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's finalists each come from mares whose first foals are 2-year-olds or younger, meaning their Authentic foals could likely go a long way in defining the direction of their respective produce records in the years to come.
Click here to vote on the Week 4 finalists. Voting is also available on Spendthrift's Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Let's take a look at this week's finalists…
Foal: Filly o/o Smooth Path
Bred by: Grantley Acres
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook.
The second foal out of the unraced Scat Daddy mare Smooth Path, who is herself a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Taraz (by Into Mischief). The filly's third dam is the English Group 1-placed stakes winner Jibe, out of the blue hen producer Slightly Dangerous. Jibe's siblings include European champion Commander in Chief, two-time English champion Warning, Group 2 winner and leading Chilean sire Dushyantor, and Irish classic-placed Deploy.
“She's good-sized, great bone to her,” said Grantley Acres farm manager Suzanne Watkins. “The mare has really thrown a lot in her. She's well put together, correct through her legs. I don't foresee any conformational issues going forward. I think she'll be one of those that progresses smoothly.
“Carl (McEntee, Grantley Acres bloodstock adviser) and Geoff Nixon (owner of Grantley Acres) do the matings, and Geoff picks a lot of them himself,” she continued. “I think they were just trying to get to a young sire, and he does a really good job of picking his matings. The two of them really work well together on picking the best crosses for these mares. She just seemed to fit Authentic best of all of this group.
“I really enjoy this mare's pedigree,” Watkins said. “I spotted this mare in the January sale, and pointed her out to Geoff because I'd delivered her dam and granddam. That goes back to Prince Khalid's foundation families, so to me, it's fantastic to see those families continue and feel like they're part of his legacy.”
Foal: Colt o/o Munny Spunt
Bred by: Mountmellick Farm
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook.
The third foal out of the Grade 3-winning Munnings mare Munny Spunt. His extended family includes Grade 2 winner Blues Street, as well as Storm Street, who was Trinidad and Tobago's Horse of the Year in 2008.
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