What legal standing does Churchill Downs have to banish Baffert, since it is not a regulatory agency? What are the Hall of Fame trainer's options and how have the courts ruled on similar actions by track owners? What happens next with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, now that a test of the split sample from Medina Spirit confirmed the initial finding of the corticosteroid betamethasone in a post-race sample?

eleringer – a native of Louisville who in addition to his law practice served 11 terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives – joins publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss in this week's edition of the Friday Show to answer those questions and more.

He also offers some historical perspective on a previous case that led to the drug disqualification of Dancer's Image from his 1968 Kentucky Derby victory.

Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:

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Daily Racing Form reports that Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun will be pointed by trainer Brad Cox toward the June 13 TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, a prep for the G1, $1-million Haskell Invitational at the Oceanport, N.J., track on July 17. Winner of the G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, the Into Mischief colt could wind up as the official Kentucky Derby winner if a split sample confirms the presence of a corticosteroid and stewards disqualify Medina Spirit from the victory.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, a son of Tiznow, finished sixth after a rough start in the Kentucky Derby and then second in the Preakness. Winchell Thoroughbreds racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske said Midnight Bourbon could also wind up in the Haskell or in the G2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 30 at Saratoga.

Midnight Bourbon defeated Mandaloun winning the G3 Lecomte, then finished third behind that colt in the Risen Star.

“He came out of the Preakness great, but he may have put the groundskeepers out of a job he was eating so much grass,” Fiske told the New York Racing Association media office. “He shipped back to Churchill and has been jogging great. There aren't any big target races after the Belmont prior to the Jim Dandy or Haskell, so we'll focus on those races for now.”

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Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality was the 5-2 favorite in the May 1 Kentucky Derby and crossed the wire fourth behind Medina Spirit, Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie.

The Tapit colt worked Saturday in company with 5-year-old graded stakes winner Night Ops through early fractions of :24.20 and :47.60, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols.

There were 169 horses that donned the Saturday work tab at Churchill Downs including Juddmonte's Mandaloun who cruised an easy half-mile in :48.20. His next start is still to be determined, according to Cox.

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Trainer Brad Cox was not represented in this year's Preakness Stakes (G1) but his Derby duo of Godolphin's Essential Quality and Juddmonte Farms'' Mandaloun both recorded easy half-mile moves early Saturday morning. Essential Quality worked in :50.80 while Mandaloun breezed in :48.20.

Cox and Godolphin reported following the Derby that Essential Quality would be considered for the third jewel of racing's Triple Crown, the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 5. A next race option for Mandaloun is still to be announced.

Another Derby runner that recorded a Saturday work was D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium, who cruised an easy half-mile in :48.80. Trainer Mark Casse's local assistant David Carroll reported the colt could target the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) on May 29 at Churchill Downs.

One of the few horses to close significant ground into the pace of the Kentucky Derby was Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbredsand Terry Stephens' O Besos. The Orb colt worked a half-mile in :49.20 Saturday with jockey Marcelino Pedroza in the saddle. Trainer Greg Foley reported several options are being considered for the 3-year-old but a decision has not been made final.

On Sunday, M Racing Group's $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) winner Like the King returned to the turf to work five furlongs in 1:02.40 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione with trainer Wesley Ward watching from the grandstand. Ward reported the son of Palace Malice could be considered for the $150,000 Audubon, run at 1 1/8 miles over the turf.

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The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by 2012 National Horseplayers Championship winner Michael Beychok of Louisiana; Justin Wunderler of New Jersey (known on Twitter as frequent Baffert critic @SwiftHitter); Michael Meegan of New York; and Keith Mauer of California. They allege they were denied winning bets on the Kentucky Derby in amounts ranging from $100 to as much as $100,000 because of Baffert's “multiple and repeated acts of doping and entering horses into Thoroughbred races, including the Kentucky Derby” that the complaint said constitutes “racketeering activity” under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and laws of the state of California, where Baffert and his stable are based.

Their bets were placed on Mandaloun and other horses in various wagering pools, but were deemed losers when Medina Spirit crossed the wire first and was declared the “official” winner. Eight days after the Derby, Baffert revealed that the 3-year-old Protonico colt tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone and Churchill Downs issued a statement immediately suspending Baffert from racing at the Louisville, Ky., track while the matter is being investigated. While only stewards representing the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission may disqualify horses, the track's statement said Medina Spirit would be disqualified from his Derby win if a split sample confirms the presence of the drug.

