Charlatan stars in Arkansas Derby first division

May 02, 2020 by James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Charlatan confirmed himself as a star-in-the-making in Saturday’s first division of the $500,000 Arkansas Derby (G1), stamping his Kentucky Derby ticket with a dominant wire-to-wire decision. Now unbeaten from three starts, the Bob Baffert-trained colt rolled by six lengths in his stakes debut with new jockey Martin Garcia.

Favored at 1-5 among nine runners, Charlatan sprinted forward and gave his rivals no hope establishing fast fractions as the lone speed, posting opening splits in :22.88, :46.08, and 1:09.68 while up by a couple of lengths. The chestnut accelerated leaving the far turn, passing the mile in 1:35.33 with a widening advantage, and cruised home to finish the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:48.49.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby series qualifier was worth points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top four finishers. Basin chased Charlatan throughout in second, holding third-placer Gouverneur Morris by a neck on the wire. It was another three lengths to Winning Impression in fourth, and Anneau d’Or, Crypto Cash, Mo Mosa, Jungle Runner, and My Friends Beer came next under the wire.

Charlatan won by 5 3/4 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion at 6-furlongs when making his first career start at Santa Anita in mid-February, and he stretch out to two turns with a 10-length wire-to-wire romp over entry-level allowance foes on March 14. The scintillating front-runner registered respective Brisnet Speed ratings of 101 and 105, drawing comparisons to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, who also notched century-topping Speed numbers when making a belated 3-year-old debut in February.

Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Farm, Charlatan sold for $700,000 as a 2018 Keeneland September yearling. He’s by champion sprinter Speightstown, who has proved versatile as a sire, and Charlatan is out of two-turn specialist Authenticity, a multiple graded winner at distances up to 1 1/8 miles and third in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). Authenticity is by Quiet American, who is best known as the sire of 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, who was trained by five-time Kentucky Derby winner Baffert.

Charlatan is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet, Frederick Hertrich III, John Fielding, and Golconda Stables. 

“I can say I am really lucky to ride him,” Garcia said. “Mr. Baffert and the owners had a lot of choices. They pick me. I just did my job. (Charlatan) just took me to the winner's circle. They told me we were smoking. I went in 1:09, and he was just galloping. He did in all within himself. I felt someone coming at the three-eighths (pole) and I let him go. He just took off. That's a sign of a really good horse.”

Baffert swept both divisions of the Arkansas Derby, winning the second with unbeaten Nadal,