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.
A pair of colts with pages full of Grade 1 black type go head-to-head in this week's matchup of finalists, one of which comes from a breeding program quite familiar to the sire.
Click here to vote on the Week 8 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 Inspired
Bred by: Peter Blum
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook.
The eighth foal out of the stakes-winning Unbridled's Song mare Inspired, and a half-brother to stakes-placed Night Time Lady. Grade 1 winners Well Chosen and Leofric are in the colt's extended family, as well as Grade 3 winner Major General, who is a contender on this year's Triple Crown trail.
It's a notable mating for Blum's program, which also produced Authentic himself in 2017.
Foal: colt o/o Classic Strike
Bred by: Three Chimneys Farm and Clearsky Farm
Click here to cast your vote on Facebook.
The 11th foal out of the winning Smart Strike mare Classic Strike, a top producer whose foals include Grade 1 winner Union Strike, Grade 2 winner Handsome Mike, stakes winner Pretty Lady, and stakes-placed Classic Sense.
“He's a really nice foal,” said Clearsky Farm's Barry Robinette. “The mare's done a great job of having some foals in the past. This one's a nice physical.
“It fit her well pedigree-wise,” Robinette said about the cross with Authentic. “He's a nice-looking stallion. We've had three Authentics this year, and they've all been nice horses, so he's getting the product on the ground. The combination made it a no-brainer.”
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