Authentic aborts his workout after incident ahead on track

DEL MAR, Calif. – A workout for Kentucky Derby contender Authentic had to be aborted shortly after it began early Monday morning at Del Mar owing to a catastrophic ankle injury suffered by another horse working about five furlongs in front of him, which caused warning sirens to go off and the track’s outriders to instruct all riders to immediately pull up their horses.

Bob Baffert, the trainer of Authentic, was watching the work from the grandstand and was in radio contact with exercise rider Juan Ochoa, who was aboard Authentic.

“Pull up,” Baffert said to Ochoa as soon as he saw what was unfolding near the finish line.

Authentic, who had broken off before the five-furlong pole, was about an eighth of a mile into his work and took about another eighth to be brought safely to a stop. Authentic was taken back to the barn while an equine ambulance was brought out to transport the injured horse, who was near the finish line.

Rather than bring Authentic out anew later in the morning, Baffert decided the best approach was to simply postpone the work for 24 hours, until Tuesday.

This work, the penultimate one for Authentic in advance of the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, was to be far more serious than his final work, scheduled for Sunday. Baffert had scheduled six days between those works, but now it will only be a fiveday gap. Authentic is scheduled to fly to Kentucky next Monday, Aug. 31, so for the final work to take place here, it has to be Sunday.

Authentic is coming off a victory in the Haskell, which followed his lone career loss, a second-place finish to Honor A. P. in the Santa Anita Derby.

Track officials identified the stricken horse as Irreproachable, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Phil D’Amato who had raced twice, most recently finishing second in a maiden-claiming race July 24 at Del Mar. He is the second horse catastrophically injured in a work this summer at Del Mar, which opened for training nearly two months ago. There have been no catastrophic injuries in any races this summer, nor were there any during the summer meet of 2019.

Also Monday, the 2-year-old Dr. Schivel, a recent maiden winner and a top contender for the Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 7, worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds for trainer Luis Mendez.

McCarthy runners head to Ky.

Most of the Southern California-based horses heading to Churchill Downs for races Derby Week are recording their final drills at Del Mar before traveling, but trainer Michael McCarthy is desirous of getting in a work over the track, so his runners, including Kentucky Oaks candidate Speech, were scheduled to fly to Kentucky on Tuesday in order to work at Churchill Downs later this week.

Speech most recently won the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. She figures to be the third choice in the Kentucky Oaks on Sept. 4, behind Swiss Skydiver and Gamine.

McCarthy’s traveling team also includes Rushie, the third-place finisher in the Blue Grass and the Santa Anita Derby, who will run Sept. 5 in either the Kentucky Derby or, more likely, the Grade 2, $500,000 Pat Day Mile.

McCarthy also is sending the top older filly Ce Ce to Churchill Downs and said she will run in either the Grade 1, $500,000 La Troienne going 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 4 or the Grade 1, $500,000 Derby City Distaff – formerly known as the Humana Distaff – going seven furlongs Sept. 5.

If Ce Ce runs in the Derby City Distaff, she could face fellow Californian Bellafina, the recent runner-up in the Ballerina on Aug. 8 at Saratoga. Trainer Simon Callaghan said she is possible for the Derby City. Callaghan already is sending Donna Veloce to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks. Both fillies are owned by Kaleem Shah and the Coolmore team of Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith.

– Jay Privman

Few options for Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon is a filly without an early autumn race goal.

Harvest Moon won her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-yearold fillies at a mile on Saturday at Del Mar. In most years, such an improving filly would be considered for the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes, a $1 million race run in late September at Parx Racing.

The coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of that race this year and has left trainer Simon Callaghan unsure of what to do with Harvest Moon.

“I would have loved to have run in the Cotillion,” he said Sunday morning. “There is nothing for 3-year-olds on dirt.”

Callaghan said the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes at 1 1/16 miles against older fillies and mares on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita is an option, along with the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, a $250,000 race at 1 1/4 miles on turf on Sept. 19.

The Zenyatta Stakes will include several of the leading older females in California in a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. The Belmont Oaks would be a different challenge since Harvest Moon has not won on turf.

Harvest Moon does have breeding that suggests the surface is not an issue. By Uncle Mo, Harvest Moon is out of Qaraaba, who won the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes on turf at Santa Anita in December 2012 for Callaghan and owners Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor. Bamford and Tabor own Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon is a half-sister to Californiagoldrush, who won the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf at Belmont Park in 2018 and raced only on turf in a five-race career.

“I trained the mother and it has a little extra sentiment,” Callaghan said of Harvest Moon’s pedigree.

“She’s a big filly, and we’ve been super-patient with her.”

Harvest Moon has won 3 of 4 starts. After finishing third in her debut on turf on June 12 at Santa Anita, Harvest Moon is unbeaten in three starts at a mile on the main track – a sequence that includes a win in a maiden race on July 3 at Los Alamitos and a first-level allowance on July 27 at Del Mar.

Red Lark supplement pays off

Red Lark won her Grade 1 debut in a 19-1 upset in Saturday’s $252,500 Del Mar Oaks. It could be the first of a collection of Grade 1 wins for owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners in the next few months in top-class races for 3-year-old fillies.

On Sunday, Red Lark was under consideration for the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, according to Eclipse president Aron Wellman and trainer Paddy Gallagher. There are options in shorter races, but the Belmont Oaks distance appeals to Gallagher.

“She could be more competitive in races going a mile and an eighth or a mile and a quarter,” he said.

Red Lark also could start in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, if stablemate Sharing does not appear in the same race.

“I’d like to be able to separate her and Sharing, if at all possible,” Wellman said.

Sharing, trained by Graham Motion, is best known for winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita last November. Sharing, co-owned by Eclipse and Gainesway Farm, was second by 4 1/2 lengths to Alpine Star in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in England on June 20 in her most recent start.

Sharing is in training with Motion in Maryland and is expected to start in the Grade 2 Edgewood Stakes for 3-yearold fillies at a mile on turf on Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs, Wellman said. Sharing was nominated to the Del Mar Oaks, but Red Lark was the stable’s runner after being supplemented for $2,500 when entries were taken.

It turned out to be a wise investment. Red Lark earned $150,000 and now has a careerdefining win.

“I think we hit the target with this one,” Wellman said. “We knew the mile and an eighth is something she would relish. She picked a good day to get good.”

Red Lark gave Gallagher, who has a 30-horse stable, his first Grade 1 win since Magical Fantasy won the 2009 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita.

“It’s been a while,” he said. Gallagher has had at least one graded stakes win annually since 2015. The Del Mar Oaks was Red Lark’s third appearance in a graded stakes. She was fourth in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes on May 30 at Santa Anita against 3-yearolds and second in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes against older fillies and mares on June 20.

“She was doing very good,” Gallagher said. “She had to run the race of her life, and she did.”