The suit was also filed on behalf of “all others similarly situated,” more specifically, “All Kentucky Derby bettors who would have won their bets and winnings had Medina Spirit been properly prohibited from competing in the Kentucky Derby…or competed without the aid of an illegal drug.”

Betamethasone is a legal therapeutic medication used to treat various maladies in horses but its presence is not permitted at any level in post-race drug tests. Baffert first claimed the horse or test sample were contaminated with betamethasone and days later said the positive test may have been caused by a prescription ointment, Otomax, that includes betamethasone as an active ingredient. Baffert said the ointment was used to treat dermatitis after Medina Spirit raced in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

In addition to allegations that Baffert violated the federal RICO Act through an enterprise with Zedan Racing “engaged  in activities affecting interstate commerce,” the plaintiffs also claim they and the class members were defrauded by a “misrepresentation” by Baffert in November 2020 after a series of medication violations that he was retaining Dr. Michael Hore to “ensure rule compliance” for his stable. A news report  earlier this week claims that did not happen.

The plaintiffs are asking the suit to be certified by the court as a class action case and seeking damages that include monetary relief for attorney fees and other expenses, injunctive relief “enjoining the Baffert defendants from engaging in any further racketeering acts,” Imposition of “reasonable restrictions” on Baffert's future activities in Thoroughbred racing, payment to the plaintiffs and class members for money they would have won “but for the illegal doping of Medina Spirit,” plus treble and punitive damages.

Craig Robertson, attorney for Baffert, said the lawsuit was “completely frivolous and without legal merit.”

Read the complaint here

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Is Bob just unlucky? Is he running a sloppy shop? Are his vets dropping the ball on his behalf? Are the racetracks, racing regulators or racing associations somehow out to get him? Is he a victim of some sort of foul play?

Or, as the subject himself said after he announced over the weekend that his Kentucky Derby winner has tested positive for betamethasone (now where have we heard the name of that drug before, hmmm?), “…there's definitely something wrong. Why is it happening to me?”

Although lacking first-hand knowledge, experienced horsemen and vets with whom I have spoken ever since the betamethasone overage was revealed, to a man believe that the positive finding is a result of Baffert's Derby winner being injected in a joint (ankle or hock) too close to Kentucky Derby Day.

The vets' conjecture is that Baffert took a chance that the unpredictable and unreliable nature of the drug used would not rear its ugly head before the race and hopefully go undetected in the post-race analysis. They say that even if the withdrawal time is closely adhered to and even if a few extra days are tacked on, betamethasone reacts differently in every horse based on the make-up of its bodily systems. In other words, the recommended withdrawal times are best guesses and not carved in stone.

So, these vets believe, Baffert may have just taken a shot.

Or Baffert, in his arrogance, may have figured that even if a trace showed up it just might be ignored, because after all it was the Derby, and popular myth says that anything goes in the Derby.

Arrogance in the case of Baffert is completely understandable. Why wouldn't he be arrogant? He keeps getting in trouble and he keeps escaping unscathed. When this happens time after time after time after time, the escapee tends to become a bit unwary of possible pitfalls that might stand in his way. He becomes emboldened.

Within days after Baffert had basically skated from his two lidocaine positives in Arkansas, an emboldened Baffert (opined the experts) may have had betamethasone injected into a joint of Medina Spirit.

If Baffert, or Baffert at his direction to his vet, did in fact order the injection, he took a risk not just for himself and the horse's owner, but this time for the well being of the entire Thoroughbred industry. Now that would be total arrogance, because today there is not a major news outlet that did not cover Baffert's Derby positive in the shot heard 'round the world.

The arrogance required for such an act can come from one who feels that the rules do not apply to him.

Seemingly forever in Thoroughbred racing the phrase “nobody is bigger than the game” has been axiomatic. Well, I humbly submit to the readers that Baffert not only thinks he is bigger than the game, the ruling in Arkansas more of less proved it to be true.

Now, all of a sudden, seemingly out of the blue, Churchill Downs racetrack—an outfit known forever as an entity that would do and say anything to protect the sanctity and history of The Derby — has stepped up and closed its entry box to Bob Baffert until the current mess can be straightened out.

As excited as I am about the impending seating of the board and standing committees of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority in advance of getting it up and running next summer, this advent of Churchill Downs taking responsibility in the aftermath of the Derby positive is just as riveting and exciting. I for one look forward to following the Baffert positive in the days, weeks, months and, likely, years to come, as Baffert will no doubt once again fail to take responsibility for his own actions and place the entire industry in peril.

