Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
PREAKNESS Art Collector, Authentic each sent five furlongs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The finishing touches to the top candidates for the 145th Preakness will be applied this weekend after Authentic and Art Collector were sent through serious workouts last weekend at Churchill Downs.
Authentic, winner of the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, figures as the favorite for the Oct. 3 Preakness at Pimlico over Art Collector, who missed the Derby with a minor foot injury. Both breezed a swift five furlongs Saturday at Churchill, and both will be back on the track for something a little less demanding this coming Saturday prior to being flown to Baltimore on Sept. 29.
Authentic and Art Collector are among a dozen or so 3-yearolds in the discussion for the Preakness, the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown.
Bob Baffert was on hand to watch the first work for Authentic since the Into Mischief colt gave the Hall of Fame trainer his record-tying sixth Derby victory with a 1 1/4-length triumph Sept. 5. Baffert said he also will be here for a maintenance work this coming Saturday, having remained in Kentucky to attend the yearling sales in Lexington following the Derby.
“He couldn’t have looked better,” Baffert said after Authentic went in 59.20 seconds with Martin Garcia up. “He looked really well coming off a race like that. Everything is allsystems-go for the Preakness.”
John Velazquez has a return call for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.
Art Collector was among the other workers on a busy Saturday at Churchill, going shortly after the 7:30 a.m. harrow break. With regular jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. up, the Bernardini colt went five furlongs in 59.40, going out six furlongs in 1:11.60.
“We wanted to do enough today, and to get something out of it,” said Tommy Drury, who trains Art Collector for breederowner Bruce Lunsford. “He seemed like he did it well with himself, happy enough, came back with his ears pricked.”
Art Collector, a winner of all four 2020 starts by open lengths, missed the Derby because of an untimely hoof injury that forced the colt to miss only several days of training.
“From a fitness standpoint, we’re where we want to be now,” Drury said. “We’ll come back with a little maintenance work next weekend, and then it’s off to Baltimore.”
The complete makeup of the Preakness field is yet to be determined, with a decision still pending from trainer Barclay Tagg on whether Tiz the Law will run. If Tiz the Law does not run, Art Collector figures as the second wagering choice behind the Derby winner. Tiz the Law was the 7-10 favorite in the Derby following victories in the Florida Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers.
Working at about the same time as Art Collector was Swiss Skydiver, most recently second in the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks. Tyler Gaffalione was up when the filly breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds.
“Tyler said she felt as strong as she’s felt all year,” trainer Ken McPeek said by phone afterward from Lexington. “She’s holding her own, that’s for sure.”
McPeek and owner Peter Callahan are contemplating a run in the Preakness versus the boys, although McPeek said a firm decision probably won’t be forthcoming “until the midnight hour.”
Preakness entries will be drawn Sept. 28, the Monday before the race. As many as 14 can start. Alternative races for Swiss Skydiver include two Grade 1s at Keeneland, the Spinster or Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.
Thousand Words, a second Baffert starter for the Preakness, also worked shortly after the track reopened at 7:30, going five furlongs in 1:02.40.
The Pioneerof the Nile colt was scratched from the Derby after flipping in the paddock.
As of Monday, other confirmed Preakness starters are Mr. Big News, Pneumatic, Liveyourbeastlife, and Jesus’ Team. Possible starters, besides Tiz the Law, are Mystic Guide and the Todd Pletcher-trained pair of Dr Post and Happy Saver.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay Derby winner King Guillermo is no longer under consideration for the Preakness after being shipped last week from Churchill to WinStar Farm, where the colt will undergo further diagnostic tests following his scratch from the Derby with a fever two days before the race. Trainer Juan Avila said through his close associate Tito Fuentes that the colt was to undergo hyperbaric therapy at WinStar before eventually returning to Avila’s base in South Florida. King Guillermo still has not raced since finishing second in a division of the May 2 Arkansas Derby.