McKinzie disqualified, Bolt d'Oro awarded San Felipe win
Now, that is the horse race we've been waiting to see on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail. The Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes included plenty of controversy to boot.
Favorites McKinzie and Bolt d'Oro bumped leaving the turn, then battled the entire distance of the stretch at Santa Anita Park before McKinzie emerged a head in front at the wire.
But stewards took a lengthy glance at the late stages before deciding to disqualify McKinzie for moving out late in 1 1/16-mile feature.
"When you watch it initially, he hit us really hard at the top of the stretch," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who conditions, McKinzie. "I said, 'Wow. He's race riding heavy duty.' They finished together, and when they finish together there's usually a little bit of contact. The initial contact was at the top of the stretch, so after that I thought it was an equal thing."
California stewards don't disqualify only if they believe a horse would have gone by if not for interference. They'll make the ruling if it only cost a contender the opportunity to do so.
"If you can get within a head of Bob, you've got to feel like you did something great," said Mick Ruis, owner and trainer of Bolt d'Oro. "If we would have lost, I would have been OK. We're looking for the Santa Anita Derby."
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A rematch on the first Saturday in may should be in the plans for both.
Javier Castellano had the mount on Bolt d'Oro for the first time Saturday and indicated afterward he may try to keep it moving forward. Mike Smith rode McKinzie and credited his colt for not giving up when run into at the top of the stretch.
"Those poor horses are out in the cold and the wind," Baffert added on the stewards' process. "If it takes that long to do that, that's what I'm upset about. If you can't do that in five minutes -- if it takes you that long, you're not sure."
Behind the dueling favorites, it was well back at the wire to Kanthaka, a last-out Grade 2 winner, with Peace fourth.
Lombo, who won the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in his previous start, set the early fractions before overtaken by McKinzie in the turn. Bolt d'Oro sat in the wake of three front-runners spread across the track before making his moves with the shake of Castellano's arms.
That set up an epic stretch run, McKinzie on the inside and Bolt d'Oro the outside, of a race we'll be talking about for a while.