Authentic lands first winner

Horse of the Year Authentic, tabbed as one of the top prospects in this year’s freshman sire class, got his first winner on May 31, as Adeera dueled and drove clear for a 3 3/4-length victory in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden at Churchill Downs.

Authentic is by five-time reigning leading sire and emerging sire of sires Into Mischief, and stands alongside his sire at Spendthrift Farm. Authentic never finished worse than second in eight starts while earning more than $7.2 million, highlighted by victories in the 2020 Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic to earn championship honors.

Last year, Authentic’s first yearlings averaged $285,033 from 92 sold, against an advertised stud fee of $75,000, the highest in that year’s incoming stallion class in Kentucky. This year, his 34 2-year-olds sold are averaging $157,068, led by a $1 million colt purchased by Resolute Bloodstock out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale of 2-year-olds in training.

In North America, 2-year-old racing begins in early April, and Authentic is one of 13 Kentucky freshmen to record at least one winner through May 31. Complexity (Airdrie Stud) and Thousand Words (Spendthrift Farm), both graded stakes-winning juveniles themselves, have sired three winners each; Complexity, whose biggest win came in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, leads the earnings list.

Honor A. P. (Lane’s End Farm) and Vekoma (Spendthrift) have each sired two winners, while Caracaro (Crestwood Farm) is the first in the class with a stakes winner, Kentucky Juvenile heroine West Memorial. Other Kentucky stallions in the class with winners thus far are Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law (Ashford Stud), Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run (Gainesway), Grade 1 winners Echo Town (Ashford), Gift Box (Lane’s End), and Instilled Regard (Taylor Made Farm), and graded stakes winners Instagrand (Taylor Made) and Shancelot (Buck Pond Farm).

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