LEXINGTON, Ky. — There's something about Bob Baffert and the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland.
But then you could say there is something about Baffert and pretty much any race anywhere as the trainer won his fourth Breeders' Cup Classic as Kentucky Derby winner Authentic wired the field to win Saturday's $6 million, Grade 1 race by 2 1/4 lengths ahead of runner-up Improbable, also trained by Baffert. Global Campaign, trained by Stanley Hough, finished third.
Owned by B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse.com, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing, and ridden by John Velazquez, Authentic paid $10.40, $5.40 and $4.20. Improbable paid $4.80 and $3.20. Global Campaign paid $8.80 to show.
In 2015, the only other time the Breeders' Cup has been held at Keeneland, Baffert won the Classic with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. That was the second of three successive Classic victories for the 67-year-old trainer, sandwiched between Bayern in 2014 and Arrogate in 2016.
After winning his first three career starts, Authentic finished second in the Santa Anita Derby, before rebounding to win the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth on July 18. The son of Into Mischief gave Baffert his sixth Kentucky Derby victory with his win at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5. A month later, Authentic finished second to Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness at Pimlico on Oct. 3.
"We were really disappointed after the Preakness, we were surprised by his race," Baffert said Saturday. "He's been working really well. He's just been getting better and better."
This Classic field had shaped up as particularly strong with Improbable, winner of three consecutive Grade 1 wins coming into Saturday; Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes and the Travers; and Maximum Security, who had won three straight races in 2020 before finishing second to Improbable in the Awesome Again. Tiz the Law finished sixth. Maximum Security, a 4-year-old also trained by Baffert, finished fifth.
"I've won it with 3-year-olds because this is the time of the year they catch up," Baffert said. "I was sort of surprised at the tote board that (Authentic) was 5-to-1. He won the Kentucky Derby and it's not like he ran a bad race in the Preakness."
Baffert has credited Velazquez's ride for this year's Kentucky Derby, and Saturday the jockey did put his horse in the perfect position, right on the lead.
"I didn't think there was that much speed in the race," Velazquez said. "We tried to take advantage of it and put him on the rail. He concentrated around the whole racetrack."
It was the first Breeders' Cup Classic win for the 48-year-old jockey who has over 6,000 career victories.
"I've been chasing this race for a long time," he said afterward.
The victory also capped off a terrific year for Authentic's ownership group, especially Spendthrift Farm and MyRaceHorse.com.
"It's been an unbelievably surreal year," said Eric Gustavson, president of Spendthrift Farm. "To say the horse has brought a lot of light and joy and distraction is an understatement. To win the Kentucky Derby and the Classic in one year with a 3-year-old, is just too much."
"It's been an amazing year," said Michael Behrens of MyRaceHorse.com, which has sold micro-shares in the horse. "For 5,314 people to have an ownership in Authentic, I can't ask for anything better."
Meanwhile, it has been an up-and-down year for Baffert, whose horses have failed four known drug tests over the past six months. Before coming to the Breeders' Cup, Baffert released a statement saying, "Given what has transpired this year, I intend to do everything possible to ensure I receive no further medication complaints."
After winning the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Sprint on Saturday with Gamine, Baffert said, "I thought I was running a tight ship, but now I've got to run a tighter ship."
Then Authentic cruised around the Keeneland track to give Baffert his 17th Breeders' Cup win, just three behind all-time leader D. Wayne Lukas, who has 20.
"I told Johnny this is the horse you rode in the Kentucky Derby," Baffert said.
Now Authentic is the horse that won the Breeders' Cup Classic.
