February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Medina Spirit’s Ashes To Be Interred At Old Friends, Open House To Come

Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky., announced today that the farm has been chosen as the final resting place of multiple graded stakes winner Medina Spirit.

Medina Spirit's ashes will be interred in Old Friends's Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden alongside such champions as Kentucky Derby Winners Charismatic (1999) and War Emblem (2002), both of whom were retired to Old Friends following breeding careers, as well as Eclipse Winner Hidden Lake and Breeders' Cup Classic Winner Alphabet Soup.

Old Friends will host an open house Tuesday, April 5, 2022 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to offer fans an opportunity to visit the gravesite and pay their respects to this great athlete.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Zedan Racing, Medina Spirit had a short but brilliant career on the track.

A win in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and a second place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Derby earned the dark bay son of Protonico a berth in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Despite being a long shot behind favorites Essential Quality and Rock Your World, Medina Spirit went wire-to-wire against his rivals.

Further proving his mettle, later that year Medina Spirit won the Shared Belief Stakes and the G1 Awesome Again before coming second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

“The Zedan Racing family was deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our beloved Medina Spirit,” said Amr Zedan. “He brought us great joy during his time, and we will forever cherish his spectacular win in the Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit truly had the heart of champion and it is very comforting to know that he will be laid to rest with many of racing's greats and the wonderful people at Old Friends Farm.”

“To most, Medina Spirit was an over-achiever, the kind of colt who surprised the experts,” said Baffert and his wife Jill. “But he would not have agreed with that assessment. He carried himself like the champion he was through all his days. From his first race to his last, he was a confident and competitive thoroughbred who always gave his best. We were lucky and blessed to have known him.

“Medina Spirit was loved deeply by us and everyone at the barn. We grieve his loss, but take comfort knowing he will be buried among some of racing's all-time greats at Old Friends.”

“We're very grateful to Mr. Zedan and Bob Baffert for allowing us the honor and privilege of burying Medina Spirit's ashes at Old Friends,” said Old Friends President Michael Blowen. “His gravestone, which will be a constant reminder of his spectacular achievements, will be placed next to Charismatic and War Emblem in the Nikki Bacharach Memorial Garden where his legion of fans can pay their respects.”

The post Medina Spirit’s Ashes To Be Interred At Old Friends, Open House To Come appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In Saudi With Country Grammer, Zedan Discusses Medina Spirit

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia–Amr Zedan has a runner in the world's richest race staged Saturday in his home country of Saudi Arabia. The Bob Baffert-trained Country Grammer (Tonalist), whom he part-owns with WinStar Farm and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, was not however the horse he had hoped to be running.

Zedan's original intention was for Medina Spirit (Protonico) to be lining up in the country from which his name is derived, but the horse who finished first past the post in the last year's Kentucky Derby collapsed and died in December. On Monday he was finally disqualified from the Derby following his post-race positive test for betamethasone, and Mandaloun, who is another in Riyadh for the $20 million Saudi Cup, was officially promoted to winner.

“I have always wanted to take part in the Saudi Cup meet and unfortunately Medina [Spirit] was pointed here but passed away on Dec. 6 with a heart attack,” Zedan said in a press conference at King Abdulaziz Racecourse Friday morning.

“I just could not miss out this year so Bob and I worked backwards and tried to find the best horse that was suited to the Saudi Cup and that was Country Grammer.”

The emotion wrought from Monday's decision by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission was clear in Zedan's voice when he spoke briefly at Wednesday's post-position draw after selecting gate one for Country Grammer. He expanded on his feelings since first receiving news from Baffert of Medina Spirit's positive test last May.

“I was up on the highest mountain and I was thrown off a cliff,” said Zedan, a board member of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.

“Medina is a horse that I will forever cherish. I don't mean to sound sentimental but I get emotional every time I watch the race–I had to stop watching the race. We came into the [Derby] not expecting a whole lot, we were 12-1. I still have a text message from Bob saying 'there's speed down the outside, we have a chance.' And we won.”

With that result having now been officially overturned and Baffert facing a 90-day suspension, both those decisions are being appealed by Medina Spirit's owner and trainer.

Zedan's loyalty to Baffert is clear. He opened the press conference by declaring him to be “the best trainer in the world in my view” and he added, “I believe in due process and I believe that there is an unjust and uncalled-for witch hunt on Bob Baffert.

“Where we are right now is that we are going through the full due process. We have filed for a stay, we have filed for an appeal in front of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and I have the highest respect for all and I understand, and I believe that once our case is objectively considered we will prevail.”

Mandaloun, currently second-favorite behind last year's winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to lift the Saudi Cup, also has close ties to Saudi having been bred by the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms.

“I have much respect for Mandaloun and much respect for his owners,” Zedan said. “They have been the classiest and they have written the book as to how to conduct, and how to build a premium world-class equine and racing operation.”

He continued, “They have been nothing but supportive. They understand that there is a process, and they have clearly said that if the Kentucky Derby is awarded to Medina again it's with their brother, and I reciprocate by saying that they are both Saudi and I'll be just as happy if they are officially declared the Kentucky Derby winner.”

The post In Saudi With Country Grammer, Zedan Discusses Medina Spirit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Piassek’s Plays: Betting on Improving Horses at Aqueduct

In his regular gambling blog, John Piassek presents his top picks for the upcoming weekend in horse racing, offering betting options at different budget levels. Piassek’s Plays is brought to you by Horseplayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) and National Horseplayers Championship (NHC).

Big-Race Showdown: Rebel and Honeybee Stakes Selections

For the sixth year in a row, America’s Best Racing is challenging some of the brightest minds in horse betting to come up with their top three picks for key races every weekend leading up to the2022 Triple Crown and then continuing through the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The handicappers face off in what we like to call the “Big Race Showdown.”