PREAKNESS PROFILE: MEDINA SPIRIT
Gary Quill
May 14, 2021
Though trainer Bob Baffert is the winningest Kentucky Derby trainer of all time, Medina Spirit, his most recent winner, was a longshot, going off at 12-1 when he scored May 1 — a win since tarnished after he tested positive for betamethasone.
Baffert has six Preakness victories in his career, including a gaudy 5-for-6 register with horses who won the Kentucky Derby first. Jockey John Velazquez, who has won just about every important race in his Hall of Fame career, is 0-for-10 in the Preakness.
3. MEDINA SPIRIT (9-5)
- TRAINER: BOB BAFFERT
- JOCKEY: JOHN VELAZQUEZ
- LIFETIME RECORD: 6-3-3-0
- MOST RECENT RACE: 1ST, GRADE I KENTUCKY DERBY
GQ SAYS…
The lone three-year-old who can capture horse racing Triple Crown by virtue of his gate-to-wire victory in the Run for the Roses. After a clean break from the #8 post, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez hustled him to the early lead with nothing between him and the rail, sitting chilly on an uncontested lead until the second turn when a trio of rivals challenged him for that lead, but was game throughout the stretch, refusing to surrender the lead and prevailed by a half- length. Never worse than second from six (6) career starts, all three (3) victories came when he never saw another runner’s rear-end. Is that possible in the Preakness with a few rivals who might be quicker out of the gate?
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| Medina Spirit (FL) / T: Bob Baffert |
| O: Zedan Racing Stables Inc. |
| 05/01/2021 1 — Kentucky Derby (CD) |
| 04/03/2021 2 — Santa Anita Derby (SA) |
| 03/06/2021 2 — San Felipe S. (SA) |
| 01/30/2021 1 — Robert B. Lewis S. (SA) |
| 01/02/2021 2 — Sham S. (SA) |
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