Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic (Into MIschief–Flawless, by Mr. Greeley) has been retired to Spendthrift Farm, where he will stand for a fee of $75,000 S&N, the farm announced Monday morning, two days after his Classic win. He arrived at Spendthrift at around 10 a.m. Monday, led off the van by his trainer Bob Baffert, who proclaimed, “There he is. The best horse in America.”
“Authentic is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse, and Mr. Hughes is very proud that we are able to share him with 5,300-plus MyRacehorse owners through what has been an incredible run,” said Ned Toffey, General Manager of Spendthrift. “That alone made this decision different and very difficult. Ultimately, we just felt there wasn’t a lot more to accomplish for a Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, so we have made the decision to retire Authentic to stand alongside his champion sire Into Mischief. We believe in the sire line and feel Authentic is a big part of its future. It is very rare that you come across a 3-year-old as well-bred, talented and accomplished as Authentic. We cannot wait to see his contributions to the breed, and we’re thrilled to continue his journey with all of the 5,300 MyRacehorse owners from the racetrack to the breeding shed.”
Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic (Into MIschief–Flawless, by Mr. Greeley) has been retired to Spendthrift Farm, where he will stand for a fee of $75,000 S&N, the farm announced Monday morning, two days after his Classic win. He arrived at Spendthrift at around 10 a.m. Monday, led off the van by his trainer Bob Baffert, who proclaimed, “There he is. The best horse in America.”
“Authentic is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse, and Mr. Hughes is very proud that we are able to share him with 5,300-plus MyRacehorse owners through what has been an incredible run,” said Ned Toffey, General Manager of Spendthrift. “That alone made this decision different and very difficult. Ultimately, we just felt there wasn’t a lot more to accomplish for a Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, so we have made the decision to retire Authentic to stand alongside his champion sire Into Mischief. We believe in the sire line and feel Authentic is a big part of its future. It is very rare that you come across a 3-year-old as well-bred, talented and accomplished as Authentic. We cannot wait to see his contributions to the breed, and we’re thrilled to continue his journey with all of the 5,300 MyRacehorse owners from the racetrack to the breeding shed.”
Baffert spent several minutes parading him for the dozen or so socially-distanced media outlets gathered on the blacktop outside the stallion barn before bringing Authentic over to see Spendthrift’s owner B. Wayne Hughes. Baffert told him that he had brought the Breeders’ Cup blanket of flowers for both Gamine and Authentic to Spendthrift.
Authentic punctuated a likely championship 3-year-old and potentially Horse of the Year campaign with a decisive 2 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $6-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland under jockey John Velazquez, defeating six other Grade I winners in 1:59.19, the fastest Classic time since Ghostzapper in 2004.
By leading general sire Into Mischief, Authentic became his sire’s most accomplished horse to date, moving his earnings to $6,191,200 with his sixth win from eight starts. Along with the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, Authentic scored victories in the GI TVG.com Haskell S., GII San Felipe S. and GIII Sham S., and was runner-up in the GI Preakness S. and GI Santa Anita Derby in his lone defeats in 2020. Authentic was a winner in his only start at two at Del Mar nearly a year ago to the date.
Bred in Kentucky by Peter Blum, Authentic is out of the Mr. Greeley mare Flawless, a ‘TDN Rising Star’ who was a $4.1 million RNA at Sunday night’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Authentic was campaigned by Spendthrift, MyRacehorse, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables.
“This was the plan,” said Toffey of Authentic’s retirement. “We bought into Authentic back in March and this was what we hoped we would have at the end of the year. In the horse business, plans don’t always come together the way you would like, but this was just a dream scenario for us. We couldn’t be happier with his career and to have him here at Spendthrift and in February, he will start breeding mares and we’re looking forward to his second career.”
Authentic joins not only his sire at Spendthrift, but Into Mischief’s sons Goldencents and Maximus Mischief.
“We’ve got a number of sons of Into Mischief,” said Toffey. “Into Mischief has just been the horse of a lifetime for us, and to add what now you’d have to call his best son to our stallion roster, we just couldn’t be prouder to do it. A lot of the mares that would work with Into Mischief would also work with Authentic, and Authentic has now done enough that you can justify breeding that caliber of mare to a horse like that.”
Toffey was asked to compare Authentic physically to his sire.
“Into Mischief tends to stamp them,” said Toffey. “Early on, you saw a lot Into Mischiefs that were smaller, more compact, more sprinting-type horses. Now as the quality of his book has improved, you’re starting to see these bigger, scopier mares, and that type of physical.”
Authentic, he said, “is a different type physically. He’s leggier, stretchier. If he were a human, he’d be a guy who’s 6’4 and lean and plays wide receiver, where Into Mischief would play fullback.”
Toffey said that the farm had started to receive calls as early as March, but hadn’t put any mares on his book until he was officially retired. Still, he said, “the response has been overwhelming and his book will be full in a day or so.”
Due to gathering restrictions brought on by COVID-19, Authentic will be available for inspection by appointment only.
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