Authentic’s Rodriguez dominates Wood Memorial (G2)

Rodriguez earned his first stakes win and assured himself a starting spot in next month’s Kentucky Derby (G1) with a powerhouse performance in Saturday’s $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct.

The 3-year-old Authentic colt led the entire 1 1/8-mile trip, turning back several challenges through six furlongs, then drawing off with authority in the stretch to win by 3 ½-lengths under a hand ride.

The final time of 1:48.15 on a fast track earned Rodriguez a Beyer Speed Figure of 101, among the highest of any 3-year-old on the Triple Crown trail.

“He’d been training like he was going to do something like that,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the winner. “I’ve always been very high on him. He’s just had some rough trips here in California. I knew the added distance would be a big factor for him. I thought he’d love stretching out and going a mile and an eighth.”

Mike Smith told me he wanted a super live one and I said, ‘Man, I’ve got a good one for you.’ He rode him beautifully. The horse looked great; he looked like Authentic. He won like a good horse. It was very impressive.”

Baffert won both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with Authentic during his  2020 Horse of the Year campaign.

Rodriguez had placed in both the San Felipe S. (G2) and Robert B. Lewis S. (G3) earlier this year at Santa Anita. The dark bay colt is now 2-2-1 in five starts and has earned $522,800 for the partnership by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.

Rodriguez was bred in Kentucky by Kingswood Farm and David Egan. He sold to his owners for $485,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling sale.

Authentic, who is currently in second on the Second-Crop sire list behind Vekoma, is also the sire of Westwood, who finished third in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby (G1).