“Every time I asked him to give more, he kept fighting on,” Velazquez said. I thought I got a hot setup and I wanted to be just behind that and that's where we were. More favored horses kept attacking and Medina Spirit kept running, and at the end he held off Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie to win. Hot … He got him ready to run off the Louisiana Derby effort. “I kept waiting for horses to pass him. Medina Spirit. I thought we'd see what happens. This horse, the way he ran, I didn't know he had it in him. The seventh win breaks Baffert’s tie with Ben Jones, whose Derby winners included Whirlaway and Citation. Not since Mr. Ed has a horse been so perceptive. In 1998 Real Quiet also won the Derby and Preakness. Returning to its rightful place on the first Saturday in May, the end result was the same: Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and John Velazquez teamed up to win the Run for the Roses. He's better than you think.”, MANDALOUN Trainer Brad Cox, (Second): “He ran huge. Baffert has now saddled seven winners of the Kentucky Derby (Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), War Emblem (2002), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015), Triple Crown winner Justify (2018), and Authentic (2020)), more than any other trainer in history. MEDINA SPIRIT (USA) is a bay colt. Jockey Luis Saez guided juvenile champion Essential Quality forward to take up sixth on the far outside, as much as five paths off the rail down the backstretch. “I was looking for the one horse that had the speed last time,” said Velasquez, referring to Rock Your World. Proud of both horses. The roar of even the smaller crowd of 51,838 beneath the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., sounded louder than ever, after the global pandemic forced the delayed 2020 edition of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby to be held without spectators on Sept. 5. The result also concludes a tale worthy of a glitzy sporting documentary remake for Gail Rice, Medina Spirit's breeder. “That little horse has got a heart,” Baffert said. Silver Charm came within a length of winning the Triple Crown, losing to Touch Gold in the Belmont. “You couldn’t ask for more of a horse. He has been a sports columnist for newspapers since 1980 and a professional sportswriter since 1974. Get $300 Risk Free . In this 147th edition, the horse was the bargain buy Medina Spirit ($26.20), owned by Derby first-timer Amr bin Fareer bin Mohammed bin Zedan. “It was like he was telling me, ‘I’m better than you think I am,’’’ Bob Baffert said. We got out of position from there and it was a tough trip to overcome in a race like the Derby.”, DYNAMIC ONE Jockey Jose Ortiz, (18th): “Didn't fire.”, SOUP AND SANDWICH Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, (19th): “We got away from the gate good but he faded late.”, MEDINA SPIRIT Trainer Bob Baffert, (First): “This little horse coming in here, he's always shown he's an overachiever. Medina Spirit won the G3 Bob Lewis Stakes in late January of 2021. We got a great trip. He ran a good race and I'm very thankful for Robertino (Diodoro) for being so loyal to us.”, HELIUM Jockey Julien Leparoux, (Eighth): “I got him in a good spot out of the break and he just flattened.”, KNOWN AGENDA, Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., (Ninth): “We made a move on the backside but just sort of flattened.”, HIGHLY MOTIVATED Jockey Javier Castellano, (10th): “We got into a good spot but just didn't fire.”, SAINTHOOD Jockey Corey Lanerie, (11th): “I couldn't have gotten into a better spot but he just didn't have enough to get it done.”, LIKE THE KING Jockey Drayden Van Dyke, (12th): “He didn't really handle the dirt.”, BOURBONIC Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, (13th): “I just never could get a good run at them.”, HIDDEN STASH Jockey Rafael Bejarano, (14th): “I didn't want to try and get him out of his rhythm too soon but when I needed to go he was just flat.”, BROOKLYN STRONG Jockey Umberto Rispoli, (15th): “He broke a little slow out of the gate but he tried.”, SUPER STOCK Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., (16th): “Didn't have it today.”, ROCK YOUR WORLD Jockey Joel Rosario, (17th): “It was pretty much over after the break. Maybe that’s the definition of a maestro. This horse, he was by Protonico, who was a good horse." Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks for Sunday, May 2 Medina Spirit was bred in Florida by Gail Rice, mother of Eclipse Award finalist Taylor Rice (apprentice jockey) and mother-in-law to top jockey Jose Ortiz, out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa. And even though Medina Spirit had two firsts and three seconds in his previous races, and even though he wore the Baffert brand, he was a 12-1 choice. No harm, no foul. “We got out of position.”. SUPER STOCK Trainer Steve Asmussen, (16th): Couldn't be reached for comment. His heart is bigger than his body. He was leaning out on the far turn and Luis (Saez) said he was shying away from the other horses. Medina Spirit opened at 100-1 last December in the Derby futures in Las Vegas. “It was pretty much over after the break,” Rosario said. Medina Spirit returned $26.20, $12 and $7.60 for a $2 wager. His dam, Mongolian Changa, was a $9,000 yearling purchase by Gail’s former husband, trainer Wayne Rice. “We talked about it over and over,” Velazquez said. “Here, I just really enjoyed myself. pic.twitter.com/1YPo3DRTJZ, — Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 1, 2021, MANDALOUN Jockey Florent Geroux, (Second): “He absolutely ran his heart out. He's so cool. MEDINA SPIRIT went from being an unfancied £723 purchase – to a world-beating £1.4MILLION Kentucky Derby winner. John Velazquez, right, rides Medina Spirit ahead of Florent Geroux aboard Mandaloun to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Louisville, Ky. Doug O’Neill’s colt finished third, a length behind. “Ron Anderson (Velasquez’s agent) told me that if Medina Spirit improves two points on the sheet, he could win this thing,” Baffert said. “I cannot believe he won this race,” the trainer said. I'm so proud of him. Horse racing-Medina Spirit delivers trainer Baffert record seventh win at Kentucky Derby. If he comes back OK, we'll go to the Belmont.”. You have heard of outsiders, longshots and runners defying the odds. This might be the place to mention that Baffert has now won seven Derbys, including three of the past four, and four of the past seven, and that one of the most sacred laws in sports holds up again: Beware the champion underdog. Amid a hail of torn-up tickets at Churchill Downs Saturday, the skeptics came around. He is a hell of a lot better.”. Johnny Velazquez is unbelievable. The $1,000 yearling also already has earned more than $180,000 over his $35,000 price in a 2-year-olds-in-training sale. He's a phenomenal horse.”, MIDNIGHT BOURBON Jockey Mike Smith, (Sixth): “We simply missed the break.”, KEEPMEINMIND Jockey David Cohen, (Seventh): “I have to be proud of his effort. The son of Protonico cost just $1,000 as a yearling, and Zedan purchased him for $35,000 as a 2-year-old. Medina Spirit isn’t the typical high-priced talent with a fancy pedigree in Baffert’s California barn. '”, “Every time I asked him to give more he kept fighting on,” Velazquez said. Mark can be reached at mwhicker@scng.com or mwhicker03@gmail.com. Medina Spirit wins over the horse racing world, including his record-setting trainer ... Silver Charm’s yearling price was $16,500 and Real Quiet’s was $17,000. You don't want to be happy with seventh, but we are.”, HELIUM Trainer Mark Casse, (Eighth): “He finished mid-pack but just wasn't good enough.”, KNOWN AGENDA, Trainer Todd Pletcher, (Ninth): “He never got into position. “You couldn't ask for more of a horse. Mandaloun and Florent Geroux, rebounding off a flat sixth-place effort in the Louisiana Derby, were hardly disgraced in second, while Hot Rod Charlie fought all the way to the wire as well to finish third, beaten just a length. The jockey was John R. Velazquez, four time Derby winner born in … You're in there a long time. And know for sure that he'll be back.”, ESSENTIAL QUALITY Trainer Brad Cox, (Fourth): “He didn't get the greatest trip as he was wide around both turns. Always put at least a fivespot on a Bob Baffert horse with something to prove. The mare failed to produce milk when Medina Spirit was first born, and Rice had to turn to her only other broodmare, Scribbling Sarah, for assistance. He was moving so comfortably around the turn and we got in the perfect spot to make a run at the leaders. Essential Quality made his move as well, making it a four-wide rush across the track from the eighth pole. Her colt, the future Medina Spirit, was sent to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Winter Mixed Sale, bringing just one bid for the bottom-dollar price of $1,000. Medina Spirit was bred in Florida by Gail Rice, Figure Makers: How Speed Ratings Are Created. PaulickReport.com is published by Blenheim Publishing LLC, 3070 Lakecrest Circle, Suite 400-292, Lexington, KY 40513. 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