McKinzie

Derby Dreaming with Darley's Street Sense

A four-time Grade I winner in training at Santa Anita under Bob Baffert, an undefeated homebred Triple Crown hopeful, and a two-year-old named a 'TDN Rising Star' after winning on debut by almost nine lengths. This year, Street Sense is a stallion sales manager's dream. The champion juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby winner's race record speaks for itself, but now his top progeny are looking to make this their sire's biggest year yet. Street Sense spent a year in Japan in 2013 after starting off his first five years at...

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Americans Look Tough in the Saudi Cup

A stellar group of international talent has been assembled for the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup over 1800 meters at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh Saturday, with a quintet of impressive American contenders. Leading the American charge is Gary and Mary West's Maximum Security (New Year's Day). After infamously being disqualified from first in the GI Kentucky Derby last May, the bay colt redeemed his sophomore season with wins in the GI Haskell Invitational and GIII Bold Ruler H. before cementing an Eclipse championship with a win in the Dec. 7...

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Momentum Continues to Build Ahead of Inaugural Saudi Cup

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The anticipation continued to build ahead of the $29-million Saudi Cup card, with a large crowd of locals and visitors on hand Thursday to watch contenders gallop over the mammoth King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh two days before the country's biggest-ever day of horse racing. Among the Americans on hand trackside on a chilly morning which quickly turned warmer as the sun rose was West Point Thoroughbreds' Terry Finley and bloodstock agent Bruno DeBerdt. "I've been to Dubai a couple of times, but I was really...

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Americans Drawn Mid-Field in Saudi Cup

They traveled thousands of miles to get there, but the four main American contenders will all start within feet of each other in Saturday's inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh after post positions were drawn Wednesday evening in Saudi Arabia. Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing's champion filly Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) will break from post six, while 2019 champion 3-year-old Maximum Security (New Year's Day) will break from post seven and Bob Baffert stablemates Mucho Gusto (Much Macho Man) and McKinzie (Street Sense)...

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Americans Drawn Midfield In Saudi Cup

They traveled thousands of miles to get there, but the four main American contenders will all start within feet of each other in Saturday's inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh after post positions were drawn Wednesday evening in Saudi Arabia. Bloom Racing Stable, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing's champion filly Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) will break from post six, while 2019 champion 3-year-old Maximum Security (New Year's Day) will break from post seven and Bob Baffert stablemates Mucho Gusto (Much Macho Man) and McKinzie (Street Sense)...

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Saudi Cup Coverage on FS1

Live coverage of the inaugural $20-million Saudi Cup from the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia airs Saturday, Feb. 29 at noon Eastern on FS1. Featuring a strong U.S. presence with Maximum Security (New Year's Day), Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), McKinzie (Street Sense), Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) and Tacitus (Tapit) scheduled to compete, the nine-furlong event is the world's richest race. FOX Sports is the exclusive broadcast provider of The Saudi Cup in the United States, where the telecast will air from noon-1:00 p.m. Eastern with limited commercial...

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66 International Runners Line Up for Saudi Cup Meeting

The inaugural $29.2-million Saudi Cup card at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 29 drew 66 runners from overseas, including 21 Group/Grade 1 winners, HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, Chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, announced on Wednesday. The full list of runners for the eight-race Saturday card have won a combined 32 top-level races. Some of the big names in the $20-million Saudi Cup include:  recent GI Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) who squares off with Bob Baffert stablemate and MGISW McKinzie...

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Nearly 1000 Entries for Inaugural Saudi Cup Program

The inaugural US$29.2-million Saudi Cup program, to be held at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in the capital of Riyadh Saturday, Feb. 29, has attracted 964 entries from connections of horses from all corners of the globe. The meeting's centerpiece is the $20-million Saudi Cup at 1800 meters on dirt and attracted over 140 nominations from 60 different trainers from four continents, representing 16 countries. The world's richest horse race has entries from Argentina, Bahrain, Japan, Korea, Poland and Turkey, but American runners figure to take all the beating. Midnight Bisou (Midnight...

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Crystal Ocean Remains World's Best

G1 Prince of Wales's S. winner Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has held his position atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings in the latest edition released on Thursday. The 5-year-old established a mark of 127 for that effort, and while he subsequently lost to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) by a neck in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., the three-pound female allowance that Enable received means that Crystal Ocean remains one point ahead of her. The King George third Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) saw...

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Similar Trajectory, Different Orbits for McKinzie, Mr. Money

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton Four-time Grade I-winning 4-year-old McKinzie (Street Sense) has always been saddled with high expectations, while 3-year-old Mr. Money (Goldencents) has now achieved millionaire status by grinding out four consecutive Grade III victories. Convincing wins on Saturday gave each horse a divisional foothold, with McKinzie establishing himself as the top two-turn older dirt horse who might finally be getting comfortable with kingpin status, and Mr. Money carving out a niche as the late-blooming sophomore who appears primed to punch above his weight thanks to...

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Baffert Gets His Whitney with McKinzie

Saturday's GI Whitney S. lost some of its appeal when two-time G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) was scratched sick, depriving fans of a battle with 'TDN Rising Star' McKinzie (Street Sense) in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita the first weekend in November. Though that clash is on hold for the next eight weeks, McKinzie upheld his end of the bargain, getting a thinking-man's ride from Hall of Famer Mike Smith before holding off a late...

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