Baeza has been retired from racing and will enter stud duty at Spendthrift Farm starting in 2027
Winner of the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), third in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Belmont Stakes (G1), and a half-brother to graded stakes winners Mage and Dornoch, the son of McKinzie closed his racing career with over $2.3 million in purse earnings. His stud fee will be set at $25,000
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).— A pedigree hard to match and a racing campaign built consistently against the best now open a new chapter for Baeza. The G1 winner has been retired from racing and will join the stallion roster at Spendthrift Farm for the 2027 breeding season, where he will stand for a fee of $25,000, live foal guaranteed.
At age 4, the son of McKinzie bids farewell with 2 wins, 4 seconds, and 4 thirds from 13 starts, accumulating $2,344,700 in purse earnings.
His win column might seem modest, but it tells very little about the true stature of his racing career.
Baeza competed almost continuously at the highest level, placing in five G1 events alongside his victory in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), matching strides with the elite 3-year-olds in the United States and subsequently against older horses.
His 3-year-old campaign placed him firmly among the headline names. He finished second in the Santa Anita Derby(G1) before placing third in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Belmont Stakes (G1), displaying remarkable consistency across two legs of the Triple Crown.
His crowning achievement arrived later in the Pennsylvania Derby, where he pulled away to score by 2 1/4 lengths, recording an Equibase Speed Figure of 117 and a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.
Far from losing competitiveness upon joining the older horse division, Baeza met the elite once again this season. He ran second in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1)—a performance that earned him a 112 Beyer and a 114 Equibase Speed Figure—and subsequently finished third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), despite repeating his habitual slow breaks from the gate.
Throughout his career, he defeated top-caliber runners such as Sovereignty (Into Mischief), Magnitude (Not This Time), White Abarrio (Race Day), and Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), among others.
“Baeza gave us so many great moments, but his race in the Kentucky Derby is something we will never forget,” said Lee Searing, who campaigned him alongside his wife Susan under the banner of C R K Stable in partnership with Robert Clay’s Grandview Equine.
“Watching him make his run down the stretch on our sport’s biggest stage was an incredible thrill. That day he proved he belonged among the best of his generation, and he continued to prove it throughout his career.”
His owners also announced that they will support his second career by sending several of their own broodmares to his book.
An Exceptional Dam
While his racing credentials provide a compelling argument for Baeza as a prospective sire, his family tree adds an even stronger appeal.
His dam is Puca (Big Brown), voted Broodmare of the Year in the United States in 2025 and founder of an extraordinary family. Prior to Baeza, she produced Mage, a son of Good Magic who captured the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and his full brother Dornoch, winner of the 2024 Belmont Stakes.
Baeza is, therefore, a half-brother to two U.S. Triple Crown race winners, in addition to having placed third himself in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
The combination of such a powerhouse pedigree with McKinzie generated massive interest long before he reached the track. Mayberry Farm paid $1,200,000 for him at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Runnymede Farm.
“Baeza represents a rare combination of talent, pedigree, and physical presence,” noted Ned Toffey, COO and general manager at Spendthrift. “We are excited to present him to breeders. They are going to love what they see.”
Baeza enters retirement sound and will be available for inspection by breeders over the coming weeks.
He may not have amassed the volume of victories that his raw talent promised, but time after time he stood where the very best gathered and nearly always delivered. A G1 winner, multiple classic-placed, sired by McKinzie, and out of a dam capable of producing three Triple Crown stars, Baeza will have the opportunity starting in 2027 to pass on a truly rare genetic foundation.
