way' toward Breeders' Cup

As then-3-year-old McKinzie trained up to last year’s year-end championships, trainer Bob Baffert weighed options between entering the Breeders’ Cup Classic or Dirt Mile. Eventually, he settled on the Classic, and McKinzie ran 12th.

“That wasn’t the right move,” Baffert said — not at the time, at least.

McKinzie has since returned to win races at 7/8 of a mile and 1 1/16 miles while running a narrow second in races at 1 mile, 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/4.

Clearly, the conditioner has a versatile horse. But the year-end goal is clear for a colt that has ranked No. 1 in each weekly edition of the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings.

“If I’m running in the Breeders’ Cup, it’s the mile and a quarter,” Baffert said.

Saratoga’s Aug. 3 Whitney Stakes (G1), a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Classic, is next on the agenda. That will mark a return trip to New York after McKinzie ran second to Mitole in a loaded edition of the Met Mile (G1).

“Every move he made was the wrong move,” Baffert said.

The Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman runner is back on the work tab at Santa Anita Park, where he breezed a half mile on Sunday in 47.80 seconds.

“He’s going the right way now,” Baffert said. “I can see a big improvement in him. He’s a lighter-framed horse, and he’s filling out in his body.”

McKinzie has won 6 of his 11 starts and, as a son of Street Sense, he could still improve, Baffert said, believing the Kentucky Derby-winning sire’s runners get better with time.

Last year's Breeders’ Cup Classic remains McKinzie’s only finish outside of the exacta.

“There should be a lot more 1s by his name,” Baffert said.

Should there be a No. 1 next to McKinzie in my Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings ballot? Here’s a look at this week’s lists, with Saturday's Suburban (G2) at Belmont an influential race given Catholic Boy leads the bunch.