Barry Irwin is the founder and CEO of Team Valor International

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Young, who is based in Southern California, purchased the Florida-bred Protonico colt for a mere $35,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2020 OBS July Sale for Amr Zedan.

“Jockey Victory Espinoza actually helped bridge the relationship with Mr. Zedan,” Young said. “He's a lifelong horse lover and he felt like he wanted to get back in the game. He met (Bob) Baffert in Saudi Arabia a couple years ago and he decided to take another swing at the game. The first sale we went to (2020 OBS April) he gave me a budget of $1 million and I got there that day and sometimes you hear rumblings about potential top sales prices around the sale. I called him about the two horses we marked down and told him there was a chance we wouldn't get both for that price and one may go for more than the budget.”

Young was correct and their first purchase was future Grade 1-winning filly Princess Noor, who dropped the hammer at $1.35 million. Princess Noor subsequently retired at the end of 2020 due to an injury but was pronounced in foal Friday to top stallion Into Mischief.

Following Princess Noor's purchase, Young returned to the sales ring to the rescheduled OBS July Sale. Because the sale was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Young only had 12 horses marked down in his catalogue to look at following the breeze preview days.

“After the last day of the preview I walked out of the sale similar to Rocky Balboa walking back to the corner after Apollo beat him up,” Young said. “I called Mr.Zedan and he asked me if I remember seeing a horse by Protonico breeze. It was easy to remember because there was only one horse by Protonico in the sale and he was one of the 12 horses I wrote down to look at. He told me his friend stands the stallion and asked if I could go look at him.

“In his sales breeze he kept his rhythm very well to the wire and actually continued out well to the seven-eighths pole. I have the catalogue of that sale and on the page for (Medina Spirit) I wrote, 'natural router stride.'”

When Young arrived to look at Medina Spirit prior to the sale, he noted his dark color like his sire Protonico. On the day of the sale, Young purchased Medina Spirit and he was shipped to Southern California to Baffert.

“I'm glad Mr. Zedan chose me to work with but even more importantly he chose Bob,” Young quipped.

Young arrived to Louisville eight days prior to this year's Kentucky Derby – the same time his prized purchase walked off the van to begin his final preparation for the “Run for the Roses.”

“I kept coming home to the hotel room all week knowing this horse would run well,” Young said. “In the Derby, I knew there wasn't a lot of speed inside of us. We knew Mandaloun had some speed but we thought Brad (Cox) would instruct (Florent Geroux) get him to relax. Rock Your World, who I considered our main opposition, got left leaving the gate.

“Down the backside you start looking around who's traveling well behind you. I could see Mandaloun was a different horse than the Louisiana Derby. He was probably pulling more than you like but he was running. Then, I noticed Flavien (Prat) on Hot Rod Charlie was traveling beautifully. Essential Quality was a little further out than Medina Spirit, Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie.”

Young's mere $35,000 purchase gamely turned back his rivals down the stretch for a half-length victory in the Kentucky Derby.

“I remember seeing Mr. Zedan after the race just fall to his knees in pure jubilation,” Baffert said. “What a humble man. We couldn't be happier for him.”

Young was noticeably hoarse Sunday morning following the Derby celebration.

“You can't put into words what winning the Kentucky Derby means,” Young said. “Life has been so good to me. I've been around so many talented people and horses. In the past I've been fortunate enough to win many Grade 1 races but there's only one Kentucky Derby and I'll remember that moment for my entire life.”

Medina Spirit will face his next test in next Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico. He returned to training Wednesday at Churchill Downs and will ship to Baltimore, Md., Monday afternoon.

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Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, upset winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with John Velazquez aboard, not only provided Baffert with his record seventh Derby win and Velazquez with his fourth, he also became the 20th horse to exit the G1 Santa Anita Derby and go on to win the Run for the Roses.

Second, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by Rock Your World as the 4-5 favorite going 1 1/8 miles in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby April 3, Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred colt by Protonico, out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa, was purchased for just $35,000 out of the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s July Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale on the recommendation of Santa Anita-based private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young.

A gate to wire winner of the Derby by a half length, Medina Spirit, off at 12-1, returned $26.20 to win while covering a mile and one quarter in 2:01.02.

A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit, who is owned by Zedan Racing Stables, demonstrated the gameness that has now enabled him to become a Kentucky Derby winner when running a close second to stablemate and early Derby favorite Life Is Good in the G3 Sham Stakes at one mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 2.

