AUTHENTIC was confirmed as the world’s best three-year-old for 2020 at the Longines Racing Awards, held online for the first time at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket this week.
Bob Baffert’s Into Mischief colt sealed the deal with a brilliant performance to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, earning him a rating of 126, having scooped the Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Haskell Stakes earlier in the season.
Authentic has been retired to stand at Spendthrift Farm, which is one part of a large group of owners which also includes Myrachorse Stable, a micro investment platform, which has owners in every state in America and over 20 countries around the world.
Speaking at the online ceremony, via video link at his California home, Baffert said: “Authentic was just getting better and better and better. He had a lot of speed and he could carry a mile and a quarter effortlessly.
“It takes a really good horse to win the Derby and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“It’s just an honour to be involved in this. Racing is all about bragging rights so to have a horse as good as this is what it’s all about.”
The leading European three-year-old in 2020 is Palace Pier who burst onto the scene at Royal Ascot where he got the better of Pinatubo and Wichita, having only won a handicap off a mark of 98 at Newcastle on his previous start.
However, it was the John Gosden-trained colt’s performance in the Jacques Le Marois that earned him top billing. Palace Pier powered clear with the filly Alpine Star, the pair of them finishing five lengths clear of Circus Maximus at Deauville.
Tiz The Law (125) was rated level with Palace Pier on account of his five-and-a-half-length win in the Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga, while the Japanese horse Contrail was a clear fourth, having won the Triple Crown and with his only defeat coming to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup.
The Irish-born In Swoop, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, earned a rating of 122 for his neck second to Sottsass in the Arc, which was level with the best achievements of Pinatubo (win in the Prix du Moulin) and Kameko, whose Joel Stakes win is rated better than his 2000 Guineas success.
Best of the Irish colt classic generation was Mogul, who was deemed to have achieved a rating of 121 on two occasions: winning the Grand Prix de Paris and Hong Kong Vase.
Armory was next best following his big run in the Irish Champion Stakes – third to Magical and Ghaiyyath – while Derby winner Serpentine was rated at 120, the same assessment given to Breeders’ Cup Mile scorer Order Of Australia.
Fillies
There was a three-way tie for the best three-year-old filly with double classic winner Love rated 122, alongside the American-trained fillies Gamine and Swiss Skydiver.
Gamine, also trained by Baffert, achieved that mark on three separate occasions: in the Acorn Stakes, Test Stakes and then on her final run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Love hit the 122 mark twice for her impressive wins in the Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, but wasn’t seen again after winning the latter. On Wednesday Aidan O’Brien confirmed her to be on track for the start of the season, with the Tattersalls Gold Cup a potential early Group 1 target, pending nice ground.
Kenny McPeek’s Swiss Skydiver was at her best when becoming only the sixth-ever filly to win the Preakness Stakes. Both she and Gamine will race again as four-year-olds this year.
Jessica Harrington’s Alpine Star (119) was joint next best on the list of three-year-old fillies following top-class performances to win the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and then push Palace Pier close in the Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Both the Japanese filly Daring Tact, third to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup, and Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil were deemed to have achieved the same level with their best performances.
The only other Irish fillies to make the list were Cayenne Pepper (Blandford Stakes) and Champers Elysees (Matron Stakes) who both earned marks of 115.