A roundup of the nonsense from yesterday's Kentucky Derby
ESPN:
Authentic dueled with Tiz the Law in the final turn and upset the heavy favorite to win the 146th Kentucky Derby
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Baffert tied Ben Jones for the most wins by a trainer.
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Baffert's other horse on Saturday, Thousand Words, acted up in the paddock, reared up and fell on his side shortly before post time. He was scratched by the veterinarians. Kathy Anderson, the on-call veterinarian at the Derby, said afterward that Thousand Words was returned to the stable area and was "cleared for service with not a scratch upon him" after being examined.
Baffert said his assistant, Jim Barnes, broke his arm trying to get a saddle on the unruly colt.
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Baffert later took a spill, too. In the winner's circle, the long ribbons hanging off the garland of red roses kept hitting Authentic's hind leg, agitating him, and in turn he knocked the trainer to the ground. Baffert had to be helped up.
NYT:
But the fact that Baffert is a Hall of Famer, one who was recently suspended by the Arkansas Racing Commission for 15 days and who vacated the victories of two of his horses after they tested positive for a banned substance, puts the seamier side of horse racing in the spotlight once more.
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The Arkansas violations were his 26th and 27th drug violations, according to public records compiled by the Association of Racetrack Commissioners International and the Thoroughbred Regulatory Rulings database maintained by the Jockey Club.
In addition, the Baffert-trained Justify failed a drug test after winning the Santa Anita Derby, nearly a month before the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Justify wound up winning the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont that year for the Triple Crown.
Authentic had
4200 "micro-owners":
The 1-year-old online app MyRacehorse.com has sold 12,500 shares of Authentic for $206 per share.
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His company, which he says is responsible for “the democratization of racehorse ownership,” has sold 70,000 shares in 47 horses in the last year and owns 12½% of Authentic. Some people buy only one or two shares, he said. Others buy more
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So how much will micro-owners get if Authentic wins the Kentucky Derby? It’s complicated.