A subsequent neck winner of the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 30, Baffert stayed home with Medina Spirit in the G2 San Felipe Stakes March 6 and he finished a well beaten second to Life Is Good.

Although Baffert downplayed Medina's Spirit's chances leading into Saturday's Derby, he and Velazquez made the decision to let the colt roll on the front-end, instead of trying to ration his speed as was done when he was beaten 4 ½ lengths by Rock Your World in the Santa Anita Derby.

“I was counting on his heart,” said Baffert early Sunday morning from Louisville.  “He shipped well.  He had to run his A-game and he brought it.  He sort of ran the same race he ran in the Robert Lewis.  He fought everybody off in the Lewis and did the same thing yesterday.  It was unbelievable, a great feeling, because I'm used to going in there with the heavyweights, the favorites and all that.”

Young, who was also reached early Sunday in Louisville, touched upon the Derby-winning strategy.

“There wasn't much speed inside of him,” Young said.  “Plan A was to go to the lead, and the horse I feared most in the race (Rock Your World), got eliminated at the start…Medina has a lot of ability, but what takes him to the next level is his heart.  He never let a horse get in front of him yesterday, not even on the gallop-out.”

Private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young

Although John Sadler-trained Rock Your World finished a disappointing 17th after a rough start, Doug O'Neill-conditioned Hot Rod Charlie finished third, beaten one length under the Santa Anita meet's leading rider Flavien Prat, making for a 1-3 finish for Santa Anita-based runners.

Dating back to O'Neill's I'll Have Another in 2012, an amazing seven out of the last 10 Kentucky Derbies have now been won by Southern California-based horses and Baffert, who has now won four out of the last seven runnings, added Medina Spirit to a Kentucky Derby trophy case that already included Silver Charm (1997); Real Quiet (1998); War Emblem (2002); American Pharoah (2015); Justify (2018) and Authentic (2020).

In becoming the 20th horse to use the Santa Anita Derby as a prelude to glory at Churchill Downs, Medina Spirit joins an illustrious roster of local Derby alumni:  Gallahadion (13^th, 1940); Hill Gail (1^st, 1952); Determine (1^st, 1954); Swaps (1^st, 1955); Lucky Debonair (1^st, 1965); Majestic Prince (1^st, 1969); Affirmed (1^st, Triple Crown winner 1978); Gato Del Sol (4^th, 1982); Ferdinand (3^rd, 1986); Winning Colors (1^st, 1988); Sunday Silence (1^st, 1989); Silver Charm (2^nd, 1997); Real Quiet (2^nd, 1998); Charismatic (4^th, 1999); Giacomo (4^th, 2005); I'll Have Another (1^st, 2012); California Chrome (1^st, 2014); Justify (1^st, Triple Crown winner 2018); Authentic (2^nd, 2020) and Medina Spirit, second in this year's Santa Anita Derby.

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Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit became the seventh Kentucky Derby winner trained by Baffert, who had been tied with legendary Ben Jones for most victories by a trainer in the Run for the Roses.

In this year's Preakness, Baffert will seek to break a tie with Robert Wyndham Walden, who saddled seven Preakness winners between 1875 and 1888. Baffert has been represented in the Preakness winner's circle by Triple Crown champions Justify (2018) and American Pharoah (2015), as well as Lookin At Lucky (2010), War Emblem (2002), Point Given (2001), Real Quiet (1998) and Silver Charm (1997).

Medina Spirit, who held gamely to register a 12-1 upset Derby victory by a half-length after setting a solid pace, and Gary and Mary West's Concert Tour, the Rebel (G2) winner and third-place Arkansas Derby (G1) finisher at Oaklawn, were very much in the Preakness picture for Baffert Sunday morning.

“So far he came out of the race well,” Baffert, who was scheduled to return to California Sunday, told the assembled media Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. “I'll watch them closely. I'll come back next weekend. But right now, I don't see anything that would discourage me.”

Baffert's horses will stay at Churchill Downs before traveling to Pimlico. Normally, Baffert's horses fly from Louisville on the Wednesday before the Preakness. However, he said Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation, which flies horses across America, is being shut down for a period of time after this week, and thus his horses will van to Baltimore. He said he's working on travel arrangements.

Medina Spirit, who entered the Kentucky Derby off a runner-up finish behind Rock Your World in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), gave Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his fourth victory in the first jewel of the Triple Crown, leading all the way and fighting off Mandaloun through the stretch to complete 1 1/4 miles in a very good 2:01.02. 

