Tag: Medina Spirit

Down the Shedrow with Bob Baffert

Year after year, two-time Triple Crown-winning conditioner Bob Baffert has some of the country's top runners in his shedrow and 2021 is no exception. The Hall of Famer has a plethora of possible GI Kentucky Derby runners; a few possible GI Kentucky Oaks contenders; the reigning champion female sprinter; and several exciting unraced prospects. You never know when Baffert will unleash the next superstar or which of his horses will be on top by the first weekend in May, but you can count on him having a live contender in most of the big dances.

Baffert filled the TDN's Christie DeBernardis in on his plans for his leading sophomores and a few of his other top runners.

Though champion Authentic is now retired, Baffert has another son of Into Mischief who may be poised to fill his shoes in the undefeated Life is Good. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his dazzling debut win at Del Mar Nov. 22, the $525,000 KEESEP buy followed suit with a victory in Santa Anita's GIII Sham S. Jan. 2.

“He is still doing well. He runs in the San Felipe, so we are getting ready for that.”

Baffert has another unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' on the Derby trail in Concert Tour. An impressive first-out winner at Santa Anita Jan. 15, the Gary and Mary West homebred captured the GII San Vicente S. next out Feb. 6.

“All is well. He is going to go to the [GII] Rebel [S. Mar. 13 at Oaklawn].”

Freedom Fighter carries the banner for the group known as the Avengers. The dark bay won his career bow at Del Mar Aug. 1 and came up a half-length short of Concert Tour when second in the San Vicente.

“I am going to send him to the [GIII] Gotham [S. Mar. 6 at Aqueduct].”

  • MEDINA SPIRIT (c, 3, Protonico)

Opening his account at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit completed the exacta behind Life is Good in the Sham. The Florida-bred broke through at the graded level next out with a gritty score in Santa Anita's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Jan. 30.

“He is nominated everywhere. I will know in about another week. I sort of have an idea, but I am waiting.”

Also campaigned by the Avengers crew, Spielberg placed in both the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity S. and the GI American Pharoah S. prior to breaking his maiden at Del Mar Nov. 1. Fourth in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 15, the $1-million KEESEP purchase captured the GII Los Alamitos Futurity S. Dec. 19 and was a disappointing fourth in the Bob Lewis last out.

“He came back and worked well. I might run him in the [GIII] Southwest [S. at Oaklawn Feb. 27].”

  • CLASSIER (c, 3, Empire Maker)

Classier, a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition, earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors for his impressive career bow in Arcadia Oct. 24 and was eighth when last seen in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. Nov. 6.

   “I had a set back with him. He is off the Derby trail.”

  • TRIPLE TAP (c, 3, Tapit)

Summer Wind homebred Triple Tap has yet to make the races, but his pedigree makes him a very exciting prospect. The chestnut is a half-brother to Triple Crown hero American Pharoah and a full to Jane Lyon's Grade I winner Chasing Yesterday.

“He actually had his first gate work [Thursday] and he went really well [five furlongs in :59.60 (1/32)] (Click here for XBTV video). He's about a month away still. He is getting there slowly. I don't want to jinx him or anything, but he is a nice horse.”

Earning her diploma at third asking in the Anoakia S. Oct. 18, Kalypso checked in second in the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Dec. 5 and came back to win the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 3. The chestnut completed the exacta last time in Santa Anita's GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6.

“She is doing well. She is probably more of a one-turn horse, but we will run her back in the next race here [the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 7] or the [GII] Santa Anita Oaks [Apr. 3]. I'm not sure yet.”

A debut winner at Del Mar Aug. 30, Varda was second to retired stablemate Princess Noor (Not This Time) in Santa Anita's GII Chandelier S. Sept. 26. The bay defeated both that rival and Kalypso when taking the GI Starlet S. at odds of 17-1.

“She has a little set back and is off the Oaks trail.”

