‘Crazy year’ concludes on big high
Successful Breeders’ Cup lifts expectations for ’21
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The golden sunset overKeeneland provided a picturesque and welcome wrap for horse racing after the pandemic wiped out its spring, cramped marquee stakes races into a crowded schedule and reshuffled the Triple Crown order.
No Triple Crown winner emerged as a result, though the Breeders’ Cup world championships helped make up for that. Many of its best competitors performed at the top of their games on a record-breaking weekend, sparking high expectations for 2021.
The sport just hopes that next year’s schedule returns to normal and that spectators can be in the grandstands enjoying the races.
“It’s been a different feeling, you know?” trainer Bill Mott said last week. “Being a participant, we probably get as excited as the fanswhen they’re there. It’s like I’ve got a bet on every race we’re participating in. So, Imiss the fans.”
“I’ll be glad when everything gets back to normal andwe have the fans back,” he said.
The pandemic struck in the middle of qualifying season for the Kentucky Derby, which ended up postponed from the first Saturday inMay for the first time since 1945 to Labor Day weekend. It was sandwiched between theBelmont Stakes and Preakness, which ran just over a month ago as the Triple Crown’s final jewel instead of in the middle.
Unusual as that was, the upside was those events and other stakes races still ran. That allowed the sport tomaintain continuity as it prepares for what’s next.
“It was a crazy year and a lot of hardships,” Hall ofFametrainerBobBaffert said Sunday.“We just feel fortunate thatwe got to keep going and happy that racing continues.”
Baffert has also pledged more oversight in his operation following multiple positive tests formedication violations by several of his horses. That included Gamine, who provided some vindication amid the scrutiny by dominating the Filly and Mare Sprint by 61⁄ lengths in a record-breaking
4
1:42.30.
Her race was the first of several recordsetters, capping a weekend that offered a hint of which horses to watch for next year’s Kentucky Derby and Oaks as well as the Breeders’ Cup at DelMar in California.
Ahandful of 2-year-olds showed promise Friday, with Essential Quality and filly Vequist serving notice as possible contenders following signature wins in the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, respectively.
Vequist has a chance to follow the footsteps of her father, Nyquist, who won the 2016 Derby after winning the 2015 Juvenile. For now, she’ll rest in Florida as her handlers contemplate her path as a 3-year-old.
“She will be getting a nice little right now,” trainer Butch Reid said.
Meanwhile, Baffert left no doubt Gamine has more in store as he gushed over her and Authentic for their dominant runs.
Authentic capped the season-ending championships with a wire-to-wire victory in the marquee Classic. His track-record time of 1:59.19 over 11⁄ miles— hand-timed
4 because of a technical glitch that shut down the track clock — broke 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’smark of 2:00.17 here five years ago.
That pretty much rested his case for the Horse of the Year honors, though the question immediately afterward was whether Authentic’s sixth win in eight career starts with two seconds would wrap his own stellar career. break