LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oh, boy, here we go again.
Triple Crown fever is alive and well.
As soon as Medina Spirit, who wasn’t supposed to win the Kentucky Derby, won the Kentucky Derby, the sport of horse racing got an adrenaline jolt that will push it all the way to Baltimore in 13 days.
Bob Baffert will be bringing a Derby winner to the Preakness. Probably. He won’t send the colt to Charm City unless he checks all the boxes. Most likely a formality.
Baffert, the poster boy for racing, gave us a Triple Crown winner in 2015 – American Pharoah was the first since Affirmed in 1978 – and 2018 (Justify).
It’s way too early to think that Medina Spirit, who was at one time the third-stringer of Baffert’s powerful 3-year-old team, could become an all-time great. But, with Baffert, you should never say never. He shows up when the hardware is being handed out.
On Saturday, before he won the Derby, he won two other graded stakes races. His fast, fast filly Gamine was too good in the Derby City Distaff and that gave Baffert his 220th career Grade I win, most of anyone, anytime.
A few races later, he was in the winner’s circle again, this time with a turf colt named Du Jour. He is owned by Baffert’s wife, Jill. The race was the Grade II American Turf.
And then came the Derby. It was Baffert’s seventh win in the great race but he said later that he doesn’t get caught up in such things.
Medina Spirit went off at odds of 12-1. That’s because he was dusted in his final Derby prep, losing by 4 1/4 lengths to Rock Your World.
Having a long-shot horse win the Derby for Baffert is not uncommon. War Emblem paid $43 in 2002. Real Quiet provided an $18.80 win price, the same as Authentic.
Baffert was thought to be loaded for this Derby but then he lost his big guns. Life Is Good got hurt and Concert Tour ran a dud in the Arkansas Derby.
It was up to Medina Spirit to carry the ball and he looked like Saquon Barkley on Saturday.
And jockey John Velazquez continued to turn back the clock. Johnny V had himself a weekend in the Commonwealth. On Friday, he won the Kentucky Oaks. Saturday, he became the first rider since Calvin Borel in 2009 to take the Oaks and Derby in the same year.
Velazquez is 49 and showing no signs of slowing down. He became just the second jockey in the history of the Derby to win the race four times, joining Bill Shoemaker. If he gets one more, he’ll tie two other all-time greats – Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack.
Last year, Velazquez and Baffert teamed up for a Derby when Authentic broke the hearts of a lot of locals when they beat Tiz the Law, owned by Saratoga Springs’ Jack Knowlton’s Sackatoga Stable crew.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity Bob has given me,” Velazquez said. “This opportunity doesn’t come very often for a man like me, the age that I am right now. It doesn’t happen in our business.”
Velazquez will enjoy the ride. Maybe he’ll make the ride last a little longer. A mainstay rider on the New York circuit, there are rumors Johnny V might move his business out to California. The rider just smiled when that was brought up.
“I have feelers out there,” Baffert said. “You have to have feelers. Johnny – he likes it out there.”
His agent, the respected Ron Anderson, would say this: “It’s his call, whatever he’s comfortable with.”
Johnny V is comfortable with winning. And he is doing a lot of that for Baffert lately. I could never see Velazquez moving West and not being a part of racing at Saratoga in the summer. But, what do I know? I picked Known Agenda to win the Derby. He finished ninth.
Twilkin15@gmail.com • @tjwilkin
"triple" - Google News
May 02, 2021 at 09:51AM
https://ift.tt/336SxpT
Triple Crown chase is on with Medina Spirit's win - Times Union
"triple" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3dc0blF
https://ift.tt/2WoIFUS
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Triple Crown chase is on with Medina Spirit's win - Times Union"
Post a Comment