The first foals by Spendthrift Farm's Horse of the Year Authentic have begun to arrive, and to celebrate, Spendthrift is hosting a “Foal Derby” to share photos of the stallion's debut crop and reward breeders and fans with prizes.
Each week leading up to the Kentucky Derby, a group of Authentic's foals will be displayed on Spendthrift Farm's social media channels. The two foals with the most likes and shares will face off in the finals each Friday to decide the favorite. Both finalists will then be among 20 horses eligible to win the grand prizes, based on the results of this year's Kentucky Derby. Voters will also be eligible for weekly prizes.
To learn more about the rules and prizes for both breeders and voters, click here.
Authentic, a 5-year-old son of Into Mischief, stands at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $70,000. He was named Horse of the Year in 2020, following a campaign that saw him earn Grade 1 victories in the Kentucky Derby, Breeders' Cup Classic, and Haskell Stakes.
This week marks the inaugural finals matchup between a colt and a filly from Authentic's debut crop, as voted on by the fans. Voting for this week's finals remains open through the end of Friday.
Click here to vote on the Week 1 finalists. Voting is also available on Spendthrift's Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Let's take a look at this week's finalists…
Foal: Colt o/o Jeannie S
Bred by: Carlos Rafael
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook
The sixth foal out of the winning Sky Mesa mare Jeannie S, who is the dam of three winners from four foals to race. This colt is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Shanghai Starlet, and he hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Brass Hat.
“He's a very balanced colt, and he's got very nice bone,” said breeder Carlos Rafael. “I'm very fond of Into Mischief. I bred to him three times when the stud fee was $35,000. I like when the horses put their signature on a foal, like Into Mischief does with his, so with Authentic being his best son, being a Horse of the Year, I chose this mare to breed to him, and I was hoping to get the foal that I got.
“I would like to thank the farm for letting me bring my mare, and I appreciate the relationship that Spendthrift has with the breeders. They talk to you straightforward,” he continued. “I have a good relationship with Brian Lyle (stallion sales with Spendthrift). I always pay attention to the farms and their relationships with breeders, because breeders are very important in this industry.”
Foal: Filly o/o Tapit for Free
Bred by: Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook
This filly is the second foal out of the unraced Tapit mare Tapit for Free, who was purchased by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds for $400,000 at last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Tapit for Free is a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Ring Weekend, and the extended page includes Grade 2 winner Forest Wind.
“We bought the mare at the Keeneland November Sale in foal to Authentic,” said Sycamore Hall's David Wade. “The foal is very well balanced, very athletic. She's got a beautiful head. We really couldn't be any happier with her. Being out of a Tapit mare, we were hoping we would get a foal with some leg, and this foal definitely has some leg underneath her. There's really not anything that we're not ecstatic about with this foal.
“There were some nice foals in this contest. We were a little bit worried because we didn't get our entry in until Wednesday night, and people had already started voting, but the readers on the internet came through. It's very exciting.”
The post Authentic’s Foal Derby: Inaugural Matchup For Champion’s Debut Foals appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
