Medina Spirit wins Kentucky Derby with 12 to 1 Odds

[Contrarian]

A young relatively unknown horse with 12 to 1 odds has won the Kentucky Derby!

https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2021-medina-spirit-strikes-12-1-odds-give-baffert-seventh-kentucky-derby-victory

[Contrarian]

And lots of talk about Tom Brady at the Kentucky Derby.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tom-brady-dresses-to-impress-at-kentucky-derby

[Contrarian]

More on Medina Spirit. Will he run in the Preakness? Stay Tunes.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/2021/05/02/bob-baffert-faces-preakness-decision-medina-spirit-and-concert-tour/7135413002/

[Contrarian]

More on Medina Spirit. Will he run in the Preakness? Stay Tuned.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/2021/05/02/bob-baffert-faces-preakness-decision-medina-spirit-and-concert-tour/7135413002/

Bump.

Come on folks, doesn't someone else like horse racing and the Kentucky Derby besides myself?

AvHdB?

[AvHdB]

More on Medina Spirit. Will he run in the Preakness? Stay Tuned.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/2021/05/02/bob-baffert-faces-preakness-decision-medina-spirit-and-concert-tour/7135413002/

Bump.

Come on folks, doesn't someone else like horse racing and the Kentucky Derby besides myself?

AvHdB?

First time I went to ride a horse, I brought an anchour.

Though eventually I learned to ride and have allot of respect for those who ride whether for pleasure or competition, (racing or dressage) I know little about that world.

As an observation I think women who are involved in the equestrian world start to look horsey. Just look at Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

[Contrarian]

I first started riding horses as I recall at about 13 years old. At least I didn't take an anchor with me. 

It wasn't the first time I had ridden a horse but an interesting story is that there was a horse which I wanted to get on even though he didn't have a saddle on him. I managed to jump onto him from a fence. He wasn't too happy about it and he charged into a small barn which was barely high enough on the inside part as he was going in for him. I had to quickly duck so that he didn't dislodge me which is what he was trying to do. I think he charged in and out of the barn at least a couple of times as he was quite spirited and determined to knock me off of him. As I recall I managed to jump off of him somehow back outside the barn without getting seriously hurt but I decided he wasn't worth any further effort.

He definitely wasn't the first horse I had ridden though. I had some sort of horse riding lessons at a summer camp prior and those horses were gentle and had proper saddles. The main thing you learn is to lean forward if the horse is going up a hill and to lean back a bit as he's coming down. Pretty much the same thing is that you need to lean forward a bit as the horse is speeding up to a gallop.

So certainly no expert but I did go horseback riding when in Crimea. The guide I had took myself and the gal I was with to a small horse farm owned by a Tatar. I don't think she had ever been on a horse before however she did fine at the slower speeds. I took off at a gallop after letting her know I was going to do that. At some point my horse wanted to just stop and eat grass so I let him. He was a big black beauty and a fast horse.

As far as horse racing goes I have gone quite a few times to quarter horse races while living in California to place wagers and once won over a hundred dollars on a bet. No big deal.

I just enjoy the atmosphere of a horse race in person a lot, it's similar to the atmosphere of a baseball game. Better in person.

So definitely not an expert however I do enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby nearly every year and I have always been impressed with the record of horse Trainer Bob Baffert.


           

[Contrarian]

BTW Medina Spirit originally sold at auction for only $1,000. The current owner purchased him a year later for $35,000.

Bob Baffert has announced that Medina Spirit will be racing in the Preakness. Should be a very exciting race.

Quote

"The question going into the Preakness is how Medina Spirit might react if he faces a harder challenge out of the gate? In the Santa Anita Derby, he could not come from behind to pressure early leader and eventual winner Rock Your World. His consistency, on the other hand, is a given; he’s never finished lower than second in six career races."


https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horse-racing/bs-sp-preakness-medina-spirit-challengers-20210502-xfxhkatliva53kw6kpog2xrkfy-story.html

[Danchik]

The horse ran a good race, but I don't think he's triple crown material. He was lucky to win the Derby. Maybe he wins the Preakness, but not the Belmont.

I used to be a huge race fan and grew up about 15 miles from Santa Anita Park. Trevor Denman was IMO the best at calling a race.

I used to have a joke I would say to my friends before each race I bet on a la Trevor's normal call when a horse started to fall out of the race ; "and dropping out of the race is Dan's horse".

Have to say though, that was an exciting race. Looking forward to the Preakness.

However, I'm more than a little concerned about the sport with what's been happening concerning the number of horses having to be put down in the past couple of years. I don't know what's happening as a don't follow racing as much these days, but it a much more common occurrence than ever before.

