BY BROCK SHERIDAN Florida-bred star Medina Spirit defeated older horses for the first time with a monopolizing victory in the mile-and-one-eighth Awesome Again (Grade 1) at Santa Anita Oct. 2, earning a fees paid berth into the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 6. It was Medina Spirit’s second career Grade 1 after taking the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs on May 1. Should Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert elect to send Medina Spirit into the mile-and-one-quarter, the dark bay colt would try to become the fourth Florida-bred to win the prestigious event following Unbridled (1990), Skip Away (1997) and Mucho Macho Man (2013). Jockey John Velazquez was again aggressive from the start on Medina Spirit as they left post five in a sprint to take a clear lead into the clubhouse turn of the Awesome Again. Edwin Maldonado and Midcourt tucked into second on the rail while longshot and fellow Baffert trainee Azul Coast and 5-2 second choice Tripoli were in pur26
THE FLORIDA HORSE • NOVEMBER 2021
suit three and four-wide respectively. Around the turn, Medina Spirit briefly had a length-and-a-quarter lead after finishing the first quarter-mile in :23.34 before Flavian Prat sent Pacific Classic (G1)-runner-up Tizamagician between horses to race on the outside hip of the Derby winner for the run down the backstretch. Undeterred, Medina Spirit shook free for a comfortable, onelength advantage on Tizamagician through a half-mile in :47.72 before starting to draw clear around the far turn with ears pricked and appearing abundantly confident. After six furlongs in 1:11.76, Medina Spirit was still ahead of Tizamagician in second as Stilleto Boy and Tripoli tried to make up ground on the outside. But Velazquez cut the corner with Medina Spirit and began to draw off as they straightened away into the run for home. Medina Spirit took a three-length lead past the eighth-pole before increasing his winning margin to five-lengths while finishing in 1:49.67 on a fast track—resulting in a 107 Beyer Speed Figure as
