With Medina Spirit Winning the Kentucky Derby, Bob Baffert Finds Life is Good

Bob Baffert was supposed to convey another horse, a break horse, to Louisville for Kentucky Derby 147. But at the final stage of the day, there was just Al Madinah Spirit. Turns come out that was sufficiency to make up history.

Except for maybe a stride down the stretch, Baffert’s lone entry inward this year’s Run for the Roses never trailed, and when he crush Mandaloun past a half-length, he gave Baffert his record-setting 7th win in the Grade 1 classic.

After the race, Baffert compared his in vogue(p) victory to his first Derby winner, which happened inward 1997.

It was a thrilling win,” Baffert said. “And for this little horse, what he did today, he has got so practically of Silver Charm in him, just now a fighter. (Jockey St. John the Apostle Velazquez) place him on the take and he was sledding on easy.”

It’s the indorsement straight yr that Baffert and Velazquez, a four-time victor himself, met upwards inwards the winner’s circle. And ilk Al Madinah Spirit this year, 2020 victor Authentic went wire-to-wire.

Going off at 12-1 odds, Al Madinah Spirit paid $26.20 to win, $12 to station and $7.60 to show. Mandaloun, 1 of 2 Brad Cox-trained colts inwards the field, paid $23 and $13.40. Hot Rod Charlie, who ruined a half-length behind Mandaloun, paid $5.20.

Betting favourite Essential Quality, the other Cox-trained colt, ruined fourth, a chief behind.

With Medina Spirit and a 27-1 Mandaloun topping the toteboard, the exotics paid handsomely. group A $2 exacta paid $503.60. a 50-cent trifecta paid $848.45.

Baffert: Not About the Records

The Bluegrass State Derby wasn’t the only if record-setting exertion by Baffert Saturday. With Gamine’s win inward the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff, Baffert earned his 220th Grade 1 win. Baffert said he heard he was forthcoming that stigma a month ago, but ne'er gave it much thought.

“I don’t suppose about the records,” he said. “I simply require to live plump for with a Equus caballus that’s competitive. The Kentucky Derby, there’s other races, but the Derby is the race. Just to come up here with a competitive horse, I thought we had a competitive horse.”

But the Equus caballus that was supposed to be Baffert’s top off accounting entry was Life is Good, a colt that is undefeated inwards 3 starts. However, Baffert bumped him from the Triple Crown trail inwards later(a) Mar after the promising chance injured a leg during a workout prepping for the Santa Anita Derby.

With undefeated 2-year-old prizewinning Essential Quality and others, the likes of Hot Rod Charlie and John Rock Your World, the latter of which bunk Al Madinah Spirit in the Santa Anita Derby a month ago, Baffert found himself inwards an unusual position.

“This twelvemonth I really enjoyed myself,” he said. “I came in here below the radar. i thought, well, maybe he’ll get under one's skin a patch of it or something. But Johnny, he kept notification me if he improves away his lowest race, he’ll tally well.”

Other Derby History Just Misses Out

The chronicle to the highest degree inwards the crowd of 51,838 at Winston Churchill Downs thought they would attestor was the 1st Louisville-native trainer to win the KY Derby. Cox had 2 chances inward his 1st try. Mandaloun came tantalizingly close, but could ne'er trail pull down the winner.

His other, the favorite, the I that Mattress Mack wager $2.4 gazillion on to win, got bumped early. He ended upwardly staying to the outside of the wad for the mile-and-a-half. Despite that wider than usual trip, he finished simply almost a length endorse of the winner.

“He was propensity out on the far good turn and Luis (Saez, the jockey) said he was shying aside from the other horses,” Cox said. “We testament just now experience to regroup. Proud of both horses. They trained advantageously and just now bid the order of magnitude of finishing was just now a minuscule different.”

In a cruel twist around of fate, Cox would terminal upward winning the next run at Winston S. Churchill Downs on a 14-1 shot. But as he went to the winner’s round for a picture, Baffert was relieve answering questions from reporters.