By Steve Sherack
C R K Stable and Grandview Equine’s Baeza (McKinzie–Puca, by Big Brown), the 3-year-old, half-brother to Classic winners Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch (Good Magic), is joining the GI Kentucky Derby trail following an impressive maiden victory at Santa Anita Feb. 14.
“We’re looking forward–I would think 99%–that the (GI) Santa Anita Derby (Apr. 5) is where we belong running,” C R K Stable’s Lee Searing said. “Staying at home, no matter who we run against, we got a nice horse and he deserves the chance.”
The John Shirreffs-trained Baeza pressed and pounced his way to a 4 3/4-length maiden win going a two-turn mile, good for a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. He made two previous career starts, also at a mile, finishing ninth on debut over the Del Mar lawn Dec. 1, and a distant second behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Rodriguez (Authentic) while making his dirt debut with first-time blinkers at Santa Anita Jan. 4. Rodriguez was subsequently second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes Feb. 1.
“He’s a May foal, so it was really important that John took his time with him,” Searing said. “When Rodriguez beat him, my horse ran a really good race. We had to wait for either a stakes race or a maiden race and I wanted to run him back in a maiden. We’ve been through a few really good horses where we’ve jumped them into stakes races just due to lack of available races. This race came up and he really ran super.”
Hailing from the first crop of McKinzie, the Grandview Equine-bred Baeza brought $1.2 million to top the third session of the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale.
Mage, the second foal out of the ‘TDN Rising Star’-turned- bluehen mare Puca, upset the GI Kentucky Derby and also finished third in the GI Preakness Stakes earlier that spring. Dornoch, meanwhile, followed up with an upset of his own in the 2024 GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
Mage stands for $25,000 at Airdrie Stud and has his first foals arriving this year. Dornoch kicks off his career at stud at Spendthrift Farm, where he commands a fee of $40,000.
John Stewart purchased the SW & GSP Puca for $2.9 million at the 2023 Keeneland November Sale. She produced a full-brother to Mage and Dornoch last year and is currently carrying a full-sister to the duo. Stewart announced that Puca would be bred back to Frankel (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time (See Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift, for more).
“He’s a really good horse with a really good pedigree,” Searing said of Baeza. “As it’s been discussed, he’s got a different body type than Mage and Dornoch. He’s a horse with a beautiful body along with great action. With his pedigree, he can go as long as they want to run. We’re pretty darn excited that we can get him to the race. Obviously, he has no (Derby) points yet, so we need to run a really good race. Everybody, including John and myself, looks forward to that first Saturday in May.”
Lee Searing | Photos by Z
Searing is also looking forward to being on hand for Sunday’s rescheduled GII Rebel Stakes program at Oaklawn Park. C R K Stable’s purple-and-gold silks will be carried by ‘TDN Rising Star’ Justique (Justify) in the Carousel Stakes and Skinner (Curlin) in the GIII Razorback Handicap. Previously campaigned by Shirreffs in Southern California, both were transferred to Cherie DeVaux earlier this year.
Justique was an impressive winner in her first start for DeVaux sprinting in an optional claimer at Fair Grounds Jan. 2. Skinner, a breakthrough winner of the GIII Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 23, was third over a sloppy track in the GIII Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds Jan. 18.
“We moved a few horses back east where racing and purses seem to be more advantageous to my stable,” Searing said.