Yet another first-out winner from this barn to earn the 'TDN Rising Star' tag Mar. 7, Gamine was disqualified from a two-turn victory at Oaklawn May 2. Dominating both the GI Longines Acorn S. June 20 and the GI Longines Test S. Aug. 8, the $1.8-million EASMAY buy crossed the line third in the Kentucky Oaks, but was disqualified and placed ninth for a positive test Sept. 4. The bay captured the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint S. Nov. 7, clinching the female sprint championship in the process.

   “Gamine is doing well. She had her second little breeze. We are pointing for Derby week maybe, the GI Derby City Distaff.”

Happier wired the field to earn her diploma and 'TDN Rising Star' honors in her Del Mar unveiling July 31. Sent to the sidelines following that effort, the $800,000 KEESEP purchase returned to action in Arcadia Feb. 14, winning an optional claimer.

“She is a very nice filly. I think she wants to go longer, so we will look to stretch her out.”

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Bargain Buy Medina Spirit More Than Paying His Way Thus Far

Medina Spirit could become one of racing's all-time bargains.

Whether he will someday rank with the likes of Carry Back and Seattle Slew in that category, only time will tell, but at this early point, he is moving in the right direction.

For the record, Carry Back, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1961, was obtained for tip money, a $700 investment, $400 of it a stud fee to a nondescript stallion named Saggy, whose solitary moment of racing glory came in an upset of 1948 Triple Crown king Citation in the Chesapeake Trial Stakes that year.

Carry Back raced an incredible 21 times as a two-year-old. A stone closer, the plain brown colt retired with 21 wins, 11 seconds and 11 thirds from 61 starts. He earned $1,241,165 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Seattle Slew was purchased for $17,500, became the first undefeated Triple Crown winner in 1977 when he was Horse of the Year and earned $1,208,726 from a career record of 14 wins and two seconds in 17 starts. Going on half a century later, he remains a gold standard among Thoroughbred greats both as a race horse and a stallion.

Although he has already earned more than three times his purchase price of $35,000, Medina Spirit has miles to run before reaching the lofty pinnacles of Carry Back and Seattle Slew.

His connections are optimistic, however. One is private clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young, who purchased the Florida-bred son of the Giant's Causeway stallion Protonico for owner Amr Zedan as a two-year-old in training at last year's Ocala Breeders' Sale.

“Mr. Zedan had given me $2 million to spend and I had exceeded the budget,” said Young, 59, a clocker since he was 18 and an agent for more than 30 years. His best buy to date was 1993 Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Brocco, who raced for the late Albert and Dana Broccoli, producers of the iconic James Bond movies.

“Because of Covid and because it was July, the sale did not have as much depth as usual,” Young said. “At the end of six days with six-hour daily previews I would usually have looked at 50 to 80 horses; I saw 10.

“After the previews, Mr. Zedan called me and asked if I remembered seeing a horse by Protonico and I told him, yes, that horse made my list. He asked me to look at the horse again, and I did. He was OK, but he wasn't going to be the sales topper or anything.

“Protonico raced about 10 years ago when trained by Todd Pletcher, and was owned by Mr. Zedan's friend, Oussama Aboughazale, who has a breeding operation called International Equities Holding in Kentucky where Princess Noor was bred.”

Both men are from a city in Saudi Arabia called Medina, which as a girl's name is of Arabic origin meaning “city of the Prophet,” and is where Muhammad began his campaign to establish Islam.

“Protonico had a very small crop and Medina Spirit was the only one of his progeny at the sale,” Young said. “He had worked three-eighths in 33 flat which was decent time, but he had a nice rhythm and a stride like a route horse. Mr. Zedan asked what I thought and I said, 'Buy him.'

“We did the barn check, did the vet check with my doctor, Pug Hart, everything was in order and we bought him for $35,000, which is 2.5 percent of what we paid for Princess Noor (now retired due to a soft tissue injury after a brief but sensational racing career for Bob Baffert).

“Medina Spirit went to Baffert's assistant Mike Marlow at Los Alamitos, and Mike is brutally honest, and he has to be because he's preparing these horses for Baffert.

“Mike said the horse kept surprising him because he was outworking more expensive and better-bred horses and definitely holding his own.

