THE Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Saturday were bookended by a couple of major wins for trainer Bob Baffert.

The more prestigious was undoubtedly Authentic’s win in the Classic, a race which showcased the three-year-old colt’s tough, front-running qualities, but Gamine’s success in the Filly and Mare Sprint was every bit as meritorious.

Authentic set sensible fractions, which is not to say that he had the race gifted to him as some have implied (96.4% finishing speed), and he was comfortably ahead of Improbable and the others by the line.

That equates to a rating of 125 with me, which is better than any European three-year-old has achieved in 2020.

It may not be better than anything Gamine has achieved, however. Her win earlier on the card came by six and a quarter lengths over 117-rated Serengeti Empress and in a good time.

But Gamine’s successes earlier in the season in the Test Stakes at Saratoga and (in particular) Acorn Stakes at Belmont might even have been better. At 126, I have Gamine the best of her age anywhere in the world in 2020 (so far).

The other older-horse races at the Breeders’ Cup went to Knicks Go (122), who ran fast in front and kept going in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Whitmore (121), in a slightly substandard Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Monomoy Girl (119), who did not have a great deal to beat in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff after Swiss Skydiver stumbled leaving the stalls.

Two-year-olds

The two-year-old races at Keeneland on Friday all produced high-quality winners but did not necessarily clarify the situation regarding the true pecking order in that age-group, especially with a slightly weaker-than-usual representation from Europe.

The main event, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, went to the unbeaten Essential Quality (120), who held off the outsiders Hot Rod Charlie (119) and Keepmeinmind (118), but this was a race run at a strong pace and the odds-on eventual fourth Jackie’s Warrior was the one who suffered most.

I still have the last-named on 125 for his impressive Champagne Stakes win at Belmont, which is the highest figure by a juvenile anywhere in 2020.

Vequist (120) won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, thereby reversing form with Dayoutoftheoffice (117) from the Frizette at Belmont. The 117-rated Princess Noor was a bit better than she managed to show here.

The European contingent came up short in the Turf races, but Battleground (113) did no harm to his reputation by finishing well into second behind Fire At Will (122) in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, with Cadillac (110) in fourth and Sealiway (107 here, trimmed to 121 in the Lagardere) fifth on this much firmer ground.

Aunt Pearl was a pretty good 117-rated winner from the front of a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in which Mother Earth and Miss Amulet (both 111) filled the places for Ireland.

The bare form does not do full credit to the win of Golden Pal in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, given how fast he went for much of the race and how far clear he was entering the closing stages before slowing to a mere 94.2% finishing speed.

He earns a sectionally adjusted 119 for this, with Ubettabelieveit (107) and Lipizzaner (102) in third and fourth.