Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
GENUINE UPSET
AUTHENTIC FENDS OFF ODDS-ON TIZ THE LAW
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Leave it to the year of the coronavirus to give a surreal ending to the Kentucky Derby.
Authentic won the 146th running of the fabled Run for the Roses on Saturday at spectator-free Churchill Downs, giving Bob Baffert a recordtying sixth victory in America’s greatest horse race while leaving the Hall of Fame trainer choking back tears.
“This is my most emotional win yet,” Baffert told a national television audience shortly after Authentic held off a sustained challenge from heavily favored Tiz the Law to win the Grade 1, $3 million Derby by 1 1/4 lengths.
Some 30 minutes beforehand, Baffert had been badly shaken by a paddock incident that not only forced the late scratch of a second Baffert runner, Thousand Words, but also left his longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes with a broken wrist.
“We were yelling, ‘Do it for
Jimmy’ the whole race,” Baffert said. “He’s one of the greatest assistants of all time.”
Things went much more smoothly for Authentic. Breaking cleanly from the outside post in a field of 15, the smallest since 13 ran in 1997, the colt was eased into the lead down the stretch the first time by John Velazquez, who had the colt clear of his closest pursuers, Storm the Court and Ny Traffic, and close to the rail by the time the field was approaching the backstretch.
Meanwhile, coming to the half-mile pole, Tiz the Law was looming boldly in fourth, just a few lengths behind. Sent away at 7-10 odds, the lowest since Spectacular Bid won at 3-5 in 1979, Tiz the Law went past Storm the Court and Ny Traffic without much trouble and appeared to momentarily poke his head in front of Authentic as they straightened into the long Churchill stretch.
“I was comfortable with the way he was doing things,” said Velazquez, the Hall of Fame jockey who was winning the Derby for the third time, following Animal Kingdom (2011) and Always Dreaming (2017). “I wanted to do it gradually. There’s always the concern that you’ve let the horse do too much in the early part of the race . . . but I knew I had horse.”
Put to a fierce left-handed whip by Velazquez, Authentic responded with an effort for the ages. The colt regained a short lead approaching the eighth pole and steadily edged away from there, prevailing in 2:00.61, the seventh-fastest Derby clocking at its present 1 1/4-mile distance and the fastest since Monarchos went in 1:59.97 in 2001. He paid $18.80 as the third wagering choice and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.
“It was an absolutely great ride from Johnny,” Baffert said. “He really earned this one.”
Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes and Travers in his two previous starts in a
racing season reshuffled by the ongoing global pandemic, had every opportunity to advance to the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico with a shot at becoming racing’s 14th Triple Crown winner, but it was not to be.
“I had the trip that I expected,” said Manny Franco, who rode the colt for Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg. “He just couldn’t go by the other horse.”
Mr. Big News, a 46-1 shot who emerged from midpack with a big move approaching the quarter pole, continued resolutely to finish third, another two lengths behind Tiz the Law. Honor A. P., the 7-1 second choice under Mike Smith, closed from far back to finish fourth, another 1 3/4 lengths back while never a real threat.
“Mike said he was laboring at the beginning, that he just wasn’t getting a hold of the track,” trainer John Shirreffs said of Honor A. P.
Run after a four-month postponement from its original May 2 date because of the pandemic, the Derby was held in front of just a few thousand people – and not the usual 150,000 or so fans. Only track employees, owners and trainers, limited media, and “essential personnel” were permitted entrance because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Weather was ideal, with temperatures in the high 70s and low humidity.
Authentic, by the red-hot sire Into Mischief, is owned by a four-way partnership, with the Spendthrift Farm of B. Wayne Hughes being the majority owner. The others are the Myracehorse.com of Michael Behrens; the Madaket Stables of Sol Kumin and Jason Monteleone; and the Starlight Racing of Jack Wolf and partners.
“This might be the most surreal day of my life,” said an ecstatic Eric Gustavson, president of Spendthrift. Hughes, 86, watched the race on television amid family and friends at the farm in Lexington.
Baffert’s five prior Derby winners were Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), War Emblem (2002), American Pharoah (2015), and Justify (2018), the last two of whom were Triple Crown winners. His six wins land him in a tie with the legendary Ben A. Jones, whose winners spanned 1938 to 1952.
“It’s a great accomplishment, but I’m here because of the clientele,” said Baffert. “I surround myself with great people.”
Baffert said during the postrace press conference that his elation was tempered by the social unrest that has marked recent times as the nation faces a watershed moment on racism. Louisville has been a center of such discussions following the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in March. Hundreds of protestors were kept at bay outside the racetrack gates Saturday afternoon by large numbers of law-enforcement officers, a moment of silence was held just prior to the post parade to recognize the community’s concerns, and demonstrators arranged for a banner bearing Taylor’s name to fly over the track just before the race.
“I’d like to be up here pounding my chest, but this is not a very happy time,” Baffert said. “So many people are suffering right now.”
Baffert spoke at length about how 2020 had been a “rollercoaster year” for himself and his family. Baffert appeared to hold the strongest hand for a May 2 Derby with several horses, including Nadal and Charlatan, both of whom won separate divisions of the Arkansas Derby, but both were removed from consideration by injury. Charlatan was eventually disqualified from his Arkansas Derby win because of a medication violation.
“This is the craziest year ever,” he said. “It’s tough, the ups and downs we have. In May, we had four horses ready to roll” in the Derby, with Authentic and Thousand Words being the other two. “It was like we had this cloud following us with bad luck. So when Jimmy broke his arm right before the race, I said, ‘Look at this, it never ends.’ Thankfully, it’s the love of the horses that keeps me going.”
Barnes had gotten tangled up with Thousand Words and fell on his arm when the temperamental colt – the 10-1 fourth choice at the time – reared up and fell hard on his flank when refusing to be saddled. Kentucky rules mandate an automatic scratch in such instances. Barnes was soon escorted off the racetrack grounds for medical treatment.
Thousand Words, co-owned by Spendthrift and the Albaugh Family Stables, was deemed to be “absolutely fine” following a thorough examination, according to Kathleen Anderson, the on-call spokeswoman for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Florent Geroux, who won five races Friday, including the Kentucky Oaks on Shedaresthedevil, had been scheduled to ride.
Ironically, Baffert also fell down after the race during the infield winner’s-circle presentation when Authentic – irritated by the garland of roses placed over his withers – suddenly acted up and whirled around wildly, scattering many of those who had gathered closely. Baffert took the worst of it as he went sailing backward after Authentic’s right flank caught him squarely on his backside.
“That was more embarrassing than anything,” he said.
Authentic now has won 5 of 6 starts. After a maiden win last November, he won the Sham at Santa Anita in early January and the San Felipe in March. He suffered his only loss following a break forced by the pandemic when finishing second to Honor A. P. in the June 6 Santa Anita Derby, then barely held on to win the July 18 Haskell over Ny Traffic in his final pre-Derby start.
Authentic was bred in Kentucky by Peter Blum Thoroughbreds. He is the first classic winner for Into Mischief, who stands at Spendthrift and topped the general sire list in 2019 and is the current 2020 leader.
After the top four, the full Derby order was Max Player, Storm the Court, Enforceable, Ny Traffic, Necker Island, Major Fed, Sole Volante, Winning Impression, Money Moves, Attachment Rate, and South Bend.
Eighteen 3-year-olds were originally entered, with Finnick the Fierce and King Guillermo having been scratched off the program prior to race day.