“They brought him to Santa Anita, Bob worked him out of the gate with Life Is Good a couple of times, and he got beat as expected, but he didn't get disgraced, and I kind of thought to myself, this might make a man out of him. After that, Bob worked him with a couple other horses and he handled them, didn't get discouraged or anything.

“When he ran at Los Alamitos (winning his debut race by three lengths at 5 ½ furlongs last Dec. 11), we thought he'd be even-money and he was 3-1. He won pretty easy, but his second (by three-quarters of a length behind Life Is Good) in the Sham at one mile is what really opened our eyes as to how good he was.

“He was stretching out after one 5 ½ furlong race with one five-eighths work in between at 1:02 to go a mile against Life Is Good, and he ran his butt off. Whether he would have passed him or not is open to debate, but you can't deny he did run unbelievably considering he didn't have a whole lot of preparation for the race.

“We didn't want him in front (in the Lewis). When they hung a 46 and three (46.61 for a half mile), I thought he was finished, because 46 and three on that track was like 45 and change.

“He was about a length in front from the one hole in the Sham with a really easy run to the turn. In the Lewis, he broke half a step slow and Abel (Cedillo) kind of punched him a little and he was gone. He wasn't a runoff, but he definitely had his mind on running.

“When they went 46 and three, I didn't think we had much chance, and when the two horses (late-running Roman Centurian, second by a neck, and Hot Rod Charlie, a nose further back in third) came to him at the eighth pole, I didn't think we had much chance, either.

“But the horse obviously has a lot of fight in him. He showed an amazing amount of heart. He had every right the next day to be lying down in his stall and sleeping the way he ran, but he wasn't.

“Whether we'll go one start or two starts before the Kentucky Derby, we'll figure that out. I'd prefer to have him running at a horse like he did in the Sham as opposed how he ran in the Lewis, but that's how the race came up. Still, they weren't even passing him after the wire, either, and the two horses behind him are OK.

“Roman Centurian can definitely make some noise down the road.”

That might be true, but he won't be any bargain.

He cost $550,000.

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Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card: A Tale Of Two Pedigrees

Two Grade 3 races on each coast, the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in South Florida and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita in Southern California, were run on Saturday, offering 17 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1).

The last time the Holy Bull Stakes winner went on to victory in the G1 Kentucky Derby was in 2006 when Barbaro, making his dirt track debut after winning his first three career starts on turf, scored by three-quarters of a length on a sloppy track. Before that, when the race was known as the Preview Stakes, Go for Gin was victorious en route to capturing the 1994 Kentucky Derby. Some very good horses have won the Holy Bull, including the 2020 winner Tiz the Law, who opened last year's disjointed Triple Crown with a win in the Belmont Stakes.

Prior to 2007, the Robert B. Lewis was known as the Santa Catalina Stakes, which was first run in 1935. It's had different conditions over the years but in recent decades has been restricted to 3-year-olds. Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another won the Lewis in 2012 and Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand won it in 1986. Like the Holy Bull, many winners of this early season race for 3-year-olds have gone on to bigger and better things.

Here's a brief look at each race, with my Report Card grade for the winner. The A to F grading system is subjective and based on my personal “eyeball test,” Beyer Speed Figures from Daily Racing Form, historical signifidance of the race and perceived quality of field.

Jan 30 Holy Bull Stakes 1 1/16 miles, Gulfstream

The 11-10 favorite in the Holy Bull was Prime Factor, a $900,000 yearling purchase and winner by 8 ¾ lengths for Todd Pletcher in his only career start while sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream on Dec. 12. Greatest Honour, bred and owned by Courtlandt Farm and trained by Shug McGaughey, needed four starts to break his maiden, doing so in his Gulfstream debut Dec. 26 at 1-2 odds, coming from off the pace to win by 1 ½ lengths. He was the 5-2 second choice in the betting in the Holy Bull.

Jose Ortiz and Greatest Honour at the wire in the Holy Bull Stakes

Gulfstream Park is not the kind of racetrack where I expect a horse to come from far off the pace to win, and that made Greatest Honour's powerful 5 3/4-length victory that much more impressive.

