AUTHENTIC was named America’s Horse of the Year and Champion three-year-old at a virtual ceremony for the 2020 Eclipse Awards on Thursday.

Bab Baffert’s horse completed a Kentucky Derby - Breeders’ Cup Classic double, which was enough to gain him 224 votes in the category, with next best Monomy Girl way back on just seven votes.

The awards, voted for by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, were held at Authentic’s new home at his part owner’s Spendthrift Farm.

Standing at $75,000 for 2021, the colt is also owned by over 5,000 micro-share purchasers via MyRachorse.com, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight Racing.

His first Grade 1 win came in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July before he took the belatedly run Kentucky Derby at Churchill in September. He was turned over by Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness, but saved his best until last when seeing off stablemate Improbable in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Swiss Skydiver’s win over Authentic in the Preakness helped her to a comprehensive win in the Three-Year-Old Filly category. Kenny McPeek’s filly, a daughter of Daredevil, became only the sixth filly to win the Pimlico leg of the Triple Crown.

Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Tarnawa only just came off second best in the voting for the Female Turf Horse category – there were just nine votes between her and the winner Rushing Fall.

The Lope De Vega filly Aunt Pearl, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, was second best to Vequist in the Two-Year-Old Filly category, while the former Colin Kidd-trained Rashaan, who won a Grade 1 hurdle at Saratoga in August, was third in the Steeplechase Horse category.

Category winners and next bests (total votes):

Two-Year-Old Male

Essential Quality, 231; Jackie’s Warrior, 6

Two-Year-Old Filly

Vequist, 212; Aunt Pearl (IRE), 24

Three-Year-Old Male

Authentic, 236; Tiz the Law, 2

Three-Year-Old Filly

Swiss Skydiver, 218; Gamine, 20

Older Dirt Male

Improbable, 218; Knicks Go, 8

Older Dirt Female

Monomoy Girl, 234; Midnight Bisou, 4

Male Sprinter

Whitmore, 132; Vekoma, 83

Female Sprinter

Gamine, 219; Serengeti Empress, 13

Male Turf Horse

Channel Maker, 180; Zulu Alpha, 17

Female Turf Horse

Rushing Fall, 115; Tarnawa (IRE), 106

Steeplechase Horse

Moscato (GB), 155; Snap Decision, 28

Horse of the Year

Authentic, 224; Monomoy Girl, 7