McKinzie targets Santa Anita Derby while Justify heads to Arkansas

McKinzie will remain at Santa Anita for the Santa Anita Derby on April 7, while Justify will go to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby on April 14, trainer Bob Baffert said Friday.

Baffert is known to call audibles, but on Friday he said “as of today” that was the plan with his two highly regarded Kentucky Derby prospects.

McKinzie was disqualified from victory in the San Felipe Stakes on March 10 in favor of Bolt d’Oro. The Santa Anita Derby thus sets up as a rematch between those two, since Bolt d’Oro is also intended for the Santa Anita Derby.

Justify won an allowance race last Sunday at Santa Anita for his second victory in as many starts. The Arkansas Derby would be his first stakes race, and his lone opportunity to earn enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby on May 5.

With these two running on different days, jockey Mike Smith will likely have the opportunity to ride both one more time before potentially having to make the difficult choice of which one to ride in the Derby.

Dream Tree hurt, off Oaks trail

The unbeaten Dream Tree, one of the top 3-year-old fillies in the country, will miss the Kentucky Oaks on May 4 at Churchill Downs after emerging from her most-recent work at Santa Anita with a minor injury, trainer Bob Baffert said Friday morning.

Dream Tree “came out of her last work with a little issue,” said Baffert, who declined to be specific about the setback, but said it was “just a little thing, not that big a deal.”

Dream Tree last worked on March 7 at Santa Anita, when she went a half-mile in 48.80 seconds.

Baffert said Dream Tree would need 45 to 60 days off and would remain at his barn at Santa Anita throughout.

Dream Tree, a daughter of Uncle Mo, has won all four of her starts, including the Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos in December, her final start at 2, and the Grade 2 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita last month in her 3-year-old debut.

Baffert said Dream Tree should be back this summer, and he would point her for a race like the Grade 1 Test, going seven furlongs, at Saratoga.

◗ Abel Tasman, last year’s Kentucky Oaks winner and the 2017 Eclipse Award winner as champion 3-year-old filly, moved ever closer to a comeback with a six-furlong work in 1:13.40 on Friday at Santa Anita.