“I thought everything had to go perfect for him,” Baffert said. “We were going to go to the lead and see what happened. But I thought if they challenged him, I didn't know what was going to happen. He made the lead pretty easily for him and the other speed horse (Rock Your World) didn't break. That's the thing about the Derby. You've got to get the trip.

“Going down the backside, he was doing it easy. You could see he was enjoying himself. His ears were forward. Turning for home, they came to him and he dug in and fought hard. It was sort of the same race he ran at Santa Anita when he won the Robert Lewis. They came to him and he fended them all off,” he added. “I couldn't believe it at the sixteenth pole that he was actually going to do it. It was just a thrill to watch him do it and fight on. He came back and acted like he handled it pretty well. He wasn't as tired as I thought he'd be.”

Baffert has never failed to win the 1 3/16-mile Preakness when he's come to Pimlico with a horse who won the Derby in May. He finished a close second last October with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, the eventual Breeders' Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year, when the Preakness was delayed until a month after the Derby. Authentic lost the Preakness by a neck to the filly Swiss Skydiver.

The Florida-bred Medina Spirit now has three wins and three seconds in six lifetime starts, earning $2,175,200. The son of Protonico was Baffert's fourth Kentucky Derby winner who had previously finished second in the Santa Anita Derby, following Silver Charm, Real Quiet and Authentic.

“He ran fast all the way around there,” Baffert said of the Derby. “I think Medina just said, 'Hey boys, I'm a lot better' (than you think). I don't think he's a horse that has to be out there zipping. We've figured him out, and that's what these preps are for. I love it when it works out. These horses make us look smart. But at the end of the day, he's just a good horse.”

The Derby capped a huge day for Baffert. He won Derby City Distaff with female sprint champion Gamine to earn his record 220th Grade 1 stakes triumph, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. Baffert was so much in the zone that he also won a grass stakes – not the surface for which he's best known.  Co-owned by Baffert's wife, Jill, the 3-year-old Du Jour took the $500,000 American Turf (G2) on the undercard.

Concert Tour, who was withheld from the Derby after losing for the first time in the Arkansas Derby, had a scheduled workout just before 6 a.m. Sunday morning. The son of Street Sense breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60, the fifth-fastest of 17 works at the distance, in preparation for a possible run in the Preakness Stakes.

“Concert Tour, he worked well this morning,” Baffert said. “I'll sit down and talk to Mr. West. He wants that horse to develop and not to get in a rush. We know he's a really good horse. We'll see how he is next week.”

While Concert Tour also races on or near the lead, Baffert said their running styles would not be a factor in determining whether he runs the Rebel winner. Baffert kept Concert Tour out of the Derby after the colt was third in the Arkansas Derby in his fourth career start after three wins.

“We just want to look at them and see how they are training,” he said. “They have to be doing really well [to go to Pimlico].”

Mandaloun, Essential Quality, Caddo River Cox Possibilities
Trainer Brad Cox, who finished second by a half-length with Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun and fourth with Godolphin's favored Essential Quality in his first Kentucky Derby, said the Preakness is a possibility for both colts but that it was premature to commit one way or the other.

“Just unsure. We'll watch both colts – kind of typical trainer talk,” said Cox Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. “We'll get them back to the track in three or four days and see how they're moving. No commitments at all. I mean, I love the Preakness. It's a great weekend, probably one of the best weekends of the year and we'll definitely have horses for the undercard.

“We want to also map out the rest of the year,” he added. “It's very important these horses get Grade 1 opportunities and Grade 1 (wins) under their belt at 3. We'll try to map out some type of campaign toward making them champion 3-year-old.”

Cox said Shortleaf Stable's Caddo River, taken out of Derby consideration when he had an elevated temperature a week ago, also is a possibility for the Preakness.

The trainer's first start in a Triple Crown race came in the 2019 Preakness, when Owendale finished third and Warrior's Charge ran fourth.

“I think it helped prepare us for (Saturday),” he said. “I'd really like to get back to the Preakness. Honestly, I felt like I ran the horse that was maybe the best horse that day. He had a wide trip, and the rail was golden that day. He ran a tremendous race.”

Cox said that while Medina Spirit “ran huge,” he believes that Essential Quality, fourth as the betting favorite at just under 3-1, might have been the best horse.

