Honor A. P., Authentic tune up for Santa Anita Derby

Saturday was supposed to be the day Authentic and Honor A. P. took their places in the starting gate at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. Instead, the highly-promising 3-year-old colts worked at Santa Anita over the weekend in preparation for the rescheduled Santa Anita Derby on June 6.

Honor A. P. worked five furlongs in 1:00 on Saturday, a day before Authentic went the same distance in 1:00.40.

With the Kentucky Derby postponed until Sept. 5, and the series of national prep races largely undefined as of now, trainer John Shirreffs has opted for a patient approach with Honor A. P., who finished second to Authentic in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 7 at Santa Anita.

Honor A. P. had his stakes debut in the San Felipe and his first start since October. He has had seven workouts since the San Felipe.

“I thought it was a good work for him,” Shirreffs said of Saturday’s exercise. “He went five-eighths and at the half-mile pole he got a little company. It was an excellent work.”

Authentic and Honor A. P. were expected to run in the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4, but the track was closed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on March 27 when it was deemed a nonessential business due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The track is scheduled to reopen for racing on May 15, without spectators, although track officials need final approval from county officials to proceed. Approval could occur this week, but the absence of a definite decision has weighed on the backstretch community, Shirreffs said.

“It’s a strong maybe,” he said of the mood regarding a May 15 restart. “That’s how everyone feels.”

The rescheduled Santa Anita Derby will have a purse of $400,000. The purses of nine stakes from May 16 to closing day on June 21 will be reduced because of the loss of wagering dollars caused by the closure.

“I hope to be running in the Santa Anita Derby,” Shirreffs said. “We’ve got lots of time.”

With the Kentucky Derby at the end of the summer instead of the middle of spring, Shirreffs acknowledges that the traditional racing calendar has radically changed for trainers preparing leading 3-year-olds.

“It’s a whole different story this year,” he said. “This leaves the race open for a lot of different horses.”

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Authentic, trained by red-hot Bob Baffert, is unbeaten in three starts. He won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile in January in his stakes debut.

Baffert’s 3-year-old division is in brilliant form. The stable swept the two divisions of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday with top 3-year-olds Charlatan and Nadal.

Authentic had his fourth workout since late March on Sunday. Authentic had one workout in April, a half-mile breeze in 51.20 seconds on April 27.

Baffert described Authentic’s workout on Sunday as “fantastic.”

“He did that in a high gallop,” Baffert said.

Baffert said Authentic should benefit from an early spring break forced by the cancellation of racing at Santa Anita.

“I didn’t know if we would run anywhere,” Baffert said. “He’s a late foal. It helped him. I could see he started to fill out a little bit.

“Of the three of them, he’s the most immature.”

McKinzie, Midcourt work

Baffert and Shirreffs worked two of their leading older horses Sunday.

McKinzie, 11th in the $20 million Saudi Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 29, worked a half-mile in 47.80.

Midcourt, third as the 7-10 favorite in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, worked a half-mile in 49 seconds.

McKinzie, a six-time stakes winner who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita last November, has had two workouts since he returned to training following a brief rest after the Saudi Cup. McKinzie worked a half-mile in 49.40 on April 27.

“I freshened him and he put his weight back on,” Baffert said Sunday. “Today, we let him do a little more.”

While Baffert said there are no race plans for McKinzie, Shirreffs is planning to start Midcourt in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita at 1 1/4 miles on June 6.

Hard Not to Love, winner of the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in December and the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes in January, is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes, a $200,000 race for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on May 31, Shirreffs said.

Hard Not to Love was second to Ce Ce in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on March 13 at Santa Anita. Ce Ce later won the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park last month.

On Saturday, Hard Not to Love worked five furlongs in 1:01.