Authentic, Monomoy Girl add exclamation marks to their Horse of the Year bids

The Horse of the Year debate is arguably down to two serious contenders after the 37th Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland Race Course, and one of the candidates holds a slightly more impressive resume than the other.

Authentic put a huge exclamation mark on his bid, going gate to wire to win one of the deepest Classics in years by 2 1/4 lengths, giving Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his first win in the race in 20 tries.

But trainer Bob Baffert was not about to anoint his 3-year-old colt Horse of the Year. He preferred to leave that to the Eclipse Award voters.

“If I had a vote I would tell you my vote, but my vote means nothing,” said Baffert, who won two Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland to run his career total to 17 — three behind all-time leader D. Wayne Lukas’ 20. “He better be in the conversation because what we saw yesterday was pretty impressive.”

Then there’s the feel-good story of Monomoy Girl, who missed all of 2019 because of a mild bout with colic and a pulled gluteal muscle before returning for her 5-year-old campaign and winning all four of her starts, including Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff by 1 3/4 lengths in possibly the final start of a 15-race career (13 wins).

She was shipped to the Fasig-Tipton sale Sunday morning, where she was still scheduled to be sold later that evening. But if she sells, will the new owners elect to race her in 2021 or retire her as a broodmare?

“I really have no clue what’s going to happen,” her trainer, Brad Cox, told reporters the morning after he won a record-tying four Breeders’ Cup races, matching Richard Mandella’s feat in 2003 at Santa Anita when the Breeders’ Cup was a one-day event (1984-2006). “We’ll have to wait and see.

“There’s a possibility, depending who buys her, maybe we’ll see her again this year, and maybe again next year. It’s going to be exciting. It’s almost like two days of the Breeders’ Cup, and now we have to go through this with her.”

And about her Horse of the Year candidacy?

“She’s done nothing wrong,” Cox said. “There are obviously some other very good horses out there that have accomplished a lot this year and yesterday. That’s up to the voters.”

A quick look at the scorecard shows Authentic with five victories in seven starts this year, including three Grade I stakes. Monomoy Girl was spotless in four starts, but only two came in Grade I events. That could make the difference, along with the fact Authentic won the Kentucky Derby in a topsy-turvy year.

Whetever the result, the 40-year-old Cox is one of the favorites to be voted the Eclipse Award as top trainer of 2020, though he didn’t want to talk too much about the possibility.

“It would be unbelievable if it happened,” he said. “It would be an amazing accomplishment. You think about, maybe some day, right? But we’ll see what happens.”

Cox said he went into the weekend thinking he could win maybe two of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, but never dreamed he’d wind up with a quartet. But after his fourth with Monomoy Girl, he knew he’d tied the record and he also was cognizant of the fact Mandella was the first to turn the trick.

“I’m a huge fan of racing, I’m not just in the business,” he said. “I love racing. I’ve kept up with it since I was a youngster. Really, growing up, Breeders’ Cup weekend and (Kentucky) Derby weekend, Preakness and Belmont weekend, those are highlights that I can look back on the tremendous horses that won those races and remember almost where I was while watching the races on television.”

Now Cox is a part of that rich history.

BREEDERS’ CUP HIGHLIGHTS

Some highlights from the 37th World Championships at Keeneland Race Course:

Top jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr, who rode two winners, won his third consecutive Bill Shoemaker Award as top rider.

Top trainer: Brad Cox tied Richard Mandella’s record of four victories at one Breeders’ Cup.Classic winner: Authentic went gate to wire to give trainer Bob Baffert his fourth win in the $6 million race, all with 3-year-olds.

California dreamin: Two SoCal-based horses won Breeders’ Cup races — Authentic and Gamine in the Filly and Mare Sprint, both trained by Baffert.

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