Making her second start of the year, multiple stakes placed MCKINZIE daughter Paradise City returned to the stakes level on Friday night when Saffie Joseph Jr. entered her in the Saylorville S. at Prairie Meadows.
Third here in the Iowa Oaks in 2025, Paradise City was coming into the six-furlong race off a win at Churchill to start her year with bettors sending her off as the favorite after that performance.
Tracking the leader early on alongside another horse, Paradise City was patiently handled by Micah Husbands during the early stages of the race. It seemed like she may run into some trouble when she couldn’t find running room around the turn, but cutting the corner gave her just the room she needed.
She battled with Silent Law once she found that room before taking command in the late stages of the race. Putting a length and a half between her and the runner-up, only two horses were within 16 lengths of her when she crossed the line.
This was the fourth win for the 4-year-old races by C2 Racing, Shining Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, and Bag Racing Stables. In all, she has finished in the top three in eight of 14 starts for $377,367 in earnings.
The Don Alberto-bred Paradise City is the second stakes winner out of Grade 2 winner Washington Bridge alongside Grade 3 winner Mnasek. In all, Washington Bridge has produced eight winners from 10 to race with her daughter also producing Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Wentrue.
Each of Paradise City’s first three dams both won stakes and produced stakes winners with 13 stakes performers under their names.
Paradise City’s win comes two weeks after MCKINZIE scored a Saturday stakes double with Hymn and Day to Day. The stallion is the sire of seven stakes performers overall in 2026.