SPIRITED CONTENDER

By BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred Medina Spirit held off stretch long chal- Sent to the post as the even money favorite among the six 3lenges from Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie to year-olds in the mile-and-one-sixteenth Robert B. Lewis, Medwin the $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (Grade 3) at ina Spirit, who is trained by six-time Kentucky Derby-winning Santa Anita Jan. 30 and become a primary contender for the trainer Bob Baffert, went right to the front from post one with Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) to be run jockey Abel Cedillo aboard. at Churchill Downs on May 1. Medina Spirit had a length lead on 8-1 choice Wipe the Slate

Medina Spirit earned 10 qualifying points for the Derby with and 15-1 longshot Parnelli together in second around the clubthe victory and increased his total to 14 to rank fourth on the leaderboard for the Run Florida-bred Medina Spirit Becomes Top for the Roses as of Feb. 1. Kentucky Derby Contender with Robert B. Lewis Score

The top 18 point earners will earn a spot in the starting gate for the 147th running of the house turn before completing the first two furlongs in :22.89. Kentucky Derby with one invitation extended to the top point They were followed by 5-2 second choice Hot Rod Charlie, who earner in the Europe Road to the Derby and one invitation ex- was four lengths farther back in fourth with stablemate Spielberg tended to the top point earner in the Japan Road to the Derby. The and Roman Centurian an additional three lengths behind. Kentucky Derby field has been limited to 20 starters since 1975. Medina Spirit kept a comfortable one-length lead down the back-

stretch and finished the half-mile in :49.61 while taking the field around the far turn as Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie ranged up on the outside to challenge in the run for home.

But Medina Spirit dug in under the righthanded urging from Cedillo and fought off the two challengers as they passed the threesixteenths pole at the top of the stretch.

Medina Spirit never relinquished the lead while staying on the rail as Roman Centurian kept pressuring on the outside and Hot Rod Charlie fought from between those two.

Inside the final sixteenth, Roman Centurian appeared to momentarily gather momentum but was unable to get by the tenacious Medina Spirit with Hot Rod Charlie resiliently keeping pace to the finish.

Medina Spirit crossed under the wire a neck faster than Roman Centurian, who was a nose better than Hot Rod Charlie in third. Those three were 11 lengths ahead of Spielberg in fourth followed by Parnelli and Wipe the Slate in that order.

The final time was 1:46.26 on the fast track.

“That reminded me a little bit of Silver Charm,” Baffert said referring to the Floridabred star who gave him his first Kentucky Derby victory in 1997. “He had every reason to give it up late in the stretch [when Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie] came to him. I thought he was beat. I thought they were going to get by and he wouldn’t let them by, he fought on.”

Baffert won the Robert B. Lewis for the ninth time going back to 1999 when he won with General Challenge when the race was known as the Santa Catalina Stakes.

The race was changed to the Robert B. Lewis in 2007 in honor of the prominent thoroughbred owner who had passed away in 2006 and who along with his wife Beverly owned Silver Charm, 1999 Kentucky Derbywinner Charismatic and a slew of other stakes-winners.

It was also the second consecutive year Baffert won the Robert B. Lewis with a Floridabred having taken the race last year with Thousand Words.

Medina Spirit’s determination was also the first thing noted by Cedillo after the race.

“He’s a very game horse,” Cedillo said after collecting his third win of the day and who has now ridden Medina Spirit in all three of his races. “At the quarter pole, I didn’t know, but he looked around and when he saw those horses, he kept going. He didn’t get tired at all. On the gallop out [after the wire], he was by himself.”

It was the second win in three starts for Medina Spirit, who won his career debut against special weight maidens by three lengths going five-and-a-half furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11. He was then second to stablemate and highly regarded Life is Good in the $100,000 Sham Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 2.

A dark bay or brown colt bred by Gail Rice, Medina Spirit is from the first crop of sire Protonico out of Mongolian Changra, by Brilliant Speed.

“Oh my goodness, it was so exciting. I’m getting goose bumps just talking about him,” Rice said. “It was amazing how he just dug in. I expected him to run a good race after he had set himself up so well when he was second to Baffert’s other good horse [Life is Good in the Sham]. So I expected him to run good. As a breeder, I always expect them to run good.

“It is such a blessing to have had Speech run so well last year and now Medina Spirit. Speech was in the [Kentucky] Oaks last year so maybe this horse will make it to the Derby.” He is a two-time alumni of Ocala Breeders’ Sales having sold to Christy Whitman as an agent for the bargain price of $1,000 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale as a yearling in 2019 from the consignment of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield. Whitman then pin-hooked him back to the OBS Open Sale held last year in July where current owner Zedan Racing Stables put in a final bid of $35,000 to acquire him.

Regarding the $1,000 price tag as a short yearling, Rice said it was not easy to sell him.

“I just had too many horses at that point and I had to get rid of him. I hated to [sell Medina Spirit] and I told a bunch of people that he was going to be a runner. He was such a big horse and so pretty and a good mover. Finally Christy [Whitman] picked him up at the last minute.”

Medina Spirit earned $60,000 for winning the Robert B. Lewis and increased his bankroll to $105,200.

He paid $4 to win.

“…We just have to keep him healthy,” Baffert said of Medina Spirit. “It’s a really tiring track, he went real fast early, but he showed that he had the qualities there. It’s nice to win the Robert B. Lewis because it means so much to me. I would have liked my other horse [fourth place finisher Spielberg] to run better than he did, but those things happen.” ■

“Oh my goodness, it was so exciting. I’m getting goose bumps just talking about him. It was amazing how he just dug in. I expected him to run a good race...” —breeder Gail Rice