Authentic, Art Collector take a tour of Old Hilltop

BALTIMORE – Authentic and Art Collector got a feel for the Pimlico track Wednesday morning for the first time as the days dwindle down toward the 145th Preakness.

Authentic (9-5) and Art Collector (5-2) are the two program favorites in a field of 11 3-year-olds for the $1 million Preakness, which will be run Saturday as the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown. Authentic, winner of the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, jogged an easy mile over a sealed, sloppy surface with Beto Gomez aboard and with trainer Bob Baffert watching from the gap at the top of the Pimlico homestretch. Art Collector, who missed the Derby with a minor injury, galloped 1 1/4 miles under Annie Finney.

Baffert, who will be looking to break a tie for most Preakness wins (seven) when running both Authentic and Thousand Words in the 1 3/16-mile race, said he is very happy with both colts.

“The main thing at this stage is you want your horses looking nice and healthy, and that’s what we’ve got,” he said.

:: Get DRF Betting Strategies for Pimlico’s Preakness Day card

Tommy Drury, trainer of Art Collector, was scheduled to travel here Thursday from Kentucky.

Authentic and Art Collector arrived here Tuesday evening as darkness fell after being flown from Louisville, Ky., into Baltimore-Washington International Airport on an equine charter. Four other Preakness starters were on the flight, along with numerous horses entered in races during the final three-day stretch of the brief Preakness meet. All 11 Preakness starters were here by Tuesday night.

“When Authentic got off that plane yesterday he was like a keg of dynamite,” said Baffert. “He has so much energy, that horse. He’s so full of himself.”

Swiss Skydiver, who will be the first filly to contest the Preakness since Ria Antonia was 10th in 2014, jogged before dawn Wednesday with jockey Robby Albarado up and prior to the track being sealed. Trained by Kenny McPeek, she will try to become just the sixth filly to win the Preakness, with the last two being Nellie Morse (1924) and Rachel Alexandra (2009).

Overnight showers resulted in the track being off early Wednesday, but no further rain is in the forecast for the coming days. Saturday is expected to bring sunshine and a high of 66.

:: Preakness 2020: Contenders, news, past performances, and more

As with the preceding two legs of the Triple Crown, no spectators will be on on hand Saturday because of the coronavirus pandemic. Only essential personnel, participants, and some guests and media will be allowed inside the Pimlico gates.

First post is 11 a.m. Eastern. The Preakness goes at 5:36 p.m. as the 11th of 12 races, with NBC providing television coverage from 4:30-6 p.m. The Preakness will anchor a terrific all-stakes card that also includes such major fixtures as the De Francis Dash (race 7) and the Black-Eyed Susan (race 10).

A potential sweep of the Triple Crown was eliminated when Tiz the Law, winner of the June 20 Belmont Stakes, finished second as the odds-on favorite behind Authentic in the Derby at Churchill Downs.