Medina Spirit Wins the Kentucky Derby

Medina Spirit took the early guide and held off Mandaloun in a thrilling extend drive to acquire the 147th operating of the Kentucky Derby at

Churchill Downs.

Skilled by Bob Baffert and ridden by John Velazquez, Medina Spirit covered the 1 ¼ miles on a speedy dirt keep track of in 2:01.02 The victory is a document-breaking seventh Derby win for Baffert and the fourth get for Velazquez. They teamed up to get last year’s Operate for the Roses with Genuine.

“That minimal horse has a major coronary heart,” Baffert said following the race. “He’s generally revealed he’s an overachiever.”

The formal attendance of 51,838 at Churchill Downs on Saturday was the most significant crowd at a U.S. sporting event due to the fact the pandemic began past 12 months. The previous higher of 47,218 was established at Alabama’s spring soccer recreation last thirty day period. However, it was far brief of a usual Derby crowd of far more than 150,000.

Medina Spirit is owned by Amr Zedan of Zedan Racing Stables. “I rehearsed this speech in the shower and on the treadmill. I never imagined I’d do it but right here I am,” Zedan joked in the winner’s circle.”

Medina Spirit was bred in Florida and has been sold at auction twice. Bred by Gail Rice in Florida, the son of Protonico went for just $1,000 at the 2019 OBS Winter Blended Sale. He then offered for $35,000 as a 2-calendar year-outdated a year later on. The winner’s share of the $3 million Derby purse is $1.86 million. 

A $2 acquire bet on Medina Spirit paid out $26.20. Mandaloun completed 2nd, followed by Scorching Rod Charlie in 3rd. Important Top quality, the race preferred was fourth. 

Baffert has grow to be horse racing’s most distinguished coach owing to his victories in the sport’s most significant and most lucrative races. Baffert was formerly tied with Ben Jones for most wins in the Kentucky Derby. His victory on Saturday was his 17th get in a Triple Crown race, which is also a document.   

Baffert broke horse racing’s Triple Crown drought in 2015, sweeping all a few races with American Pharoah. 3 years later on, he won the Triple Crown all over again with Justify. 

Past calendar year, Baffert gained the Kentucky Derby with Reliable but drew scrutiny soon after some of his horses failed put up-race drug exams that Baffert said ended up triggered by contamination. 

“Given what has transpired, I intend to do every little thing possible to assure I receive no further more medicine grievances,” Baffert said in a assertion introduced in November. 

Starting with this year’s Kentucky Derby, organizers of the Triple Crown have prohibited the use of the anti-bleeding drug Lasix. Though the use of Lasix in thoroughbreds has been common in North America considering the fact that the mid-1970s, it is now broadly prohibited in the course of the rest of the racing globe. Lasix, or furosemide, is made use of to protect against respiratory bleeding—blood moving into a horse’s lungs for the duration of physical activity. Critics of Lasix say that the drug is a efficiency enhancer and must be banned. 

Prior to Saturday’s race, Grindstone (1996) was the previous horse to win the Operate for the Roses with out staying injected with Lasix.

Produce to Jim Chairusmi at [email protected]

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