McKinzie was the odds-on favorite to win the 2019 Breeders Cup Classic at 3/1.

McKinzie has come in first or second in his last seven starts and would make an excellent trifecta pick.  Among his victories, a Whitney Stakes (G1) win by 1 3/4 lengths over Yoshida back in early August.

A victory keeps him in the hunt for Horse of the Year.

Joel Rosario will be the jockey.  This will represent the first time Mike Smith is not riding McKinzie.

“He’s a little tricky horse to ride,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I know how he’s got to be ridden, and we’ll see what happens. I’ll be sitting down with Joel. But he’s ridden against him. He’s beaten him (on Gift Box). These guys, they’re so good. They see the videos.

“… I just want the horse to show up. If he shows up and gets outrun, he gets outrun. But you know what? I want the horse to get beat (running) his style. There’s a lot on the line. There are championships on the line. Horse of the Year on the line. That’s the beauty of the Breeders’ Cup. They give out a lot of championships this weekend. I just hope some of mine are the list.”