Authentic to race from stall nine in Preakness

Kentucky Derby winner well-fancied to follow up.

Kentucky Derby winner Authentic has been allotted stall nine of the 11 runners for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

The Bob Baffert-trained colt, ridden by John Velazquez, will bid to follow up his Churchill Downs success – having lowered the colours of Belmont Stakes scorer Tiz The Law there.

Authentic pleased connections in his final serious exercise at Churchill Downs on Monday morning, with jockey Martin Garcia aboard. He worked four furlongs in 47.60 seconds, and completed the six-furlong gallop in one minute 13.40 seconds.

“He’s such an amazing horse,” said Garcia.

“He worked awesome. I’ve worked a lot of nice horses for trainer Bob Baffert in California, and this horse is just as special. He’s doing amazing for the Preakness.”

Authentic is scheduled to fly from Louisville to Baltimore on Tuesday, along with other Preakness contenders.

Baffert also has Thousand Words, who was a late withdrawal from the Kentucky Derby. He will be in gate five on Saturday.

Also among Authentic’s rivals are Bret Calhoun’s Mr Big News, who was beaten three and a quarter lengths in third place in the Kentucky Derby. He has drawn gate two.

Art Collector, trained by Thomas Drury Jnr, has gate three. He missed the Kentucky Derby because of a foot problem.

Belmont Stakes third and Kentucky Derby fifth Max Player, trained by Steve Asmussen, is in gate eight – while stablemate Pneumatic, who was fourth in the Belmont, is in 10.

The filly Swiss Skydiver, trained by Kenneth McPeek, will start from stall four.

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