No Triple Crown will be awarded in horse racing this year. Authentic made sure of that with an emphatic victory over heavily-favored Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby, held without spectators for the first time Saturday at Churchill Downs. Authentic, who ran from the No. 18 post at 8-1 odds, completed the 1 1/4-mile course in a blistering 2:00.61, the fastest time clocked by a Derby winner since Monarchos in 2001. Tiz the Law, a 3-5 betting favorite coming off convincing wins at the Travers and Belmont Stakes, ran out of gas late, finishing 1 3/4 lengths out of the lead. Mr. Big News (46-1) claimed third place with Honor A.P. (7-1) taking fourth.
Authentic, who was not in attendance for June’s Belmont Stakes (the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown), gave legendary trainer Bob Baffert his sixth career win at the Derby and his third in the last five years following victories in 2015 (American Pharoah) and 2018 (Justify). For John Velazquez, Saturday marked the veteran jockey’s third triumph at the Kentucky Derby following wins atop Animal Kingdom and Always Dreaming in 2011 and 2017 respectively. Authentic was Baffert’s only horse in the Derby after Thousand Words (10-1) took a nasty fall minutes before the race was set to start. The three-year-old colt avoided injury, but was ultimately scratched.
Saturday’s Derby proceedings were not without controversy as hundreds of protestors gathered outside Churchill Downs, demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police in an incident that drew national attention earlier this year.
The difference Saturday may have been fresh legs as Tiz the Law looked noticeably sluggish coming off his Travers victory only a month earlier. Authentic, on the other hand, had not raced since the Haskell Invitational in June. Saturday’s runner-up represented Tiz the Law’s first defeat since coming in third at the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November.
The final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown, which is being run out of order this year due to the coronavirus, will be staged October 3th at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
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