McKinzie, who may still be in line for Breeders' Cup Classic favoritism off a defeat in Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes (G1), will have a new rider in the Nov. 2 race back at Santa Anita Park.
The Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman, after speaking Tuesday with trainer Bob Baffert, reported that Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith is off McKinize after riding the 4-year-old colt in all 13 of his previous starts.
Baffert did not name a replacement yet.
"I'm still going to use Mike on horses," Baffert told Privman. "But for the Classic, I'm going to make a change. I let Mike know now, because I want to give him a chance to get something else."
McKinzie looked apt to take the lead early in the Awesome Again but, likely with past races in mind, Smith took back to get him off the rail and into the clear through the first turn. By then, however, 25-1 upsetter Mongolian Groom had already gotten away with an opening quarter mile in 23.99 seconds, then cruised through the half in 48.29. McKinzie wound up 2 1/4 lengths back at the wire one race after winning Saratoga's Whitney (G1) in a dominant display. Smith's Awesome Again tactics harkened back to McKinzie's other victory this season in Churchill Downs' Alysheba (G2) last May. His mount wasn't moving well on the inside, so the jockey took back, moved McKinzie into the clear, and the pair shot by to win in near-track record time.
Speculation will be rampant while Baffert works out a new jockey assignment for McKinzie. Curiously, he brought another Hall of Famer, John Velazquez, out west for last Friday's Grade 1-winning efforts aboard Eight Rings (American Pharoah Stakes) and Bast (Chandelier Stakes). Velazquez is expected to ride them again in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, respectively. Velazquez is also the regular rider of Code of Honor, placed atop the running order in Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). Trainer Shug McGaughey has not committed to running in the Classic.
