Two of his big three may have changed, but for trainer Bob Baffert it is business as usual as he continues to prepare for an unusual 2020 Kentucky Derby. “I don’t have much information to give until next week when I decide,” he said Monday when he was asked about plans this summer for Authentic, Uncle Chuck and Cezanne…
It’s the first week in June, a time when Thoroughbred racing usually finds out if there’s a Triple Crown champion to celebrate and anoint. Until COVID-19 became a part of everyday life. Yet even a pandemic could not derail the Triple Crown, though it surely led to some more stops along the way before the sport arrives at the first Saturday in September, when the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) will be contested at Churchill Downs…
Charlatan worked five furlongs Monday morning in 1:00.80 at Santa Anita Park, but it will still be a week more before Bob Baffert makes the call on his next race spot. Baffert initially began considering Charlatan for the June 20 Woody Stephens (G1) when he still had another unbeaten 3-year-old, Nadal on target for the Belmont Stakes that same day in New York…
Each week members of the media around the country vote on the nation’s top contenders on the Triple Crown trail in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Find out the latest 2020 top 3-year-old rankings below…
Preview: Starlight Racing managing partner Jack Wolf discusses Charlatan and Authentic, the partnership’s two Kentucky Derby prospects trained by Bob Baffert, looks back on their historic Triple Crown win with Justify and more.
Authentic, Charlatan and Nadal: with apologies to Alexandre Dumas, call them The Three Bafferteers. Each horse is trained by two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert, each horse is undefeated, and each horse has never even been in a photo finish in a combined 10 career starts. They have swash-buckled their way across the track, outdueling their foes while compiling $1,751,400 in earnings, and are among the top 10 in Kentucky Derby qualifying points, Nadal leading with 150, Charlatan fourth with…
When the balance of power shifts anywhere, one side or another usually makes a move to regain equilibrium. It’s the way of the world, the yin and the yang of natural order. In Avengers, a film based on Stan Lee characters from Marvel Comics, a guy named Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D., acts to save the earth from an outside threat by recruiting a bunch of superheroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor. There’s a self-named version of…
The man of the hour, Bob Baffert, who won both halves of the Arkansas Derby and who arguably has the 1-2-3 top Derby choices, joins the TDN Writers’ Room.
Making the Grade, which will run through the 2020 Triple Crown races, focuses on the winners or top performers of the key races, usually from the previous weekend, who could make an impact on the Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win classic races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey), and pedigree. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve was shifted from its…
There were several places Chris Mara would rather have been this past Saturday other than at his home in Florida riding out the COVID-19 crisis. Two places in particular. In order: Churchill Downs or Oaklawn Racing and Casino Resort in Arkansas. Outside of his family, Mara, the Giants senior vice president of player personnel, has three loves in life. In order: The Giants, horse racing and golf. In a perfect world, Mara — who has ownership interests in race horses…
