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Preakness Next Stop For Authentic: ‘We Want To Give Him Every Opportunity’

Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing's Authentic, upset winner of Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1), and beaten favorite Tiz the Law could be headed for a rematch in the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning that Authentic emerged from his front-running 1 1/4-length triumph in good shape and would remain in Kentucky with fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas to prepare for the Preakness, presented this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all three Triple Crown races were rescheduled and the order adjusted starting with the Belmont (G1), typically the final leg, from June 6 to June 20. The original dates for the Derby and Preakness were May 2 and May 16, respectively.

“I couldn't believe it. I thought he'd be a little tired, but the track was in really good shape and it was fast and he got over it really well,” Baffert said. “They were planning on leaving tomorrow for California but being that the Preakness is a few weeks away, I thought it might be a little too hard for him to go back.

“We'll just run him out of here,” he added. “If he's working well and all is going well, then he'll go to the Preakness. We want to give him every opportunity.”

Baffert said that 2020 Robert B. Lewis (G3) and 2019 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) winner Thousand Words is also being pointed to the Preakness. Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift's Thousand Words flipped in the paddock after being saddled for the Derby and was scratched.

“We're planning on sending both if they're doing well,” Baffert said. “He didn't even have a scratch on him. He fell on his side, so we were fortunate.”

Authentic won the Sham (G3), San Felipe (G2) and Haskell (G1) and was second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) this year. The Kentucky Derby was the first time in six career starts that the bay Into Mischief colt didn't go off as the favorite.

That role was filled by Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, who had been unbeaten during his 3-year-old season with wins in the Holy Bull (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park over the winter, the Belmont and most recently the 1 1/4-mile Travers (G1) Aug. 8 at Saratoga.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law got within a head of Authentic with a quarter-mile to run but was never able to get by. Tiz the Law's only two losses in eight starts have come at Churchill; he was third by less than a length over a sloppy track in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall.

“I haven't seen a speed figure but it sounds like he bounced a little bit off the big Travers effort, and Barclay has a question that maybe he just really doesn't like the racetrack,” Sackatoga managing partner Jack Knowlton said Sunday. “Watching him finish, he said he was kind of swimming a little bit maybe coming down the stretch. But, he ran the race that we were looking for. He got the trip. [Jockey] Manny [Franco] gave him a great ride and he just didn't beat one horse. There's no shame in running second in the Kentucky Derby.”

Knowlton said Tiz the Law is scheduled to fly back to Belmont Park on Tuesday. While he is leaning toward going on to the Preakness, the final decision will come after talking to Tagg and ultimately will rest with the horse.

“He ran good and came out of it great. I was over at the barn this morning and all is well,” Knowlton said. “I'll have that discussion with Barclay and we'll take a little time to see. My thinking is that we will, but we'll have the horse dictate what's going to happen. Certainly that would be my preference but we've just go to see how he comes out and see how he works when we have the next work in a couple weeks. We'll have time for a couple works.”

Trainer Bret Calhoun said following the Derby that Mr. Big News, who ran third at odds of 46-1, was likely headed to Baltimore. Mr. Big News earned an automatic berth in the Preakness by virtue of his victory in the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Three horses that were scratched from the Derby the week of the race are also being pointed to the Preakness – Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner King Guillermo, Blue Grass (G2) and Ellis Park Derby winner Art Collector, and Finnick the Fierce, third in the Arkansas Derby (G1) who beat Tiz the Law by a head when second in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Among other potential Preakness horses are Mystic Guide and Dr. Post, respectively first and fourth in Saturday's Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga; Manitoba Derby winner Mongolian Wind, entered in Monday's Gold Cup Stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg; Lebda, winner of the Miracle Wood and Private Terms at Laurel Park over the winter and most recently third in the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes Aug. 28 at Charles Town; Pneumatic, last out winner of the Pegasus Stakes Aug. 15 at Monmouth Park and fourth in the Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; and the Baffert-trained Azul Coast, winner of the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 15 at Golden Gate and second to Authentic in the Sham.

The $100,000 Federico Tesio Monday at Laurel Park is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Preakness. Happy Saver, undefeated in two career starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, is the 1-2 program favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Preakness prep.

