Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

Authentic ‘Just So Full Of Himself’ During First Trip Over Pimlico Course

As he has done for so many years, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert held court outside the Pimlico Stakes Barn Wednesday morning after his Preakness horses had come back from the track.

Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic was jogged clockwise over the muddy surface along the outside rail at 8:30 a.m., some 90 minutes after stablemate Thousand Words galloped a circuit on the course under Humberto Gomez. Both horses were shipped from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. to Maryland on Tuesday.

After breezing a half-mile in a 'bullet' 47.60 seconds at Churchill Downs Monday, Authentic had a very light morning of exercise Wednesday.

“He just went out there for a little jog. He looked good,” Baffert said. “Coming off that plane yesterday, he was like a keg of dynamite. He has so much energy, that horse. He's just so full of himself.”

Authentic, who is owned by Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight Racing, has been installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the Preakness, the last leg of the Triple Crown this year.

Albaugh Family Stables LLC and Spendthrift Farm LLC's Thousand Words was scratched about a half hour before the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 when he reared up and fell while being saddled for the race. The Pioneerof the Nile colt turned in a sharp work Saturday at Churchill Downs that convinced Baffert that he was ready for the 145th Preakness. He will wear blinkers again after two races without that piece of equipment.

“He worked on Saturday so we gave him a little gallop around there,” Baffert said. “It's a wet track and it's hard tell what's going on. He went nice and moved over the track. The main thing is you want your horses to look sound and healthy. He went nice.”

Authentic gave Baffert his record-tying sixth Derby victory. Though each of his previous five Derby winners also won the Preakness, Baffert, 67, noted that the situation was different this year with the Covid-19 changes that juggled the Triple Crown schedule. The Belmont Stakes was run in June, the Derby on Labor Day weekend and the Preakness at the beginning of October.

“Two weeks, though. It was two weeks. We've got a month now,” Baffert said. “I would have loved to run two weeks later because he was just full of himself two weeks afterward. It's just giving horses time to freshen up. You have new shooters now. It's so turned around now.

“I feel real good about it. I think he's going to run his race. He hasn't regressed. He looks great.”

Baffert said he would have preferred that even though the Triple Crown had to be delayed because of the pandemic that the races were run in the same order, with the Belmont following the Preakness

“But it would have conflicted with the Breeders' Cup for the 3-year-olds,” Baffert said. “I still think it would been a great scenario. I just feel fortunate that we even have this. It was looking pretty bleak (during the Covid lockdown).

“It doesn't feel like Preakness, but it will the day of. It's like the Kentucky Derby. It didn't feel like Derby that day, but when that gate came open it felt like Derby. That's the way it is. When that gate comes open it's going to feel like Preakness. That's what it's all about. All you are hoping for is that your horses show up and when they turn for home you're hoping you have something to root for. That's it. That's all you can ask for.”

Baffert is tied with 19th century trainer R. W. Walden with a record seven Preakness victories. While the dates are far different and the usual raucous scene will be quiet because spectators are not permitted, Baffert said he is happy that the 2020 Triple Crown was not cancelled.

“It would have been horrible if we didn't have the Derby, the Preakness,” he said. “The Belmont was sort of different, more like the Dwyer. The Derby and the Preakness, at least we got to run them. And we have beautiful weather.

“I love coming to Baltimore, even though it's pretty quiet right now. The environment here is just so nice. It's a beautiful stakes barn. I've seen the same people here the last 15 to 20 years and they are glad to see us come in.”

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Authentic Arrives At Pimlico On His Toes, To Head To Track Wednesday

Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) winner Authentic and five other horses running in Saturday's Preakness (G1) arrived at Pimlico Race Course at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday evening after a flight from Louisville, Kentucky.

Authentic, the favorite in Saturday's 145^th running of the Preakness, was joined by the 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver, Blue Grass (G2) winner Art Collector, Haskell (G1) runner-up Ny Traffic, Mr. Big News, third in the Kentucky Derby, and Thousand Words, a late scratch from the Derby.

Trainer Bob Baffert, trainer of Authentic and Thousand Words, joined his horses on the flight to Baltimore and the van to Pimlico.

“They actually traveled really well. I came on the horse plane and hadn't done that for 18, 19 years,” Baffert said. “Thousand Words was fine. Authentic was pretty ramped up because he worked yesterday so he had an off day and he was pretty wild. He looks at everything. He was dragging me around here when he got off the van, He's definitely not tired. He's a good feeling horse. He sees things before you do so you have to be on your toes at all times.”

Authentic and Art Collector are expected to head to the track at approximately 8:30 Wednesday morning.

Swiss Skydiver will attempt to become only the sixth filly to win the Preakness, the first since Rachel Alexandra in 2009.

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Preakness Favorite Authentic, A Book 3 Yearling, Was Worth The Wait

A connection formed with 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify has yielded 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Preakness (G1) morning-line favorite Authentic.

