Authentic Breezes Bullet Ahead of Preakness Bid

Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic finalized his major preparation for the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes (G1) with a half-mile in :47 3/5 Sept. 28 at Churchill Downs, the fastest of 37 at the distance.

With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, Authentic worked at 7:30 a.m. ET through splits of :12 1/5, :24, and :36 over the fast track. The Into Mischief  colt continued to gallop out around the turn and clocked five furlongs in 1:00. He completed his work with a six-furlong gallop out time of 1:13 2/5.

"He's such an amazing horse," Garcia said following the work. "He worked awesome. I've worked a lot of nice horses for trainer Bob Baffert in California and this horse is just as special. He's doing amazing for the Preakness."

Baffert was on hand in Louisville Monday to watch Authentic’s final move along with staff members from Spendthrift Farm.

"He went well," Baffert said. "He was in hand the whole way, so we're happy with him. He looks healthy. He looks great. He's put some weight on. He's shiny."

"It looked like he went in :50," Spendthrift Farm’s stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker said. "He is very smooth."

Authentic is scheduled to fly from Louisville to Baltimore on Tuesday along with a host of other local Preakness contenders heading to Pimlico Race Course.

Among the other Preakness contenders based at Churchill Downs is George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player. The Kentucky Derby fifth-place runner worked an easy half-mile in :49 4/5 Monday for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Asmussen termed the work "a little leg-stretch," adding, "I like his energy."

Max Player is one of three Preakness entries for Asmussen, who also sent out Calumet Farm's Excession Monday at Churchill Downs for a half-mile breeze clocked in the same time as his stablemate. Excession has not raced since a close second-place finish in a division of the March 14 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

On the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course Monday, Asmussen-trained Pneumatic traveled a half-mile in :50 1/5. The Winchell Thoroughbreds runner won the Aug. 15 TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park last out.

"Pneumatic is doing extremely well since his win in the Pegasus," Asmussen said. "We're excited about getting him the opportunity at this level."