Authentic upsets Tiz the Law for Derby win
Authentic led all the way to win a Kentucky Derby unlike any other, kicking away from heavy favorite Tiz the Law in the stretch and giving Bob Baffert a record-tying sixth victory on Saturday after the trainer’s other entry was a late scratch.
Authentic won by 11⁄4 lengths without the usual crowd of 150,000 at Churchill Downs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bay colt ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.61 under John Velazquez, who earned his third Derby victory.
Sent off at 3-5 as the biggest Derby favorite in 31 years, Tiz the Law stalked Authentic on the outside before challenging at the top of the stretch. But Authentic found another gear and pulled away from the Belmont winner.
“Yes! Yes!” Baffert shouted in the paddock, where he watched the race on the video screen.
Baffert’s other horse, Thousand Words, got spooked in the paddock. The horse was walking through the paddock when he suddenly stopped, reared up and then fell backward before workers helped him up.
Thousand Words was soon scratched from the race by veterinarians, leaving Baffert with Authentic in the field.
Baffert said his assistant, Jim Barnes, was injured in the fall.
Mr. Big News, a 46-1 shot, finished third. Honor A. P. was fourth. The field of 15 was the smallest since 1998. Tiz the Law had already won the Belmont, the kickoff to the reconfigured Triple Crown that was run in June at a shorter distance.
Tiz the Law was the Derby favorite at 4-5 odds ahead of the scheduled 7:01 p.m. post time for the storied race. Honor A. P. was the second choice at 8-1, followed by Authentic at 9-1. The other horses were listed at double digits. With no spectators in attendance at Churchill Downs, wagering was conducted online and at off-track betting locations.
Thousands of protesters marched around the gates surrounding Churchill Downs, chanting Breonna Taylor’s name less than an hour before the race.
Protests have occurred for 101 days in Louisville, with calls for police to be charged in Taylor’s shooting death during a narcotics raid on March 13. No drugs were found. A recent demonstration near the historic track resulted in 64 arrests, and more protests were expected around the venue.
The protesters marched 2 miles from a city park and circled the track on the front and back sides. They chanted “No Justice, No Derby!” and carried signs imploring people to say Taylor’s name.
“What are we celebrating?” one of the organizers, Brittany Wiley, told the crowd as it gathered. “We don’t want mint juleps. We want justice. We’re not partying. We’re protesting. No justice? No Derby.”