Weekend Takeaways: McKinzie's best distance looks like a mile

McKinzie is no doubt one of the top horses in Bob Baffert’s stable, and likely his best older runner. After away for more than six months, the son of Street Sense won the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and then rebounded from 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to win the Malibu (G1) by a romping 4 3/4 lengths.

Distance didn’t appear to be a problem with the Pennsylvania Derby at 1 1/8 miles, but a cutback to seven furlongs in the Malibu resulted in an even bigger win, and from far back in the field. McKinzie stretched out to nine furlongs miles again in Saturday’s San Pasqual (G2) as the favorite but could not fend off the more experienced Battle of Midway, who won by half a length.

McKinzie was still another 4 ¼ lengths in front of Giant Expectations in third.

The loss doesn’t mean McKinzie couldn’t handle the 1 1/4-mile distance of possible goals such as the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) or the Dubai World Cup (G1). His lone attempt at the distance was in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, an oddity in his otherwise consistent form.

Going into the Breeders' Cup, connections pondered the Dirt Mile, while  Baffert has also mentioned the Met Mile (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard as a possible target. That's possibly the best distance for a 4-year-old runner showing promise.

Mucho Gusto out of Improbable’s shadow

If it weren’t for his Baffert stablemate Improbable, Mucho Gusto might be undefeated in his four career starts. Improbable, the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) winner, is widely considered one of the top 3-year-olds in his crop close behind 2-Year-Old Male Champion Game Winner, also trained by Baffert. 

With Improbable away on Saturday, Mucho Gusto was able to pull away by 4 3/4 lengths in the slop to win the Robert B. Lewis (G3). It was also the first race where he didn’t lead out of the gate. Instead, Mucho Gusto settled in third before taking over once into the stretch.

Sham Stakes (G3) winner Gunmetal Gray ran on for second from last despite grabbing a quarter.

“It was nice that he idled,” Baffert said of Mucho Gusto rating. “And then it looked like they were going to come to him a little bit. Then he kicked back, and that's what you want to see this time of year. This is when it all starts.”

Mucho Gusto hasn’t proven yet he falls in the same category as Game Winner or Improbable. He was second five lengths behind the latter in the Los Alamitos Futurity, but three lengths ahead of the next horse. Baffert plans to keep his potential Kentucky Derby runners as separated as he can until the first Saturday in May, so Mucho Gusto may have a couple more months before he meets Improbable again. He also still has yet to face Game Winner, the barn's unbeaten champion.

“We're just going to play it by ear and see how he's doing," Baffert said. "We want to go where he can win.”

In other Kentucky Derby prep news, two new stakes winners emerged on the Derby trail Saturday. Harvey Wallbanger went last to first to upset Gulfstream Park’s Holy Bull (G2) at 29-1 while Tax won Aqueduct’s Withers (G3) as the slight favorite.

It took four tries for Harvey Wallbanger to break his maiden, but he was up against horses that proved themselves later. He finished second to Champagne (G1) winner Complexity and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) runner-up Plus Que Parfait in his first two starts, then finished second again before his first win Nov. 17 at Churchill Downs.

Tax won second time out in maiden claiming compandy before running third in the Remsen (G2). In the Withers, he stumbled at the start and used a rail trip to gut out a head victory in a three-horse finish.

Maximus Mischief, who won the Remsen, finished third in he Holy Bull.

Harvey Wallbanger and Tax have marked themselves as legitimate Derby trail contenders, but there’s still more to learn about them as they go forward.

Servis may have another sprinter on the rise

Call Paul picked up his third stakes win in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The victory followed his Pennsylvania Nursery win at same distance, which marked a return to sprinting after a third in the Champagne (G1) and the Nashua (G3).

Over the summer, Call Paul won the Saratoga Special (G2) at 6 ½ furlongs.

While the Derby trail attempts didn’t result in victories, Jason Servis, who conditions World of Trouble and Firenze Fire, could have another talented sprinter on his hands. Call Paul made it look that way when he overcame a slow start in the Swale, had to settle mid-pack for the first time and still was up to win in time.

“He’s done really good up to a mile,” regular jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “I don’t know what the owner and trainer want to do, but he’s a nice horse at seven-eighths, a flat mile. Whatever they want to do, I’m going to be happy.”