Authentic filly wins Hilltop S. in black type debut

Coach Mazzula got the lead soon after the start of Friday’s $125,000 Hilltop S. and led the rest of the way to give the 3-year-old Authentic filly her first stakes win in her added-money debut.

Using her customary early turn of foot, Coach Mazzula made the lead in the first sixteenth and was up one length after a half-mile in :48.89. On the final turn, she kicked away and was up two lengths at the top of the stretch. In the final furlong, she dug in gamely to hold off the late charge of Ultimate Love, who wound up a head behind the winner at the wire.

“I thought looking at the race she should go, and it was a matter of if she could hold them off,” said trainer Brittany Russell. “That is how she likes to run. I think [jockey Javien Toledo] got her to go easy early and speed has been good on this turf course. It gave us some confidence. She is a good training filly, and she likes to run along free.”

Never worse than third in seven lifetime starts, Coach Mazzula is 3-2-2 and has earned $163,750 for Madaket Stables, LLC. The chestnut filly was bred in Kentucky by Reitman Stables LLC.

Authentic, whose 2026 fee is $15,000 S&N, is a top-five Third Crop Sire this season. Among his six stakes horses this year is The Hell We Did, who is entered in Saturday’s Preakness S. (G1). The Hell We Did, a Peacock Family Racing Stable homebred, was second in Keeneland’s Lexington S. (G3) in his most recent start.