Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
After a blip on radar, Authentic set to restore order in Haskell
Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby five times, and the Haskell Invitational a record eight times. American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner, and War Emblem are the only two of his who have won both. Authentic will be the latest to give it a try, but the first to do so in reverse order from the norm, which is becoming the norm in this abnormal year.
Authentic, who won his first three starts before finishing second most recently to Honor A. P. in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby on June 6, was among seven 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell, to be run for the 53rd time on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
There is plenty of added value to the 1 1/8-mile Haskell. The race is worth 170 points overall, with 100 to the winner, based on the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the field for the Derby on Sept. 5. In addition, a $1 million bonus is being offered by Monmouth and BetMakers to any horse who can sweep the Haskell, Derby, and Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.
This will be a critical race for Authentic. It is likely this will be his final prep for the Derby. It will be his second chance to prove he can prevail at 1 1/8 miles, and thus show he’s worthy of trying the Derby’s 1 1/4 miles. And it will be his first time ridden by Mike Smith, who is the regular rider for Honor A. P.
“Right now, he’s training the best he’s ever trained for a race,” Baffert said earlier this week at Del Mar, where Authentic had his final work last Saturday before traveling to New Jersey on Tuesday.
Authentic has been held in high regard since his arrival in Baffert’s barn last year. He won his first start sprinting last November at Del Mar as the odds-on favorite, then in his second start romped by 7 3/4 lengths in the one-mile Sham Stakes on Jan. 4 at Santa Anita. He then scored another front-running victory in the San Felipe on March 7, defeating Honor A. P. It was the ideal progression toward the April 4 Santa Anita Derby and the May 2 Kentucky Derby.
“He was ready for a May Derby,” Baffert said.
Within the next two weeks, though, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Santa Anita had to suspend its racing operations, and Churchill Downs announced the Derby would be postponed to Sept. 5
Authentic did not work between March 29 and April 27, the result of initially not knowing when racing would resume at Santa Anita, Baffert said. And even though he had six works after that break leading up to the rescheduled Santa Anita Derby, with the last four earning bullets as best of the morning at the distance,
Baffert said Authentic “never got tired like he did in his last race,” when he finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Honor A. P.
“He was blowing pretty good,” Baffert said.
Authentic has had five drills since the Santa Anita Derby, including a demanding mile in 1:39 on July 4 at Santa Anita.
“I feel good about the way he’s coming into the race. He’s coming into it the right way,” Baffert said.
Authentic drew post 2 in the Haskell and was installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite of Monmouth Park’s Brad Thomas. Belmont runner-up Dr Post, with Joe Bravo, is to his inside. Outside him are Jesus’ Team (Nik Juarez), Ancient Warrior (Trevor McCarthy), Fame to Famous (Jose C. Ferrer), Lebda (Alex Cintron), and Ny Traffic (Paco Lopez).
Bravo picked up the mount on Dr Post on Tuesday. Irad Ortiz Jr. was scheduled to ride Dr Post, but owing to the policy instituted at Saratoga forbidding jockeys to ship in and out during the meet, he will understandably remain at Saratoga for the summer.
The Haskell field was reduced earlier in the week when trainer Patrick Biancone informed that Ete Indian had suffered “a little setback” and would not run.
Biancone, in a text, did not detail the setback. Biancone said Ete Indien would now train straight into the Derby.
Ete Indien most recently was fourth in an allowance race June 10 at Gulfstream Park that was won by his stablemate Sole Volante. Ete Indien has not worked since June 28, when he worked six furlongs on the turf at Palm Meadows. That is his lone work since the June 10 allowance.
Ete Indien won the Fountain of Youth earlier in the year and was third in the Florida Derby.
As for Sole Volante, Biancone said he was being pointed to the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9. Sole Volante most recently was sixth in the Belmont Stakes on June 20. He has no published works since that race.