Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert breezed his two contenders for the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on Saturday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., with G1 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic given an official clocking of :59.20 for five furlongs – the best of 38 works at the distance – and multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words going the same distance in 1:02.40.
Also working at Churchill Downs on Saturday morning were G2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector, clocked one-fifth of a second slower than Authentic in :59.40 under Brian Hernandez Jr., and G1 Alabama Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver, who went a half-mile in :48.00 with jockey Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle.
Thousand Words was scratched from the Derby after flipping in the paddock while being saddled. Art Collector was withdrawn from the race early Derby week after suffering a minor hoof injury. Both, along with Authentic, are on target for the Preakness, to be run at Pimlico race course in Baltimore on Oct. 3. Swiss Skydiver, who was second to Art Collector in the Blue Grass and subsequently second to Shedaresthedevil in the G1 Kentucky Oaks on Sept. 4, is under consideration for the race.
Martin Garcia worked Authentic, a once-beaten Into Mischief colt who gave Baffert a record-tying sixth victory in the Kentucky Derby. Florent Geroux was aboard Thousand Words, a Pioneerof the Nile colt won the Aug. 1 Shared Belief Stakes in his most recent start, defeating the recently retired Honor A. P., the fourth-place Kentucky Derby finisher.
It was the first workout for both horses since the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.
“Authentic is a big, strong horse and is handling things very well after the Derby,” said Baffert. “I think both horses worked really well this morning.” Baffert, who has been attending the Keeneland September Yearling Sales this past week, plans to return to his home base at Santa Anita in California in the next day or two and has kept his horses in the Churchill Downs barn of his fellow Hall of Famer and friend, D. Wayne Lukas. Baffert said he plans to breeze Thousand Words next Saturday, Sept. 26, and will return to supervise the final Preakness breeze for Authentic on Monday, Sept. 28. Both would then ship to Pimlico on Sept. 29, Baffert said.
Authentic galloped out past the wire, going six furlongs in 1:12.20 and seven-eighths of a mile in 1:25.20 after early fractions of :23.80 and :35.40. Art Collector, a Bernardini colt trained by Tommy Drury Jr., galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.60. He previously breezed a half-mile at Skylight Training Center near Louisville in :48.10 on Sept. 12.
“He's in a great spot right now with his fitness,” said Drury. “We wanted a bit more of a serious work today and he went well within himself. He'll have a maintenance work next weekend before we ship to Baltimore.”
Kenny McPeek, trainer of Swiss Skydiver, indicated to Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee that a Preakness decision for the multiple graded stakes-winning daughter of Daredevil wouldn't be made until the “midnight hour.”
Art Collector breezing at Churchill Downs Sept. 19 under Brian Hernandez Jr.
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