Gainesway Farm has purchased the breeding rights to four-time Grade 1 victor McKinzie (Street Sense-Runway Model, by Petionville). The stallion will commence his stud career at their facility when he is retired from racing. The acquisition was announced on Monday, June 22.
“It is very exciting to stand a horse with McKinzie’s credentials at Gainesway,” said Gainesway’s 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.”
McKinzie’s record at the track is a standout
McKinzie presently has banked more than $3.4 million and has finished first or second in 13 of 15 graded stakes during his time on the track.
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 miles. His speed, versatility, and soundness make him an absolute standout. His 10 individual triple-digit Beyer figures are truly impressive.”
McKinzie made a name for himself as a freshman in 2017 and won at first asking, a maiden special weight at Santa Anita. He then continued on to annex his first Grade 1 as a 2-year-old when he won the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity.
As a 3-year-old sophomore, McKinzie collected two more Grade 1 triumphs in the Pennsylvania Derby and the Malibu Stakes.
At age 4, he added two more graded wins in the Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (Grade 2) at Churchill Downs and the Whitney Stakes (Grade 1) at Saratoga Race Course over dual Grade 1 winner Yoshida and eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic (Grade 1) winner and Eclipse champion Vino Rosso.
More races ahead before McKinzie retires
“From day one, 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’s dam, Runway Model, is a dual Grade 2 winner who was third in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade 1) and went on to be runner-up in the Ashland Stakes (Grade 2). 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 (Grade 1),” said Baffert. “Hopefully, this will put us in an excellent position to earn Horse of the Year honors and champion older horse of 2020.”