Rated in seventh of nine runners early by Jose Ortiz, the Tapit colt gained ground in the run down the backstretch, made a bold move on the outside rounding the far turn, took command with a quarter mile to run and ran straight as a string down the stretch as he drew off under mild encouragement.

Final time of the Holy Bull was 1:43.19 after fractions of :23.28, :46.97, 1:11.36 and 1:36.58. The winner was given an 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, an improvement from his maiden-breaking 83.

While some of the Holy Bull runners may go on to bigger and better things (Prime Factor ran a decent third in his first try around two turns), the field as a whole had not accomplished much going into the race. The lone stakes winner was Sittin On Go, who won the G3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs in his second start but then was off the board in two subsequent starts. The late-running horse from the Dale Romans barn ran sixth.

There is a lot to like about Greatest Honour's pedigree beyond him being a son of Tapit. The colt was produced from the Street Cry mare Tiffany's Honour, a half sister to back-to-back Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches. Those successes led to their dam, G2 Demoiselle Stakes winner Better Than Honour, being named Broodmare of the Year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders. Better Than Honour was produced by G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Blush With Pride, whose dam, Best in Show, was also named Broodmare of the Year.  When two of a horse's first four dams were Broodmare of the Year, that is a strong female family.

The year she foaled Greatest Honour, Tiffany's Honour was sold to leading Japanese breeder Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $2.2 million while believed in foal to Medaglia d'Oro.

Grade: A-

Jan. 30 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Santa Anita

With a barn full of royally bred and expensive yearling and 2-year-old in training purchases, is it possible that trainer Bob Baffert's best prospect for the 2021 Triple Crown is a Florida-bred who changed hands for $1,000 as a yearling at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2019 Winter Mixed Sale?

That horse, Medina Spirit, a son of the Giant's Causeway stallion Protonico, increased in value but was still a bargain at $35,000 when clocker and bloodstock agent Gary Young bought him from Whitman Sales for $35,000 on behalf of Zedan Racing Stables at the 2020 OBS July Sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age.

Medina Spirit has been the “other Baffert” twice. The first time came in his debut when stablemate Democrat fizzled as the favorite and Medina Spririt won by three lengths going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos. Next out, in the G3 Sham on Jan. 2, some thought Medina Spirit (sent off at 9-1) was entered by Baffert to make sure the race would fill (only four others entered). The hotshot 1-5 Sham favorite was Life Is Good, who made a dazzling impression in his debut, getting a 91 Beyer Speed Figure (Medina Spirit got a 76 Beyer in his debut). Life Is Good looked well on his way to living up to his top billing in the Sham until Medina Spirit, racing in second throughout, gained 3 ¼ lengths on his stablemate in the final furlong, cutting the winning margin to just three-quarters of a length.

Medina Spirit (inside) fought off Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie the length of the stretch to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes

For the Lewis, Medina Spirit was the even-money favorite, with his stablemate, the $1-million yearling purchase and G2 Los Alamitos Futurity winner Spielberg, playing second fiddle in the Baffert barn. The latter was a non-factor in a race where Medina Spirit was pushed early by Wipe the Slate and Parnelli through fast fractions of :22.89 and :46.61. The third quarter was a dawdling :25.75 for six furlongs in 1:12.36 and the fourth quarter of 26.98 made the mile time 1:39.34. The times are slow on paper, but Santa Anita's main track was listed as good after heavy rains hit the previous two days.

Medina Spirit put away the chasers (they finished about 20 lengths behind him at the wire), but was under attack down the stretch from Hot Rod Charlie and Roman Centurian. The former, an Oxbow colt trained by Doug O'Neill, was making his first start since finishing second at 94-1 odds in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, beaten three-quarters of a length by champion Essential Quality. The latter, an Empire Maker colt trained by Simon Callaghan, graduated from the maiden ranks in his second start and first around two turns at Santa Anita on Jan. 3.

Both Hot Rod Charlie, racing between horses, and Roman Centurian to the outside, appeared to have all the momentum as they hooked up with Medina Spirit at the top of the stretch. But Medina Spirit never yielded, holding his two rivals at bay at the wire and then continuing to gallop out ahead of them. Roman Centurian, at 11-1, finished second by a neck, just a nose ahead of 5-2 second choice Hot Rod Charlie.

