Authentic

Call it the year of authentication. After sealing his giddy rise with a first sires' championship last year, Into Mischief has retained his title in 2020 with spectacular ease. Indeed, while several of his predecessors have required a single outstanding earner to elevate them above their rivals, this most remarkable of stallions would have secured the laurels even without the $7.17 million banked by a son on the point of formal anointment as Horse of the Year. As it is, we can instead treat his latest champion, Authentic, as immediate...

Brendan Walsh joined this week's TDN Writers' Room with his undefeated star Maxfield set to return in the Tenacious Stakes this weekend after a 7-month layoff.

Welcome to our annual survey of covering options in Kentucky for the forthcoming breeding season. As usual, we'll start with the rookies and work our way through the preceding intakes, before trying to eke out some value among the more established stallions. A wholly subjective exercise, clearly--so apologies if your fellow doesn't make our "value podium." Every farm is understandably sensitive about the reputation of its stallions, for whom opportunity can be so fleeting and about whom fashions can swell or fade on the flimsiest grounds. We'll do our best...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks. JUSTIN CASSE Authentic (Into Mischief), $75,000, Spendthrift Farm  The easy answer to this is Authentic, based on the obvious. His connections, his accomplishments in the summer and fall, as well as his sire. He's the leader of the pack in...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks. AIDAN O'MEARA, Stonehaven Steadings  Authentic (Into Mischief), $75,000, Spendthrift Farm  The horse we're most excited about this year is a bit of an obvious one, but it has to be Authentic. His sire has developed into the preeminent sire of...

Presumptive Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief) has been voted the Secretariat Vox Populi Award winner by horse racing fans. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the award annually recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the general public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing. Winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Authentic bested nominees Monomoy Girl, Swiss Skydiver, Tiz the Law and Whitmore. All five nominees were selected by the Vox Populi committee and presented to thousands of voters in...

Coady Photography will donate 25% of all sales in December of its 2021 calendar honoring 2020 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Authentic (Into Mischief) to Old Friends Equine. The calendar is currently on sale for $30 and can be purchased at www.coadyphotography.com. "Coady Photography couldn't think of a better cause to support than Thoroughbred retirement and Old Friends," Kurtis Coady said. "We are excited to help. The 9"x12" wall calendar features Coady pictures, some never before seen, from both the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill...

Two-year-old sensation and 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will likely make his next start in the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita, reports trainer Bob Baffert. The one-mile event carries a purse of $100,000. "If all is going well, it looks like the Sham will be his next race," Baffert said. "It will give me a chance to stretch him out. Then I will decide on what's next and look at races like the Rebel at Oaklawn." Owned by WinStar Farm and the China...

Business is booming at Spendthrift Farm. The once-defunct stallion station has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence in the past decade, thanks in large part to a superstar stallion, a deep-pocketed owner and the steady hand of an experienced general manager. Ned Toffey has seen it all since B. Wayne Hughes purchased Spendthrift in 2004, and he joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Toffey talked about the explosive growth of the farm, what makes Into Mischief special,...

Spendthrift Farm's General Manager Ned Toffey joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to talk new sire Authentic, recent purchase Monomoy Girl and the farm's thriving operation.

The announcement last week that GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup winner and likely Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief) had been retired was disappointing, but very much expected. It would have been nice to see him run another year, but it was never going to happen. From the business side of the sport, there was no other call, not when you have a son of super sire Into Mischief who will stand for $75,000 and likely go to 200-plus mares. Unless there is a seismic shift in...

Voting for this year's Secretariat 'Vox Populi' Horse of 2020 Award is now underway online at Secretariat.com or AmericasBestRacing.net. Created by Secretariat's late owner Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or "Voice of the People," award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year. Fans can vote on one of five nominees selected by the award's committee, or choose a write-in option, through Nov. 30. The nominees are: GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic...