Video: Turf Stakes Winner Works Half-Mile in 49:20

LAUREL, MD – Maxis Stable, Madaket Stable and Wonder Stables’ stakes winner Miss J McKay breezed over Laurel Park’s world-class turf course Saturday morning ahead of an anticipated start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).

Under fall meet-leading jockey Trevor McCarthy, who will retain the mount in the Breeders’ Cup, Miss J McKay was clocked in 49.20 seconds for a half-mile on a course rated soft.

“The work was very good,” trainer Cal Lynch said. “I was delighted. She galloped out in 1:01 and 1:12 and change. Trevor said the track was a little soft, so it was a perfect work over that. She looks good cooling out, so so far, so good.”

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Miss J McKay was the lone horse to work Saturday. Ongoing repairs to a broken water pipe on the apron that began Thursday have cancelled training and racing through Sunday.

“I really appreciate [MJC President and General Manager] Sal Sinatra and [racing secretary] Chris Merz going the extra lengths to let me work on the turf,” Lynch said. “It was a little unusual to say the least that we ended up doing that, but we’re very appreciative for those guys to help us out.”

McCarthy, like Lynch making his Breeders’ Cup debut, was equally pleased with Miss J McKay, who he has ridden to both of her wins in three starts, most recently in the 5 ½-furlong Anne Arundel County Stakes Sept. 28 at Laurel.

“She had a really nice work this morning. She started off real easy and finished well, which we wanted. It was a little softer than we would have liked, but everything worked out really well. She couldn’t have worked better,” McCarthy said.

“She definitely works a little bit better on a firmer ground, but she didn’t mind it too bad. She’s one filly that likes to run against the bit so if you keep her together, she’ll still handle it pretty nicely,” he added. “I’m looking forward to her running on that nice, hard, fast Santa Anita track.”

Miss J McKay, named for late Hall of Fame and 13-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Jim McKay, founder of the Breeders’ Cup-style Maryland Million which celebrated its 34th running Oct. 19 at Laurel, has crossed the wire first in all of her races. She won her July 5 debut at Laurel then was disqualified from first to third for interference in the Aug. 4 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Supplemented to the Breeders’ Cup for $100,000 by her owners, Miss J McKay was pre-entered in the five-furlong Juvenile Turf Sprint and drew the third alternate position. The field is limited to 12 runners, meaning she would need three scratches or defections to get in.

“At the minute we’re not just there yet, so we’re hoping for someone else to decide to go somewhere else in the longer races or not to come from Europe,” Lynch said. “Until we know one more horse is not coming, we’re sitting in limbo. It’s a little unusual, but what are you going to do.”

Miss J McKay and Lynch’s son and assistant, Anthony, are scheduled to leave at 9 p.m. Saturday to van to Long Island for a 5 a.m. flight Sunday out of MacArthur Airport in Islip, N.Y., with the trainer leaving on a later flight Sunday out of BWI.

“She was just sharp going into [the work]. She’s been sharp for the last 10 days, so we just needed that here today to take the edge off a little bit and … and see what happens,” Lynch said. “She’ll have an easy day Monday and then she’ll go to the track Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and she’ll jog and gallop. She likes to train, this filly. She’s one of those fillies that the more you do with her the happier she is.”

McCarthy is scheduled to leave Thursday, ride Friday’s race and return to Baltimore on Saturday. The 36th Breeders’ Cup is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2, at Santa Anita.

“This is my first Breeders’ Cup mount, so it’s pretty exciting for me and Cal,” McCarthy said. “It’s both of our first Breeders’ Cup, so the whole barn is excited, the whole family. We’re just looking to go out there and get lucky.”