Final time for the Lewis was 1:46.26, and the top three finishers all received Beyer Speed Figures of 91.

Medina Spirit is from the first crop of foals by Protonico, who certainly has stamina in his pedigree, being by Giant's Causeway and out of an A.P. Indy mare. There's not much black type on  Medina Spirit's catalogue page (until you get to the fourth dam), but his dam, Mongolian Changa, is a daughter of the Dynaformer stallion Brilliant Speed, who won the G1 Blue Grass Stakes when Keeneland had a Polytrack synthetic surface.

Once a horse is a proven runner, pedigree doesn't matter nearly as much. I'm reminded of that when I look at the remarkable racing career and the relatively obscure pedigree of Holy Bull, a son of the Minnesota Mac stallion Great Above out of a mare by Al Hattab.

Grade B

Previously: Jan 26 Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card

Jan. 18 Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card

Jan. 3 Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card

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‘He’s Got Game’: Baffert Impressed By Medina Spirit’s Gutty Victory In Robert B. Lewis

Move over, Authentic.

In a performance even more surreal than Authentic's Kentucky Derby triumph, Medina Spirit upstaged Bob Baffert's newly minted Horse of the Year Saturday, staring defeat in the eye down the homestretch and refusing to blink, holding off two pursuers through the last quarter mile to win the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in a stretch run for the ages.

It wasn't Jaipur and Bill Shoemaker and Ridan and Manuel Ycaza going neck and neck for a mile and a quarter in the 1962 Travers, Jaipur on the outside eventually winning by a nose, but the three-horse battle down the lane in the Lewis will do until the next thing comes along.

(Aside to readers: It's worth watching the '62 Travers and hear announcer Fred Capossela's distinctive, halting, staccato, call. Comedian Robert Klein does a classic impression of 'Cappy' who when asked by his wife what he wants for dinner, responds with, 'I'll have Caesar salad first, roast beef second, mashed potatoes third, peas and carrots fourth …).”

Even Baffert thought he wasn't going to win after Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie hooked pacesetting Medina Spirit at the head of the stretch. As it was, Medina Spirit, who led virtually from the start after breaking from the rail, prevailed by a short neck over Roman Centurian, with Hot Rod Charlie a nose back in third.

“I thought he was beat,” Baffert said after the race.

All was well on Sunday with Baffert's record 10th Lewis triumph safely in the archives.

“He was gutty as could be, showed some grit, and that's what you want to see,” Baffert said Sunday morning. “He's got game. He beat a good field and the California horses (on the Triple Crown trail) are pretty strong.”

Baffert now has the enviable but challenging assignment of deciding on Medina Spirit's next race, as he must with individual Kentucky Derby Future Wager favorite Life Is Good, among others in his barn of well-stocked sophomore bluebloods.

“We'll just go week by week,” Baffert said. “I don't really plan anything out. I'll wait a couple weeks before I decide. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even going to run in the Lewis until the last minute. I decided I liked the way he (Medina Spirit) worked, put him in there, didn't want to be sittin' on him, breezing him. Sometimes they get hurt just working them, so I'd just rather put a race into him.

“We're learning about the horse. It wasn't an ideal way for him to run that way yesterday (on the lead from the rail), but his hand was sort of set from the start when he broke a little slow and he (Abel Cedillo) couldn't really take him back. He never had a chance to really get him out like he did the last time (second to Life Is Good in the Sham).

“There was a lot of speed yesterday, and from a different post he could have relaxed more. But it was good for him, he got something out of it and showed there's a lot of quality.

“It puts him right up with what's out there now. We still haven't seen any American Pharoahs or Justifys yet, but Medina Spirit's win makes Life Is Good look better, too.

“This next couple months you'll see a lot of horses change.”

As to Spielberg, who finished a disappointing fourth, beaten just over 11 lengths, Baffert said, “He was never really in it. He didn't like dirt in his face. He didn't show up, but they'll do that.”

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