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Fanticipate Launches With Tiz The Law Items For Auction To Benefit Charity

Fanticipate, an online marketplace that allows athletes, teams, and leagues to offer unique experiences and items for their fans to bid on before an event starts, launches its first auction for the 146^th annual Kentucky Derby.

Competitors (sellers) are officially verified through Fanticipate to provide unique and authentic items or experiences desired by the fans (buyers), who are competing to win the fan engagement of a lifetime. This process gives the seller the ability to increase fan loyalty, brand identity, and create a lasting relationship with their fans. Additionally, Fanticipate offers a platform for competitors to create a new revenue stream for themselves, their team, or their favorite charity, giving the competitor complete control over the proceeds. Since the auction takes place ahead of the event itself, fans who win the bid have the rare experience of watching their prized items being used in the event before taking a piece of the action home.

“Fanticipate is excited to launch our online marketplace just in time for the 146^th Kentucky Derby, so we can elevate the fan experience in new and novel ways,” said Jim Chiapetta, Co-Founder of Fanticipate. CEO and Co-Founder, Ed Blach, added, “Fanticipate gives fans who have an appetite to compete and be a part of the action, the ability to do so. During a time when there are fewer fans in the stands, this new form of engagement allows spectators to feel the excitement from home, and we look forward to building on this concept for all of our future events.”

Items available through the 146^th Kentucky Derby auction include:

Famed racehorse Tiz the Law's horseshoe
A Zoom call with Jack Knowlton, the Operating Manager of Sackatoga Stable
Halters worn by 2020 Kentucky Derby competitors and other history-making racehorses

Many of the current sellers will be giving back to the community and donating their proceeds to charities, such as Race for Grace and Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm. All items purchased at the auction have the potential to increase in value based on the outcome of the event, providing unique opportunities for fans to experience high-level events with newfound engagement and increased anticipation. While the Kentucky Derby is Fanticipate's current live auction, it is only the first of many sporting events that the company will feature, such as hockey and baseball.

For more information on Fanticipate or to view its live auctions, visit: www.fanticipate.com.

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Tiz The Law’s Only Loss Came At Churchill Downs, But Knowlton Says His Problem Wasn’t The Track

As Tiz the Law prepares to go to the post as the 3-5 favorite in tomorrow's Kentucky Derby, it's hard not to notice that his lone career loss came at Churchill Downs. If anything, Sackatoga Stables co-founder and operating manager Jack Knowlton says, he's feeling a little better about that this week.

“In many ways I think there's enough pressure now at the 3-5 favorite, but if you go into this race as an undefeated horse seven races in, that would be a little too much to bear,” Knowlton told media Thursday. “If you're going to lose one that was the one to lose.”

Knowlton referred to the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, in which Tiz the Law came third behind Silver Prospector and Finnick the Fierce. There was a lot going on for Tiz the Law in that race last November – he didn't break well and was stuck behind a slow pace, jammed in at the rail for most of the race.

“The jockeys here were race riding,” Knowlton. “They were doing what they were supposed to do, giving themselves the best chance to win.

“After the race, Manny Franco said it wasn't the track, it was the trip.”

Knowlton hopes that if anything, experiencing a trip that didn't go as planned has made the colt even tougher. It's safe to say most of this racing season has not gone as planned for horses or humans. One of many concerns for Tiz the Law's connections was the drawn-out nature of this year's road to the Derby, and whether he could remain in peak form long enough to make the Derby. Now, after a decisive Travers win and a Belmont Stakes victory, Knowlton thinks it's possible the longer timeframe makes Tiz the Law's accomplishments all the more impressive.

“Some people were concerned because it's only four weeks between the Travers and Kentucky Derby this year,” said Knowlton. “You look at the two works he had up at Saratoga and I think that question was answered. He's as sharp as he's ever been.”

If Tiz the Law is good enough to win both the Derby and the Preakness, Knowlton points out he will be just the second horse in Triple Crown history to win all three races plus the Travers. Whirlaway is the only one to manage it in 1941. Only American Pharoah and Affirmed have tried.

Having a good horse in this strange year has its drawbacks, though.

“Everything is different,” said Knowlton, who noted Sackatoga partners had to watch their G1 Florida Derby win from home. “It's frustrating to have a horse that's this kind of horse and turned into what he's turned into, and not be able to go to the race.”

