McKinzie Big Cap

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is not one to quickly dismiss a chance to run in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1).

He's already won the $12 million international classic three times and had a leading contender for this year's edition in multiple grade 1 winner McKinzie. Yet he opted to follow a more patient path and will look to be rewarded April 6 when the 4-year-old son of Street Sense  heads a field of six in the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino (G1).

The famed Big 'Cap was originally scheduled to be run March 9 at Santa Anita Park but was shifted to Saturday due to the cancellation of racing at the Arcadia, Calif., racetrack from March 3-29 due to a spate of equine fatalities.

"When they canceled the (Santa Anita Handicap), I was just, 'Damn it, I could have gone to Dubai.' But I really think McKinzie, he's going to get better with age," Baffert said. "It's hard to turn down $12 million, but the thing about Dubai: It's not an easy ship. It's like, you'd be the favorite, but it's a tough ship.

"The temptation is always there, but you just have to wait for the right (spot). So that's what I did. It's easy to say, 'You would have won, Bob,' but you don't know."

Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman, McKinzie has been stellar at times in an eight-race career. He won the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) via disqualification at 2 and was a leading Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) candidate with three wins in his first four starts but then suffered a bruised hock that sidelined him until September.

He returned with an impressive 1 3/4-length win in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) but then was a disappointing 12th in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Returned to California, he beat 3-year-olds in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (G1) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita and, in his most recent start, was second to the late Battle of Midway in the nine-furlong San Pasqual Stakes (G2) Feb. 2 over a sloppy track.

"This horse has shown signs of brilliance. He's been working well and I was really disappointed he got beat last time, but he just didn't have the right setup," Baffert said. "It was rainy and wet, and he was caught between horses. He never got into a nice rhythm. And I talked to Mike Smith about it and he felt bad about it. But that's going to happen."

Now the $170,000 purchase from the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is a 4-5 morning-line favorite from the rail in the Big 'Cap and will take aim at his first win at the same 1 1/4-mile distance as the Dubai World Cup. 

"I want to see if he can get a mile and a quarter, and I didn't want to ship him. He looks great, but he still has to do it," Baffert said. "I just want to take baby steps with him, and with the Breeders' Cup (at Santa Anita) this year, I'd love to win the Breeders' Cup with him. The  owners are excited about him, and that's their big horse right now."

Named for the late Los Alamitos executive Brad McKinzie, a close friend of Baffert, and bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Farm, McKinzie has five wins and two seconds in eight starts, with earnings of $1,126,000.

The 123-pound highweight will concede between one and nine pounds to his five rivals.

The biggest obstacle in McKinzie's path figures to be Hronis Racing's Gift Box, who will carry 122 pounds.

Trained by John Sadler, Gift Box made his first 13 starts for Will Farish and trainer Chad Brown in New York before he was sold. In his first start for his new connections, the 6-year-old horse returned from a nine-month layoff to win the San Antonio Stakes (G2) by a half-length over Battle of Midway Dec. 26 at Santa Anita for his first graded stakes win. A son of Twirling Candy , Gift Box was bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, Carrie Brogden and Craig Brogden.