Scottish Lassie Fifth Stakes Winner of '25 for McKinzie

The Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga Race Course July 19 seemed likely to present La Cara, winner of this year's Ashland Stakes (G1) and Acorn Stakes (G1), with an opportunity to establish herself at the top of the sophomore filly division. Unfortunately, that opportunity was dashed when La Cara was forced to scratch after the barn of her trainer Mark Casse was placed in quarantine due to a case of strangles involving another trainer's horse in the same barn. While a door closed on the daughter of Street Sense, one opened for a granddaughter of that horse, in Scottish Lassie. La Cara had gone wire-to-wire in both of her grade 1 victories this year, and in her absence, Scottish Lassie was able to establish herself on the lead at a very comfortable pace, showing at the head of the four-horse field at every call, and after turning for home with a 12-length advantage, she hit the wire 15 1/2 lengths clear of the runner-up, last year's champion 2-year-old filly Immersive. The Coaching Club American Oaks was only the second victory in six lifetime starts for Scottish Lassie, but her previous win was a similarly devastating triumph in last year's scratch-reduced Frizette Stakes (G1), which she took by nine lengths. The Frizette was Scottish Lassie's second career start; she'd finished third to eventual stakes winner Quickick in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga on debut. Her only other start at 2 saw her take fourth to Immersive, with Quickick third, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She'd only made two previous appearances this year, a third in an allowance optional claiming test over a mile at Belmont at The Big A meet, and a third to La Cara in the Acorn Stakes (G1) at Saratoga for owners Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable, and Jorge Abreu—who also trains the filly. Scottish Lassie is from the first crop of McKinzie, a son of the aforementioned Street Sense. Among the very best of his sire's offspring— McKinzie showed high-class form every year from ages 2-5, and of his eight wins, seven—the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Malibu Stakes (G1), Whitney Stakes (G1), Alysheba Stakes (G2), Triple Bend Stakes (G2), and Sham Stakes (G3)—came in graded stakes. Retired to Gainesway Farm in Lexington to stand the 2021 breeding season at a fee of $30,000, which rose to $75,000 for 2025, McKinzie made a flying start. He narrowly missed the leading freshman sire title, falling $13,539 shy of the total achieved by Vekoma. In addition to Scottish Lassie taking the 2024 Frizette Stakes, he was also represented by Chancer McPatrick, who was successful in the 2024 Hopeful Stakes (G1) and 2024 Champagne Stakes (G1), meaning he was the first stallion since Mr. Prospector, in 1987, to be represented by the winners of the Frizette and Champagne in the same year. This term, he's added four other first-crop stakes winners: Cash Call in the Summertime Oaks (G3); last year's Alcibiades Stakes (G1) runner-up Quickick, who won the Iowa Oaks; Cyclone State in the Jerome Stakes; and Not Too Late in the Maryfield Stakes. McKinzie's first crop has also produced seven other black-type horses, including Baeza, second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), and third in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1); and McKinzie Street, second in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and third in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1). Scottish Lassie's dam, Bodebabe, realized $140,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016, but after winning just a maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park West in 11 starts, she fetched just $8,000 at the 2018 Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale at Fasig-Tipton. Scottish Lass is her second foal, her first being the two-time winner Take Charge Babe, a daughter of Take Charge Indy. Bodebabe is a half sister to the Dixie Belle Stakes scorer, Windmill, a daughter of Street Sense, so similarly bred to Scottish Lassie. The second dam, Zaharias, is a sister to Visionaire, winner of the 2008 King's Bishop Stakes (G1) and Gotham Stakes (G3), and a successful sire in South Africa. Zaharias is also half sister to the 2016 Santa Margarita Stakes (G1) captress Tara's Tango, to graded winners Scarlet Fusion, Madison's Luna, and Scarlet Strike (dam of English group scorer Toro Strike), and to Scarlet Love, dam of the Goldfinch Stakes winner Legadema. Zaharias is out of the stakes-placed French Deputy mare, Scarlet Tango, herself a daughter of the prolific mare Silver Tango. A daughter of Silver Badge, Silver Tango won 17 of 47 starts, ten of them black-type events, and also took second in the 1991 Pimlico Oaks (G3). Subsequently, Silver Tango produced two minor stakes winners, and addition to the descendants of Scarlet Tango, is granddam of three other stakes winners. Silver Tango's Sentimental Slew half sister, Sentimental Tango, took the Smart Angle Stakes, and is the dam of Merengue, who captured three black-type events, including the Anne Arundel Handicap (G3), and went on to produce the 2006 Affirmed Handicap (G3) winner and Santa Anita Derby (G1) second Point Determined. The family goes back to the smart mare, Anthemion. Bred by Arthur Hancock of Claiborne Farm and owned by Christopher Chenery of Meadow Stable fame—best known as the owner and breeder of Secretariat—Anthemion won five stakes events, including the Gazelle Handicap. For Chenery, Anthemion produced the Pimlico Special victor, Bryan G., who sired Chenery's great mare Cicada, champion female at 2, 3, and 4, and the first to accomplish that feat. Anthemion's half sister, Softie, was the dam of Wedlock, winner of the first division of the Kentucky Oaks in 1959. Scottish Lassie is the product of the Street Sense and Empire Maker cross that has produced four stakes winners, including graded scorer Azure Coast, from 23 starters (27%). Most unusually, both her sire and her dam are Mr. Prospector/Mr. Prospector crosses, albeit through horses of rather different phenotypes. McKinzie is a Machiavellian/Seeking the Gold cross, and Bodebade is an Unbridled/Fappiano line over Gone West. Of particular interest is the relationship between Street Sense and Gone West's son, Grand Slam, the sire of Scottish Lassie's second dam. Both are Mr. Prospector line horses, out of mares by sons of Northern Dancer, and Street Sense's dam is a Northern Dancer/His Majesty/Bold Ruler cross, where Grand Slam's dam is a Northern Dancer/Graustark (brother to His Majesty)/Bold Ruler cross.