Medina Spirit shocks rivals in Kentucky Derby
Trainer Bob Baffert landed a record-breaking seventh Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 10f) at Churchill Downs on Saturday and second in as many years as Medina Spirit (3 c ex Mongolian Changa by Brilliant Speed) led all the way to win the Grade 1 and in the process became the first top-flight winner for the Castleton Lyons Stud-based stallion Protonico (Giant’s Causeway).
Last seen finishing runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (Gr 1, 9f) on April 3, the Zedan Stables-raced colt led all the way and stayed on bravely to post a half length victory over Mandaloun (Into Mischief), while Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) was the same distance away in third.
Baffert won the first of his septet of Kentucky Derby’s with Silver Charm (Silver Buck) in 1997, while twice his winners went on to win the Triple Crown, first with American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) in 2015 and followed three years later by Justify (Scat Daddy) and they now both to shuttle to Coolmore Stud in the Hunter Valley.
"The seven wins, it's like, I can't believe I won two," said Baffert.
"This is the only Derby I came in here thinking, 'I just don't know if we got the goods.
"He came through for us. He showed me today, 'Hey, Bob, I'm a lot better than you think I am.' And he's a hell of a lot better than I thought he was. He's a really good horse. He's tough."
A winner of the Robert B Lewis Stakes (Gr 3, 8f) on January 30, the colt was purchased by Christy Whitman for a mere US$1,000 at the 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Winter Mixed Sale, before being purchased by his owners Zedan Racing Stables for US$35,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company Open Horses of Racing Age Sale last year.
Medina Spirit is the only winner out of Brilliant Speed (Dynaformer) mare Mongolian Changa and in the winning the Kentucky Derby he becomes the first stakes winner in three generations of his family.
The colt’s fourth dam is Listed winner Scoop The Gold (Forty Niner) and she also produced multiple Grade 1 winner High Yield (Storm Cat), while she is also the grandam of Grade 3 winner Medea (Danehill Dancer).
Further back this is the same pedigree as dual Group 1 winner and former Darley Stud shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) and fellow elite level winners Catch A Glimpse (City Zip) and Forest Flower (Green Forest).
A Grade 2 winner on the track, Protonico stood at Castleton Lyons Stud in 2021 for a fee of US$5,000 and Medina Spirit is one 21 foals from his first crop and he is one of four winners from ten starters for the son of Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat).
