No 8 draw for Breeders’ Cup Classic favourite

- McKinzie will break from stall No 8 at Santa Anita on Saturday when Joel Rosario will try to eke out the required improvement in Bob Baffert's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic favourite.

Baffert, who is looking for his fourth win in the $6 million climax to the American season, shocked many when recently revealing Rosario would be replacing Mike Smith on McKinzie.

Smith, who like Baffert is a proud member of the US Hall of Fame, has won the gruelling 2000m event four times, most recently when Arrogate ran down California Chrome in 2016, the last time the fixture was held at Santa Anita.

However, frustration over McKinzie's inconsistent results prompted Baffert to dispense with Smith's services and instead plump for Rosario, who won the race at Churchill Downs last year on Accelerate.

Rosario had to get off the Bill Mott-trained Yoshida, who has been drawn in stall No 5, to take the mount aboard McKinzie, the 7-2 market leader. In his absence, Mott quickly moved to secure

Smith's services, so there will be a fascinating sub-plot at play come Saturday.

“The break is the whole key," Baffert said after the draw was made at Santa Anita on Monday. "You have to get away first and then you can have a plan. If not, you have to scramble for a plan. McKinzie looks like he’s doing well and (there's) really no excuses. I’m happy with him. I loved his work today.”

On Yoshida's penultimate start in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, McKinzie came out on top but the longer trip has always looked his conqueror's Achilles heel. At Churchill Downs 12 months ago, Yoshida finished fourth behind Accelerate but seven places in front of McKinzie.

Mongolian Groom, who beat McKinzie last time out in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, will break from stall No 9, while three-year-old Code Of Honor is on the wide outside in stall No 11.

Shug McGaughey's colt is second favourite at around 4-1 after landing back-to-back Grade 1 wins in the Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which he was awarded the race after

Vino Rosso was deemed to have impeded him. Vino Rosso, who represents Todd Pletcher and Irad Ortiz Jnr, is just inside Code Of Honor in stall No 10.

In the Breeders' Cup Turf that precedes the feature, Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck has been drawn in stall Nov5. Ryan Moore's mount, a top-priced 5-2, will be bidding to give Aidan O'Brien his eighth win in the race and his fourth at this venue, a run that was initiated with High Chaparral's epic dead-heat with Johar in 2003.

Bricks And Mortar, the Chad Brown-trained market leader, will be in stall No 9 under Ortiz. Godolphin's Old Persian has been drawn wide in No 10, while Circus Maximus has been landed stall No 9 in the Mile.

Joseph O'Brien-trained Iridessa will break from the inside berth under Wayne Lordan in the Filly & Mare Turf, while Brown's Sistercharlie, a top-priced 11-10 to replicate last year's win, is beside her in stall No 2.

Richard Hannon's back-to-form Sun Chariot winner Billesdon Brook will be in stall No 4 under Sean Levey, while John Gosden's

Fanny Logan will break from stall No 12.

Her insatiable rider Frankie Dettori didn't fare too well in general, with Norfolk Stakes and Flying Childers winner A'Ali, who he partners for Simon Crisford in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, drawn No 10 of 12 in a 1000m contest that takes in a turn. – Racingpost.com