In a small semblance of normalcy however, Knowlton said Funny Cide fans can again expect to see Sackatoga partners pouring out of a yellow school bus. In fact, to allow for social distancing, they're making the trip to Churchill in two of them.

Thanks to the National Turfwriters and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), which has assembled a group of pool reporters providing independent reporting to members unable to be on the Churchill Downs grounds this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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Tiz the Law Owner Fights Off Leukemia, Makes It To the Derby

Roger Sofer won’t be at Churchill Downs Saturday to cheer on Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GI Kentucky Derby, but he will be at home, watching, hoping and rooting for a horse he co-owns along with 31 other partners in the Sackatoga Stable syndicate. He’s not complaining

Back in mid-March, right before the GI Florida Derby, Sofer got the chilling diagnosis that he had leukemia. He vowed to beat the disease but knew the odds were against him and he didn’t know what the next few months would entail.

“Roger is a fighter,” said Jack Knowlton, who heads the Sackatoga team.

The fighter is still standing, and he will make it to Kentucky Derby day.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” the 70-year-old Houston resident said. “It’s just a very slow process and I am tired all the time. But I’m not complaining.”

Sofer exercised regularly and kept his weight down, so he wasn’t too worried when he developed a rash in March. He had it checked out and the news was devastating. The doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center told him that he had a rare and aggressive form of leukemia and there was no known cure for what he had. They gave him a year.

“It was staggering,” he said. “I woke up with a skin rash and there was nothing else wrong with me. I am someone who works out six days a week, and has weighed the same for 40 years. Turned out it was leukemia.”

He began treatment immediately, undergoing chemotherapy seven days a week. He was let out of the hospital just in time to watch the GI Florida Derby, getting home about an hour before the race.

The Sackatoga family had already endured one tragedy. In October, Tiz the Law partner Bruce Phillips passed away. Sofer vowed that his story would not end the same way.

“I am looking forward to beating the brains out of this thing,” he said.

At least he had something to take his mind off of his illness. When Tiz the Law won the Florida Derby and Sofer vowed that not only would he attend the Kentucky Derby he would bring the doctor from MD Anderson who had helped him through his ordeal. If not for COVID-19, those would have been goals he would have met. Then there was the GI Belmont S. and then the GI Travers S. Sofer watched them all from home from what became his lucky television and wearing the same clothes every time.

“Tiz has been great because he gives me something else to think about,” Sofer said. “The Houston press has been really good to me. My story has been in the papers here quite a bit. They got all the clippings up in the unit at the hospital, so everybody there knows my story and everybody there is rooting for Tiz.”

It wasn’t just the horse. He said Knowlton and the other Sackatoga partners have always done whatever they could to keep his spirits up.

“Roger is a tremendously caring guy,” Knowlton said. “He’s a huge, huge supporter of horse aftercare. I can’t say enough good things about Roger, and we were all really saddened by the situation he was in. We’re hopeful the treatment will be successful and he’ll be back with us watching the races next year.”

Sofer was born in Queens and had been a lifelong fan before deciding to go into ownership. He bought a few horses on his own and went in on a some others with the team at Hidden Brook Farm. He met Knowlton in 2008 and decided to give Sackatoga a try after watching the stable’s Doc N Roll (Wheelaway) win the Cab Calloway S. for New York breds at Saratoga.

“To be involved with Tiz the Law you never think you’re going to get lucky like we’ve gotten lucky with this guy. It’s dream,” he said.

While Sofer was hanging in, his doctors were still concerned and told him that he would die if not getting a bone marrow transplant. With his son acting as the donor, Sofer got the transplant July 2, 12 days after Tiz the Law won the Belmont. He’s convinced that the transplant has allowed him to turn another corner.

“We are going for the cure,” he said. “They don’t want to just make you feel better. They’re in the cure business here at MD Anderson.”

He is now receiving treatment just three days a week as an out patient and is not currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“The heavy lifting has been done,” Sofer said. “Thank God, I am doing well.”

His goal now is to stay that way.

“I really believe I’m going to beat these thing,” Sofer said. “I don’t know if I’m going to beat it for 20 years. But, overall, if I can just stay normally healthy I’m going to be around long time.”

Which might mean watching Tiz the Law win a Triple Crown or have another standout season next year. Being part of a once-in-a-lifetime horse and winning a battle against leukemia, Sofer has come to believe that anything is possible.

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