Authentic top contender for Horse of the Year | The Daily Gazette
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Authentic, Improbable and Monomoy Girl were named the finalists for the 2020 Horse of the Year Eclipse Award on Saturday.
Based on his victories in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic, Authentic looks like the likely winner when the Eclipse champions are announced on Thursday, Jan. 28, during a virtual ceremony that will be televised on TVG.
Trained by Bob Baffert, who is one of three finalists in his category, Authentic defeated stablemate Improbable by 2 1/4 lengths in the BC Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
Authentic was beaten in just two of his seven starts in 2020, second to Honor A. P. in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on June 6 and second by a neck to the filly Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness, which was rescheduled from May to Oct. 3 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Las Vegas
As if bloated takeouts, the dwindling horse population and the threat of footing the bill for federal oversight of the sport were not enough, racing has found a new way to put one over on horseplayers. Actually, it is an old way.
When jockeys Katie Davis and Trevor McCarthy got married the week before Christmas, that led the New York State Gaming Commission to dust off a rule that came from a time when we dreamed that it’s gonna make it that much better when we can say good night and stay together.
Rule 4025.10 (f) says “all horses trained or ridden by a spouse, parent, issue (“issue”?) or member of a jockey’s household shall be coupled in the betting with any horse ridden by such a jockey.”