Derby, Breeders’ Cup champ Authentic named 2020 Horse of the Year

By Jan 28, 2021, 9:53 PM EST
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Bob Baffert’s 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic was named the 2020 Horse of the Year in a virtual ceremony for the 50th Eclipse Awards on Jan. 28.

He also took home the Champion 3-Year-Old Male crown. Authentic was retired to stud at Spendthrift Farm in November of 2020. When he raced, he was trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, ridden by John Velazquez and owned by a partnership between Spendthrift, Madaket Stables, Starlight Racing and MyRacehorse Stable, a website that lets racing fans purchase microshares of racehorses.

Swiss Skydiver, who overtook Authentic to become the sixth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, won Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.

Whitney and Awesome Again winner Improbable picked up the award for Older Dirt Male, beating out Vekoma and the infamous Maximum Security. Improbable was most recently second to his Baffert stablemate Authentic in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Breeders’ Cup Distaff champ Monomoy Girl won in the Older Dirt Female category. The 6-year-old mare is unbeaten in her four starts since returning from an 18-month layoff. Her trainer Brad Cox won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer.

Essential Quality, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his third start ever, was named Champion 2-Year-Old Male. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist was the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.

Old man Whitmore won the Male Sprinter division after finally claiming the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in his fourth try. Baffert’s youngster Gamine was Champion Female Sprinter.

Bill Mott’s Channel Maker was Champion Male Turf Horse, and Chad Brown’s Rushing Fall won the female division.

Irad Ortiz Jr. threepeated in the Outstanding Jockey category, and Alexander Crispin took home Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.

WinStar Farm was named Outstanding Breeder, and Godolphin won Outstanding Owner.

2020 Eclipse Awards Finalists (winner in bold):

Horse of the Year: Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl

2-Year-Old Male: Essential Quality, Fire At Will, Jackie’s Warrior

2-Year-Old Filly: Aunt Pearl, Dayoutoftheoffice, Vequist

3-Year-Old Male: Authentic, Nadal, Tiz the Law

3-Year-Old Filly: Gamine, Shedaresthedevil, Swiss Skydiver

Older Dirt Male: Improbable, Maximum Security, Vekoma

Older Dirt Female: Midnight Bisou, Monomoy Girl, Serengeti Empress

Male Sprinter: Vekoma, Volatile, Whitmore

Female Sprinter: Gamine, Glass Slippers, Serengeti Empress

Male Turf Horse: Channel Maker, Order of Australia, Zulu Alpha

Female Turf Horse: Audarya, Rushing Fall, Tarnawa

Steeplechase Horse: Moscato, Rashaan, Snap Decision

Owner: Godolphin, Klaravich Stables, partnership of Spendthrift Farm, MyRacehorse Stable, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing

Breeder: Calumet Farm, Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Brad Cox

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Joel Rosario, John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey: Luis Cardenas, Yarmarie Correa, Alexander Crispin

The Eclipse Awards are named for Eclipse, a legendary 18th-century British racehorse who went 18-for-18 in his two-year career. His pedigree married two of the three Thoroughbred foundation stallions—the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian—and Eclipse can be found deep in the pedigrees of many of today’s racehorses.

Preakness winner National Treasure has final workout for Belmont Stakes

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 2:01 PM EDT
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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NEW YORK — Preakness winner National Treasure breezed five furlongs in his final workout for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes this weekend.

Working on the main track at Belmont Park with exercise rider Erick Garcia aboard, National Treasure was timed in 59.55 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven furlongs in 1:25.20. It was the second workout on the track for the Bob Baffert-trained colt.

“He worked very well this morning,” said Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s top assistant. “It’s a big track and you can find yourself lost out there. Erick did an excellent job working him and now we’re just waiting for the race.”

National Treasure was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby before the Preakness on May 20.

Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Red Route One also posted his final work for the final jewel of the Triple Crown, breezing a half-mile in 50.20 seconds over Belmont Park’s dirt training track.

“I thought he went beautiful,” said Toby Sheets, Asmussen’s Belmont-based assistant. “It was nice and fluid and he came back with good energy. I’m very happy with him. We wanted to be out on the track before it got really busy.”

Red Route One finished fourth in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course, almost five lengths behind National Treasure.

Kentucky Derby winner Mage is not running in the Belmont Stakes.

Churchill Downs moves meet to Ellis Park to examine protocols following 12 horse deaths

Associated PressJun 2, 2023, 6:39 PM EDT
churchill downs
Michael Clevenger and Erik Mohn/USA TODAY NETWORK
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Churchill Downs will suspend racing and move the remainder of its spring meet to Ellis Park in order to conduct a “top-to-bottom” review of safety and surface protocols in the wake of 12 horse fatalities the past month at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

No single factor has been identified as a potential cause for the fatalities or pattern detected, according to a release, but the decision was made to relocate the meet “in an abundance of caution.”

“What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in Friday’s release. “We need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols.”

Racing will continue at Churchill Downs through Sunday before shifting to the CDI-owned racing and gaming facility in Henderson, Kentucky. Ellis Park’s meet was scheduled to start July 7 and run through Aug. 27 but will now expand with Friday’s announcement.

Ellis Park will resume racing on June 10.

The move comes a day after track superintendent Dennis Moore conducted a second independent analysis of Churchill Downs’ racing and training surfaces as part of an emergency summit called this week by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with the track and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Meetings took place in Lexington, Kentucky, and at the Louisville track.

The head of the federally created oversight agency suggested ahead of the summit that it could recommend pausing the meet and that Churchill Downs would accept that recommendation.

Churchill Downs’ release stated that expert testing raised no concerns and concluded that the surface was consistent with the track’s prior measurements. Even so, it chose to relocate “in alignment” with HISA’s recommendation to suspend the meet to allow more time for additional investigation.

“We appreciate their thoughtfulness and cooperation through these challenging moments,” HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus said in a statement. “We will continue to seek answers and work with everyone involved to ensure that horses are running safely at Churchill Downs again in the near future.”

Carstanjen insisted that relocating the remainder of the spring meet to Ellis Park would maintain the industry ecosystem with minor disruption. He also said he was grateful to Kentucky horsemen for their support as they work to find answers.

Rick Hiles, the president of Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, questioned the move, especially since there’s no conclusive evidence that Churchill Downs’ surface is the problem.

“We all want to find solutions that will improve safety for horses,” Hiles said in a statement. “However, we need to discuss allowing trainers and veterinarians to use therapeutic medications that greatly lessen the risk of breakdowns.

“Drastic steps, such as relocating an active race meet, should only be considered when it is certain to make a difference.”

The latest development comes a day after Churchill Downs and HISA each implemented safety and performance standards to address the spate of deaths.

HISA will conduct additional post-entry screening of horses to identify those at increased risk for injury. Its Integrity and Welfare Unit also will collect blood and hair samples for all fatalities for use while investigating a cause.

Churchill Downs announced it would immediately limit horses to four starts during a rolling eight-week period and impose ineligibility standards for poor performers. The track is also pausing incentives, such as trainer start bonuses and limiting purse payouts to the top five finishers instead of every finisher.