MEDINA SPIRIT DOMINATES IN AWESOME AGAIN VICTORY

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Florida-bred star Medina Spirit defeated older horses for the first time with a monopolizing victory in the mile-and-one-eighth Awesome Again (Grade 1) at Santa Anita Oct. 2, earning a fees paid berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 6. It was Medina Spirit’s second career Grade 1 after taking the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs on May 1.

Should Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert elect to send Medina Spirit into the mile-and-one-quarter, the dark bay colt would try to become the fourth Florida-bred to win the prestigious event following Unbridled (1990), Skip Away (1997) and Mucho Macho Man (2013).

Jockey John Velazquez was again aggressive from the start on Medina Spirit as they left post five in a sprint to take a clear lead into the clubhouse turn of the Awesome Again. Edwin Maldonado and Midcourt tucked into second on the rail while longshot and fellow Baffert trainee Azul Coast and 5-2 second choice Tripoli were in pursuit three and four-wide respectively.

Around the turn, Medina Spirit briefly had a length-and-a-quarter lead after finishing the first quarter-mile in :23.34 before Flavian Prat sent Pacific Classic (G1)-runner-up Tizamagician between horses to race on the outside hip of the Derby winner for the run down the backstretch. Undeterred, Medina Spirit shook free for a comfortable, onelength advantage on Tizamagician through a half-mile in :47.72 before starting to draw clear around the far turn with ears pricked and appearing abundantly confident.

After six furlongs in 1:11.76, Medina Spirit was still ahead of Tizamagician in second as Stilleto Boy and Tripoli tried to make up ground on the outside. But Velazquez cut the corner with Medina Spirit and began to draw off as they straightened away into the run for home.

Medina Spirit took a three-length lead past the eighth-pole before increasing his winning margin to five-lengths while finishing in 1:49.67 on a fast track—resulting in a 107 Beyer Speed Figure as

reported by Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form.

Stilleto Boy held on for second, two lengths ahead of Express Train in third. They were followed in order by Tripoli, Tizamagician, Idol, Azul Coast and Midcourt.

“I keep saying and I probably sound like a broken record, but this guy, he has a ton of heart,” Velazquez, who has ridden Medina Spirit in his last six starts, said. “He’s very competitive and when the horses come to him, he gives you everything he can. That’s all you can ask of a horse.

“He’s not very big, he’s not very beautiful, but obviously, he’s all heart and you can’t ask for anything else. The way he ran today, that was impressive. Maybe they will give him the credit he deserves now.”

Medina Spirit won as the 6-5 favorite and paid $4.60 to win.

“I’m happy for Zedan and what we have had to deal with,” Baffert said as he continues to deal with Medina Spirit testing positive for the therapeutic medication betamethasone following his Derby victory. Betamethazone is legal medication but is banned on race day in Kentucky. There has not been a hearing on the matter and no date has been set for an arraignment by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

“We stayed focused on the horses. The fans came out to see this horse and they are rooting for him,” Baffert continued. “I could tell by the crowd noise. They are all pulling for him. It’s an emotional win for us. Johnny V. can do whatever with the horse. He can wait, stalk, whatever. This horse keeps getting better and better.”

It was the second consecutive victory for Medina Spirit after winning the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar by a length-and-a-quarter going a mile on Aug. 29. That was his first start since finishing third in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes won by Rombauer on May 15 two weeks after winning the Derby.

Medina Spirit has now won five of nine career starts and it was his fourth graded stakes victory having also won the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita on Jan. 30. He was also second to stablemate Life is Good in both the Grade 3 Sham on Jan 2 and in the Grade 2 San Felipe before finishing second to Rock Your World in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3–all at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

The $180,000 first-place check for winning the Awesome Again pushed his career bankroll to $2,525,200.

Medina Spirit is a son of Protonico out of Mongolian Changa, by Brilliant Speed and was bred in Florida by Gail Rice. He is a two-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales having sold to Amir Zedan’s Zedan Racing at the 2020 Open Sale in July for $35,000 where he was consigned by Whitman Sales. Christy Whitman purchased Medina Spirit for $1,000 in January of 2019 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale. ■