Authentic holds off Ny Traffic to win $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J. — Authentic held off a late charge from Ny Traffic to win a thrilling edition of the 53rd TVG.com $1 million Haskell Stakes by a nose Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Authentic, who was the 3-5 favorite, led wire-to-wire in the 1⅛ mile race for 3-year-olds and gave Baffert his record-extending ninth Haskell.
It was a great day all-around for Monmouth Park as it had a record handle for a non-Breeders' Cup day of $20,479,392 for the 14-race card.
The record handle was achieved despite restrictions for on-track attendance due to COVID-19 guidelines.
The overall handle from all sources surpassed the previous non-Breeders’ Cup record of $20,024,509 set on Haskell Day on Aug, 2. 2015, when Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, also trained by Baffert, won the Haskell in his first race since he broke the 37-year drought.
It is only the second $20 million handle for a non-Breeders’ Cup program in Monmouth Park’s 75-year history.
The handle on the simulcast signal was $19,907,901 and $571,491 on track.
Dr Post, the 9-5 second choice in the betting under 13-time Monmouth Park riding champion Joe Bravo, was a non-threatening third. He was 4½ lengths behind the first two.
“I’m just so proud of (Authentic),'' Baffert said on the NBC broadcast after the race. "He looks at everything and I could tell he wasn’t focused going down the stretch. But he held on. He saw that horse coming to him and he took off again.''
The winner paid $3.20 and the 2-7 exacta paid $15.80
Authentic led through fractions of 23.60, 47.52 and 1:11.50 with Ny Traffic, under six-time Monmouth riding champion Paco Lopez, chasing him.
"He’s a colt with an abundance of talent,'' said winning rider Mike Smith, who won the Haskell for the third time and first time since 1998. "Ability is something he does not lack. He’s got a lot of it."
Smith, a Hall of Famer, let Authentic out a notch turning into the stretch. The lead was 2½ lengths at the top of the stretch as Smith had not yet hit the son of Into Mischief.
“He kicked away like I wanted him to heading for home,'' Smith said.
However, Ny Traffic, who was the 5-1 third choice, came charging at Authentic in the final sixteenth as Authentic appeared to be weakening while the 4,000 or so fans who were allowed to attend the race under the severe attendance limitation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, roared.
"Once that horse (Ny Traffic) started to come at him I wanted to get into him a little bit just to get him going,'' Smith said.
Smith finally got into Authentic as the wire neared. The wire came up just in time for Authentic, who will likely be no worse than the third choice in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 behind Belmont Stakes winner Tiz The Law and Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P.
"If he was going to start playing again I thought, 'I just better stay riding and hope he could hang on at that point’ – which he did," Smith said.
"He saw that horse coming to him and he took off again,'' Baffert said. "(Assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes) said he came back, he wasn’t that tired. We’re learning about the horse; he might need a little blinkers.''
Just past the wire, Lopez thought he had one of the biggest wins of his career
“I was sure I got him – 100 percent,'' Lopez said.. "I can’t believe it. I’m surprised we didn’t win. I really thought we got him.”
The Haskell, like his defeat in the Santa Anita Derby, left the question of whether Authentic, who is now 4-for-5 for his career, can get the 1¼ mile distance of the Derby.
“He was playing in the stretch, I’m telling you,'' Baffert said. "I told Mike (Smith), 'You have to stay after him, because he looks … you got to keep him busy.' I can tell he wasn’t laying it down. He was just playing out there.''
"I rode him well past the wire just to show him to keep running,'' Smith said. "I didn’t want him to think it was over when he hit the wire.''
"At the quarter pole, you could see Authentic was cruising and my horse was off the bridle,'' said Ny Traffic trainer's Saffie Joseph Jr. "To dig down and dig deep you can’t be more proud of that.''
The Haskell Stakes was one of two Grade I races remaining before the Kentucky Derby is run on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Derby was moved from its traditional spot on the first Saturday in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authentic received 100 of the 170 points at stake toward the Derby. He is now second on the Derby points list with 200 points, 72 behind Tiz The Law.
Ny Traffic, who was also second in the Louisiana Derby and Matt Winn Stakes in his two previous race, received 40 points toward the Derby. He is now third on the points list with 110.
Dr Post received 20 points and moved into sixth on the list with 80 points.
The top three finishers are safely in the Derby field.
Jesus' Team was fourth and received his first 10 points for the Derby.
Under the traditional scheduling, the Haskell would have been the first Grade I race for 3-year-olds after the Triple Crown series of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
The pandemic resulted in the entire schedule for the Triple Crown series being changed. The Belmont was run on June 20 around one turn at 1⅛ miles, instead of its traditional 1½ miles around two turns.
Tiz The Law, who is being pointed toward the Grade I Travers on Aug. 8 at Saratoga, won the Belmont. The Preakness is Oct. 3. at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.