McKinzie wins Los Alamitos Futurity after Solomini disqualification

As expected, McKinzie won the $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity on Saturday, but just not how you might think.

“This has been a bizarre 20 minutes,” winning trainer Bob Baffert said.

Here’s how it transpired.

Solomini, also trained by Baffert, crossed the finish line first to seemingly win the Grade 1 race that unofficially kicks off the road to the Kentucky Derby.

The stewards put up the inquiry sign and disqualified Solomini, not for keeping Instilled Regard from winning but finishing second.

McKinzie, who was second across the line, was declared the winner, but he coudn’t be found for the winners’ circle picture because he’d already gone back to the barn.

Baffert then won the $300,000 Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies with Dream Tree to become the first trainer in the 38-year history of the two races to win them both in the same year.

“I’m still mad that horse [McKinzie]) wasn’t around for the picture,” Baffert said. “[Jockey] Mike [Smith] got off the horse and didn’t think there was enough for the horse to come down, so they took him back to the barn.”

The head-on view showed Solomini making contact with Instilled Regard, forcing his hind end to go slightly askew. The California rule is if one horse costs another horse a placing, then he must come down. Because McKinzie in second, beat Instilled Regard by only a head, it was ruled the bump cost the horse second place.

The stewards voted 2-1 to take down Solomini.

Baffert attributed Solomini’s contact to the fact the colt hasn’t learned to change leads. Horses lead with either the left or right side and alternate on straightaways and turns to keep from getting tired. (Think about pulling a suitcase through the airport and how you often alternate hands.)

“That’s why he got DQ’d,” Baffert said, without agreeing with the decision. “He came over. He did make contact. I can see why the stewards looked at it. It’s one of those things. They have a tough job and when they say it’s official, that’s it. Nothing you can do about it.”

McKinzie is named after popular Los Alamitos official Brad McKinzie, who died earlier this year at age 62 of kidney cancer.

The horse paid $3.00 and $2.40. There was no show wagering in the 1 1/16-mile race because it was only a five-horse field. It was his second win in two starts and the 10th time Baffert has won this race.

Runaway Ghost led through the backstretch and entering the far turn McKinzie started to make his move. He led at the top of stretch and battled hard on the inside as Instilled Regard made a run at him and Solomini rallied from the outside to pass both of them.

“I think McKinzie learned a lot today,” Baffert said. “He went a little early today and got tired at the end. You learn by running these horses. … We didn’t know that much about him other than he was really fast.”

The Starlet became an easier race when War Heroine, the morning-line second favorite, scratched. All of trainer Peter Miller’s horses were pulled because they were at San Luis Rey Downs when the Lilac Fire started. All other San Luis Rey horses were also scratched.

Dream Tree, who barely held on to win her two races by a nose, showed plenty of stamina and no doubt benefited by an opening quarter of 24.67 seconds and a half at 49.25.

“The plan was to sit with her today,” Baffert said. “The first race she had blinkers and she was rank and she won from a little off the pace. … I wasn’t sure about two turns, but after she came back and worked the way she did is why I changed my mind and decided to run her in this spot.’’

Yesterday’s News led the field through most of the 1 1/16-mile race until Dream Tree made her move in mid-turn. She had a clear lead entering the stretch and extended it to win by 3 ¼ lengths.

“She ran right through the stretch and I didn’t even have to pull out my stick,” jockey Drayden Van Dyke said. “It was just a hand ride.’’

Dream Tree paid $2.80 to win. There was no place and show wagering in the four-horse race.

San Luis Rey update

The equine death toll in the San Luis Rey Downs fire is currently at 46, according to the California Horse Racing Board. It could easily go higher as many horses are still unaccounted for. The wind-fed fire swept through the lower barns at the north San Diego County training facility Thursday. A gofundme page called thoroughbred care, has already raised more than $500,000 to help horsemen affected by the fire.

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