Starlight Racing bought into partnerships that were racing Justify, Grade 1 winner Audible and this year's top older horse Improbable before subsequently purchasing yearlings with another partner, SF Bloodstock. During the first year together buying young horses, SF and Starlight picked up Authentic for $350,000 at the Keeneland 2018 September sale.

The patience that was involved with the purchase of Authentic has been rewarded. The colt, now racing for Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Starlight and Madaket Stables, has won five of six starts, earned over $2.8 million and tops the field of 11 entered in the Saturday's 145th Preakness (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. Authentic and Thousand Words, both trained by Bob Baffert, are part of a group of Preakness runners that shipped from Kentucky to Baltimore late Tuesday afternoon.

Given the name Authentic by his breeder, Peter Blum, the son of top sire Into Mischief, was not viewed as one of the potential stars of the Keeneland sale, which front-loads talent in its massive catalogue. Jack Wolf, who manages Starlight with his wife, Laurie, recalled that the bloodstock advisors during the initial year of the buying partnership spotted Authentic and were willing to wait for him to reach the ring.

“We didn't buy him until Book 3,” Wolf said. “At the time, the first group of yearlings that we bought we had Donato Lanni, Frankie Brothers, Henry Field doing the short-list work. All three of them liked the horse, especially Frankie and Donato.”

Audible was the last of the 19 colts purchased by SF/Starlight for a total of $9,315,000. Thirteen of the others cost more than Authentic. The partnership purchased its 18th yearling, Ragtime Blues, in the fifth session of the sale and had to wait three days until Authentic, Hip No. 2,616, came to the ring.

“He is typical of the type of horse that those guys look at and buy,” Wolf said. “It's the conformation, the balance. Secondly, would be the pedigree, although this horse has a wonderful pedigree. They look for athletes. Of course, all the horses go to Bob Baffert and Donato has been working with him for years. I don't think Bob was around for Book 3, but Donato knows what Bob likes.”

SF and Starlight are listed as the buyers, but Madaket, managed by Sol Kumin; Fred Hertrich; John Fielding and Golconda Stables, were aboard when Authentic broke his maiden in his debut at Del Mar last November. After he rolled to two stakes wins during the winter in California, Spendthrift Farm stepped up to buy a controlling interest in the colt. Madaket and Starlight stayed in as racing partners. Spendthrift, which owns the breeding rights, sold a piece of its stake to Myracehorse.com, the company that markets in micro shares of horses.

Authentic ended up second to Honor A.P. in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his first start for the Spendthrift-led partnership, then won the Haskell (G1) in July and handled Belmont Stakes (G1) winner and heavy favorite Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby.

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Improbable’s Awesome Again Win Moves Him To The Front In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

A third straight Grade 1 victory has put Improbable in the driver's seat of the handicap ranks heading into the November 7 Breeders' Cup Classic as the son of City Zip takes over the lead in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, and SF Racing, Improbable moved to the forefront of the race for divisional honors when he captured the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes by 4 ½ lengths on Sept. 26. That victory earned the 4-year-old chestnut colt 28 first-place votes and 354 points in the poll, knocking his stablemate Maximum Security out of the top spot.

Since opening his 2020 campaign with a runner-up finish in the April 11 Oaklawn Mile Stakes, Improbable has reeled off top-level wins in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Whitney, and Awesome Again Stakes.

“Improbable is getting really good,” Baffert told the Santa Anita Park publicity team on Sunday. “He's got a lot of Grade 1s on his resume, he's filled out, matured, and Drayden (Van Dyke) rode a great race, just sat back there early on.”

Champion Maximum Security finished second in the Awesome Again Stakes, halting a six-race win streak. The 4-year-old bay colt dropped to second overall in the poll with 3 first-place votes and 277 points.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma (3 first-place votes, 246 points) is third followed by Tom's d'Etat (2 first-place votes, 228 points) and champion Monomoy Girl (1 first-place vote, 195 points).

Multiple graded stakes winner By My Standards remains sixth with 153 points followed by champion Midnight Bisou (139 points) and Tiz the Law (108). Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (99 points) and multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (71) round out the top 10.

Authentic, who is also trained by Baffert, continues to head up the NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll ahead of his expected run in the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Into Mischief notched 23 first-place votes and 356 points this week and was installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Preakness.

Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law continues to hold in second with 14 first-place votes and 347 points while Grade 2 winner Art Collector – the 5-2 second choice on the Preakness morning line – remains in third with 269 points.

Kentucky Oaks runner-up and Preakness entrant Swiss Skydiver moves up one spot to fourth with 176 points followed by the recently retired Honor A. P. (162 points) and Thousand Words (149).

Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil sits seventh with 116 points with Preakness entrant Max Player (96 points) in eighth. Grade 1 winner Gamine (90 points) and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News (62) complete the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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