Authentic was an Eclipse Horse of the Year, a Kentucky Derby winner, a Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, and never worse than 2nd in his career. He also won his only juvenile start going just 5-1/2 furlongs at Del Mar, and was good-looking enough to make $350,000 as a Keeneland September yearling from the “Avengers” group and trainer Bob Baffert. As a son of the four-time leading sire Into Mischief (also a five-time leading juvenile sire), whose early sons at stud have already had plenty of success, Authentic appeared to have everything going for him as a stallion prospect when he retired to Spendthrift Farm for an initial fee of $75,000.
Now, the foals conceived off of that initial stud fee are a month away from becoming 2YOs, and Authentic continues to lead all his contemporaries. After his first weanlings averaged $230,000 (for 13 sold) in ‘22, this year he had no fewer than 92 of his yearlings sell at auction for a whopping average of $285,033, led by individuals that brought $900,000, $875,000 (x3), $800,000 (x3), $725,000, $700,000, $585,000, $525,000, $500,000, etc, and from some very astute judges including “the Avengers” group who campaigned Authentic himself, Klaravich, White Birch, Whitehorse, West Point, Whisper Hill, China Horse Club, Mike Ryan, Donegal, Starlight, Amo Racing, Kenny McPeek, Live Oak Plantation, etc. They have consistently been described as classic-looking Into Mischief types, which is exactly what you’d expect given Authentic’s own leggy, scopey, powerful physique.
Of course, these Authentic foals still have to go out and prove themselves on the racetrack in the coming months. But in an industry where a breeder has to try to guess at what the market is going to want about two years before bringing a horse to a sale, Authentic continues to look like the closest to a “sure thing” that one can find in an unproven stallion. As such, we think that he offers value heading into the 2024 breeding season at his advertised fee of $50,000, and he ought to be a perfect fit for the young broodmare Boogie Baby.
Firstly, Into Mischief and his sons have had excellent results when mated with mares by Boogie Baby’s sire Speightstown, including G1Ws Mia Mischief and Mischevious Alex among ten total stakes winners from just 57 runners. (And the cross of Into Mischief and his sons with mares by Boogie Baby’s broodmare sire Maria’s Mon has produced a pair of stakes winners from just 20 foals bred that way.)
And then on physicals, the strapping, leggy, lengthy Authentic should be a perfect choice to help stretch out the more medium-sized Boogie Baby and produce an offspring that will be all the rage at the sales when Authentic inevitably crushes it with his first runners in 2024!