Everyone felt it in their bones. McKinzie will take this crown with ease. Axelrod was the wildcard. They danced the dance but Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's colt was simply too good.
The son of Street Sense was sidelined in late March, on the Road to the G1 Kentucky Derby when he suffered a hind-leg injury.Thankfully Baffert was able to sweep all the Triple Crown races with McKinzie's stable mate Justify who has since then been retired after a leg injury.
The Gr.1 winning colt returned in style, capturing the US$1 million Gr.1 Pennsylvania Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Axelrod giving his trainer the pleasure of securing his second straight Pennsylvania Derby win and third triumph in the race in the last five years.
McKinzie's jockey, Hall of Famer Mike Smith broke a record of sorts on the Parx Track by becoming the first jockey to win both the Pennsylvania Derby and the Cotillion in the same year. He won both races on Saturday, the Cotillion for Steve Asmussen and the Pennsylvania Derby for Bob Baffert.
Baffert trains McKinzie -- named after his late friend and Los Alamitos executive Brad McKinzie -- for Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman.
Click here to watch winner race Pennsylvania Derby 2018
1st McKinzie (B. Baffert, M. Smith), 2nd Axelrod (M. McCarthy, J. Bravo), 3rd Trigger Warning (M. Rone, I. Rosendo), 4th Hofburg (W. Mott, I. Ortiz, Jr.), 5th Core Beliefs (P. Eurton, J. Talamo), 6th King Zachary (D. Romans, C. Lanerie), 7th Bravazo (D. Lukas, L. Saez), 8th Mr Freeze (D. Romans, R. Albarado), 9th Instilled Regard (C. Brown, J. Ortiz)
Distance:1.125 miles (1.811 km) (9 furlongs), Surface:Dirt, Track:left-handed, Qualification:Three-year-olds, Weight:122 lbs. (55.3 kg),Purse: $1.25 million (2016), Bonuses: $50,000 to owner and trainer for entering horses who have won specified races