“I do. I think he was the best horse. People can say what they want. But he was beaten a length and ran 68 feet farther than the winner, and had a little bit of trouble at the start,” Cox said. “The winner ran huge. When you see a horse lay down those fractions and still keep going, you can't take anything away from that horse. I thought Essential was kind of compromised at the start and then was kind of in chase mode pretty much the whole way. He just never could get comfortable, take his deep breath to where he could gather himself up and come with a strong finish. But he did stay on extremely well.”

Mandaloun came into his narrow Derby defeat off of a sixth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (G2). 

“We know he's a good horse; he showed that last fall,” Cox said. “We've always thought he was a good colt and we were just glad he got it back on the right track.”

In addition to Medina Spirit, Concert Tour, Mandaloun, Essential Quality and Caddo River, Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Trish Bowman's list of Preakness prospects includes Midnight Bourbon, who closed to finish sixth after bumping at the start of the Kentucky Derby; Crowded Trade, who finished third in the Wood Memorial (G2); Rombauer, who finished third in the Blue Grass (G2) after winning the Preakness 'Win and In' El Camino Real Derby; Japan-based France Go de Ina, who finished sixth in the UAE Derby (G2); Lexington (G3) winner King Fury, who was knocked out of the Derby with a fever; and Unbridled Honor, who finished second in the Lexington.

Trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed Sunday morning that Whisper Hill Farm's Unbridled Honor is being considered for the Preakness.

“I'll talk to the connections,” Pletcher said. “He was second in the Lexington last time. He ran pretty well. He was a good closing fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby. He's a horse who has always trained pretty well, still trying to figure things out in race situations.”

Pletcher said he thought the Preakness would be “pretty wide-open event,” although Medina Spirit and his trainer should not be taken lightly.

“[Medina Spirit]'s been running consistently well,” he said. “I think in a couple of his races at Santa Anita, he was in the race with [stablemate] Life Is Good and it looked like early on in the race, he was wanting to go on and they didn't want to get in a speed duel with Life Is Good, so they took him back. I think [Saturday] he got to run the way he likes to run, which is to let him run freely.”

Asked about Baffert breaking out of a tie with the legendary Ben Jones for the all-time Derby lead, Pletcher said, “Obviously the guy knows what he's doing. He has a special knack for winning big races, this race and has a terrific program. Usually when he ships his horses in, they're ready to roll.”

Yuji Mori's France Go de Ina, a son of Will Take Charge, is scheduled to be entered in the Preakness. Currently in quarantine in Japan, he is scheduled to fly to the U.S. May 5. The winner of two of three starts in Japan is scheduled to be in quarantine in Los Angeles for two days before flying to Baltimore May 7.

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“Can he win the Triple Crown? I don't know. But he's the Derby winner, and that's all that matters,” Baffert said Sunday morning at Barn 33. “I was coming in here, thinking, I wasn't sure (if Medina Spirit could win the Derby), everything had to go perfect for him. We were going to go to the lead, and see what happened. What if they challenged him? He made the lead pretty easily, for him, and the other speed horse didn't break (Rock Your World). That's what it's like in the Derby: You have to get the trip; the other speed horse didn't get the trip.

“Going down the backside, he was doing it easy, you could tell he was enjoying himself. His ears were forward. And turning for home, they came for him, and he just dug in. I didn't know if he was going to do it. He fought hard, and ran sort of the same race that he did at Santa Anita when he won the Robert Lewis. They came to him, and he fended them all off.

“I couldn't believe it, at the sixteenth pole he was fighting and fighting. It was just a thrill to watch him do it, and fight on.”

Medina Spirit secured an easy by the time the Kentucky Derby 147 field rounded the first turn

Medina Spirit (inside) was only a head in front of Mandaloun with a quarter of a mile left to run

Medina Spirit never relinquished the lead in the long stretch battle, winning the Derby by a half length over Mandaloun, with Hor Rod Charlie third and previously unbeated favorite Essential Quality fourth

Baffert said the effort didn't seem to take that much out of Medina Spirit.

“And he came back, he's handling it quite well,” Baffert said. “He wasn't as tired as I thought he might be. A big race like that, but he handled it quite well.”

With the victory, Baffert now is the all-time leading Kentucky Derby winning trainer with seven triumphs, a run that began in 1997 with Silver Charm.

