It was a second straight victory for MCKINZIE’s Hold Your Breath on Sunday when the filly won the Garland of Roses S. at Aqueduct.
The John Servis trainee shipped to New York to race in this six-furlong dirt race and was in command from the start.
Breaking strongly, she went straight to the lead when hustled out of the gate by Joel Rosario before setting an uncontested lead down the backstretch. The horse just behind her made a challenge at the top of the stretch but Hold Your Breath was ready for it.
The pair battled briefly before Hold Your Breath pulled away in the final furlong to win by two lengths with the third placed runner over five lengths behind her at the line.
HOLD YOUR BREATH gets her first stakes win in the Garland of Roses Stakes under @JRosarioJockey for @johnservisbarn. pic.twitter.com/DgeDq19dLi
— NYRA (🗽) (@TheNYRA) December 7, 2025
“It looked like there was another horse or a couple with speed, but man, she was fast. She got out of there and she looked like she wanted to go, and she loved to be up there. After that, I just let her do her thing and she just took me for a ride. That was nice,” said Rosario
It was the fourth win in nine starts for Hold Your Breath, who also has victories at Parx and Saratoga to her name. She races for Main Line Racing Stable and Avalon Racing Stables and was bred by Highclere, Constance Wickes, and Rocky Top Racing.
Hold Your Breath is one of two stakes performers from four winners out of Illicit Affair alongside the multiple stakes placed My Sweet Affair. That mare is a daughter of the dual champion Silverbulletday, who produced the stakes placed Tice and the dams of Grade 1 winner Shakin It Up and Grade 2 winner Govenor Charlie among the five stakes performers out of her daughters.
MCKINZIE is the sire of nine stakes winners and 19 stakes performers from his first two crops and leads all second crop sires with three Grade 1 winners and five Grade 1 performers.