 “When they turned for home, I was still not convinced,” Baffert said. “We didn't start screaming and yelling until about the sixteenth pole, when it looked like it was do-able. In that last hundred yards, we all were screaming and yelling like it was my first Derby. We were like crazy, crazy. That's what the Derby does to you. There's no other race like it. The seven hasn't quite sunk in yet. And to do it with a $35,000 horse. It gives people hope, keeps their dreams alive. Actually he was the cheapest yearling, since he cost $1,000. But he's a beautiful horse, a good-looking horse.

“I stand here in front of you guys, and you don't know how much I appreciate winning this, especially as you get older. It gets tougher as you get older. … I'd love to have 10 in there if I could, but you know that won't happen. To have one who has a chance. To win it with him, it's a Cinderella story, he's just a blue-collar horse, just digging in. He reminded me of Silver Charm. … It's another Kentucky Derby dream that came true.”

The obvious question following the Derby triumph is the Pimlico question: on to the Preakness?

“He came out of it well. It takes about a week to determine, so I'm going to come back next weekend and see,” Baffert said. “But I don't see anything discouraging right now.  Concert Tour worked well this morning (five furlongs in 1:00.60 at 5:50 a.m.), I'll sit down and talk to Mr. (Gary) West. He wants that horse to develop and we're not rushing things. We know he's a good horse, so we'll see next week how he is. The thing is how they're training. They both would have to be training well.”

MANDALOUN (Second)/ESSENTIAL QUALITY (Fourth) – Trainer Brad Cox had a well-deserved walk day in Barn 22 following his first Kentucky Derby experience.

“It was a wild experience being in the Derby for the first time,” Cox said. “In every previous Derby I've attended, I've been a fan. I've seen the media interviews, the playing of 'My Old Kentucky Home' and everything leading up to the race. Being in the race, all of those things are sort of a blur. You're so focused on the job at hand. We were so grateful that both of our horses ran as well as they did. Essential Quality got a tough trip being so wide but coming that close to a Derby win makes me want more. We'll be back.”

HOT ROD CHARLIE (Third) – The Oxbow colt came out of his Kentucky Derby experience physically fine and likely mentally stronger after missing by a length in his third-place finish behind winner Medina Spirit. He'll be headed back to his Southern California base Tuesday, according to his conditioner, Doug O'Neill.

The trainer had nothing but good things to say about his charge's try under a solid ride by Flavien Prat.

“We're just so proud of his effort,” O'Neill said Sunday morning. “He ran a great race. He ate up last night and jogged fine this morning. It was all good.”

The trainer, who'll catch a plane west Sunday morning, said a start in the Preakness Stakes in two weeks is not in the plans for “Charlie,” who – with his $300,000 share of the Derby purse — now sports a bankroll of $1,305,700 after eight starts.

“We'll look to run him next in the Belmont Stakes (June 5 at New York's Belmont Park),” O'Neill said. “We'll get him back to California and start planning for that.”

O BESOS (Fifth) – It was a quiet morning at trainer Greg Foley's Barn 11 following O Besos' fifth-place in the Kentucky Derby.

“We're so proud of our horse,” Foley said. “He came out of things good and we'll see what the plans are next. It's been a fun road to get to the Derby. We had a real chance and our horse showed up.”

MIDNIGHT BOURBON (Sixth)/SUPER STOCK (16th) – Trainer Steve Asmussen's chief assistant Scott Blasi reported all was well with Midnight Bourbon and Super Stock following Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

KEEPMEINMIND (Seventh) – Spendthrift Farm, Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's Keepmeinmind was doing fine Sunday morning trainer Robertino Diodoro said following the colt's seventh-place finish.

“He came out of it well,” jockey David Cohen said Sunday after Keepmeinmind had rallied widest of all from last in the field of 19 to miss getting a check by three lengths. “He ran back to how we want him to; he relaxed will and finished up strong. Without having to tip out and the loss of ground, he would've ran fifth.”

Plans for a next start are to be determined.

HELIUM (Eighth)/SOUP AND SANDWICH (19th) – Trainer Mark Casse's assistant David Carroll reported their Derby duo of Helium and Soup and Sandwich were both back in Barn 36 at Churchill Downs and doing fine after the 1 ¼-mile affair.

“Thankfully both horses came back fine,” Carroll said. “Soup and Sandwich displaced (his soft palate) during the race but was doing well this morning. I thought Helium ran his race and did well.”

KNOWN AGENDA (Ninth)/SAINTHOOD (11th)/BOURBONIC (13th)/DYNAMIC ONE (18th) –– Trainer Todd Pletcher was at Barn 42 early Sunday morning to continue on with the business of training his substantial stable. He did note that his Derby quartet all came out of their Saturday efforts no worse for the wear and that they'd be headed back to his New York headquarters at Belmont Park Monday. He further said that he'd be headed that way today.

Known Agenda, Sainthood, Bourbonic and Dynamic One failed to make much dent in the 19-horse Kentucky Derby lineup and the trainer said he'd watched several replays of the mile-and-a-quarter classic.

The only one of his runners that Pletcher felt was the victim of some unfortunate racing luck was Known Agenda, who broke well, but then was quickly shuffled back along the rail by a pack of horses and had to fight traffic and kick-back for the rest of the run.

Would he consider the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore in two weeks for any of his Derby horses? “That's not my MO,” the conditioner stated. “We'll get back to New York and regroup. Then we can think about some major decisions with those horses.”

Pletcher was asked about the possibility of his stellar filly – Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner Malathaat –possibly taking on the boys in the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes on June 5.

“We're not sure about that one yet,” he said. “She's a special filly and appears quite capable of running the distance. At some point this year she's likely to take on the boys, but we're still not sure where or when that might be.”

It is recalled that in 2007 Pletcher won the Kentucky Oaks with his star filly Rags to Riches. Then he trained her for the next five weeks for a go at the boys in the Belmont. The result was one of the great renewals of that historic classic with the filly surging to the front in mid-stretch, being taken on by the husky colt and future two-time Horse of the Year Curlin and fighting back to hold him off by a head in an absolute thriller. In a touch of irony, Curlin, it should be noted, is the sire of Malathaat.

HIGHLY MOTIVATED (10th) – Trainer Chad Brown's assistant trainer Whit Beckman said Highly Motivated exited his Kentucky Derby 10^th-place effort in good order.

“We'll hopefully be back again soon,” Beckman said.

LIKE THE KING (12th) – M Racing Group's Like the King returned to trainer Wesley Ward's main base of operations at Keeneland Saturday night following his 12th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

“He came back great and it was a great experience,” Ward said, adding via text that Like the King's next venture likely would be on the grass in five to six weeks.

HIDDEN STASH (14th) – BBN Racing's Hidden Stash was headed back to trainer Vicki Oliver's barn at Keeneland Sunday morning following his 14th-place Derby finish.

“He came back great, but he looked tired last night,” Oliver said via text and indicating Hidden Stash would be getting a break for the time being. “He ran his race. Horses were in front of him and there was nowhere to go.”

BROOKLYN STRONG (15th) – Brooklyn Strong exited his 18th-place finish well, but wasn't wasting anytime getting back to his Bensalem, Pa., base. Trainer Danny Velazquez said the colt was leaving Sunday morning and would be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes June 5.

“I know it's crazy, but we never got a good showing,” Velazquez said. “Slow break and then he got banged back to almost last. It's tough with 19 horses. No regrets. I had a great experience and we made it to the Derby with a $5,000 horse.”

ROCK YOUR WORLD  (17th) – The California-based colt's Derby dreams began and ended just a few jumps out of the starting gate Saturday when he was seriously squeezed from both sides out of the 15 hole and forced to fall far back in the big field.

“We had no chance after that,” trainer John Sadler noted Sunday morning at Barn 43 on the Churchill Downs backside.

Rider Joel Rosario tried to get his Candy Ride colt back in the hunt initially, but it quickly proved futile and in the end they wound up finishing 17th in the 19-horse field.

“Disappointing is the word,” Sadler added, discouraged by the fact that his horse never got a chance to run his race.

Assistant trainer Juan Leyva, who has worked at Sadler's side for the past four years, reported that “Rock” ate up fine last night and walked the shedrow with no problems Sunday morning.

“We just got left with a feeling of uncertainty,” Leyva said. “It was so sad that we never got a chance to see what he could do.”

Sadler, who'll be jetting back to California Sunday with his main owner, Kosta Hronis, said Rock Your World would fly back to his barn at Santa Anita Tuesday.

“We'll get him home and regroup,” Sadler stated. “At this point I don't know what we're going to do with him. But we'll come up with a plan.”

Joining the Derby colt on the plane west will be the stable's super steady sprinter Flagstaff, the 7-year-old gelding who ran a thriller Saturday on the undercard and came away a very game photo-finish winner of the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes at seven furlongs. The old pro by champion sprinter Speightstown enhanced his career mark to seven wins, six seconds and three thirds in 19 starts. His career earnings now stand at $991,585.

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