I would imagine it's a combination of things, e.g. overtraining/racing with not enough rest in-between starts, drugs,  etc.

[Contrarian]

The horse ran a good race, but I don't think he's triple crown material. He was lucky to win the Derby. Maybe he wins the Preakness, but not the Belmont.

I used to be a huge race fan and grew up about 15 miles from Santa Anita Park. Trevor Denman was IMO the best at calling a race.

I used to have a joke I would say to my friends before each race I bet on a la Trevor's normal call when a horse started to fall out of the race ; "and dropping out of the race is Dan's horse".

Have to say though, that was an exciting race. Looking forward to the Preakness.

However, I'm more than a little concerned about the sport with what's been happening concerning the number of horses having to be put down in the past couple of years. I don't know what's happening as a don't follow racing as much these days, but it a much more common occurrence than ever before.

I would imagine it's a combination of things, e.g. overtraining/racing with not enough rest in-between starts, drugs,  etc.

I also don't think he will win the triple crown but I certainly will be watching the Preakness and expect an exciting race.

I've been to Santa Anita Park a few times, nice track to place a few wagers.

I agree it's sad if a horse needs to be put down and hope it's not because of drugs or overtraining. Anyone who gives a beautiful animal drugs hoping to profit should be hung.

I lived fairly close to this track and went there the most.

https://www.losalamitos.com

A great place for Sunday champagne brunch.

https://www.losalamitos.com/VesselsClub/vc.aspx

[Danchik]

I've been to all the tracks in Southern California including Del Mar down San Diego way (my favourite track). In was a pretty big fan from the mid-eighties to when I move to Moscow in '04 and still often go to Santa Anita when I'm back in LA.

Los Alamitos is mostly quarter-horse racing with off track betting like most tracks in the US these days, but you could get in for free back in the day for off track betting, even in the clubhouse. I've been there many times as I lived in Orange County for 20 years and know the area like the back of my hand. Right off Katella Ave in Cypress.

Santa Anita and Del Mar are 2 of the best tracks in the country IMO and probably the most transparent . My old roommate actually sent me a photo of him and his wife having mint juleps from Gulfstream Park in Florida on Saturday, where he lives now.

As far as the Derby went, and without having a chance to look at any past performances, it seemed like there wasn't much speed in the race and Medina Spirit could control the pace even though the splits were decent. Velazquez still had a lot of horse left when they hit the 3/4 pole.

The race set up beautifully for him and the track bias seemed to favour speed horses that day. That's one reason why I don't think he'll win the Belmont because it's a longer race and the Triple Crown is gruelling to begin with.

Unfortunately, given the time zone I live, I can only watch the races on replay. I'll give my prediction for the Preakness as it approaches.

I'm guessing Medina Spirit will be somewhere in the 5/2 range this time, of course depending on the  size of the field and any new entrants.

[Contrarian]

I've been to all the tracks in Southern California including Del Mar down San Diego way (my favourite track). In was a pretty big fan from the mid-eighties to when I move to Moscow in '04 and still often go to Santa Anita when I'm back in LA.

Los Alamitos is mostly quarter-horse racing with off track betting like most tracks in the US these days, but you could get in for free back in the day for off track betting, even in the clubhouse. I've been there many times as I lived in Orange County for 20 years and know the area like the back of my hand. Right off Katella Ave in Cypress.

Santa Anita and Del Mar are 2 of the best tracks in the country IMO and probably the most transparent . My old roommate actually sent me a photo of him and his wife having mint juleps from Gulfstream Park in Florida on Saturday, where he lives now.

As far as the Derby went, and without having a chance to look at any past performances, it seemed like there wasn't much speed in the race and Medina Spirit could control the pace even though the splits were decent. Velazquez still had a lot of horse left when they hit the 3/4 pole.

The race set up beautifully for him and the track bias seemed to favour speed horses that day. That's one reason why I don't think he'll win the Belmont because it's a longer race and the Triple Crown is gruelling to begin with.

Unfortunately, given the time zone I live, I can only watch the races on replay. I'll give my prediction for the Preakness as it approaches.

I'm guessing Medina Spirit will be somewhere in the 5/2 range this time, of course depending on the  size of the field and any new entrants.

Thanks for the interesting response.

I have also been to Del Mar a couple of times and can see why you like it. 

Your response shows that overall you were a lot more dedicated and knowledgeable gambler than myself.

I recall purchasing some sort of handicapper and reading a bunch of stuff and maybe knowing a bit about it, but ultimately it was just a fun past time where I would just go with the hunch bet.

Sometimes I utilized the "system" of a friend. He only bet to win, and he only bet pole positions 1 thru 4. He only bet if the odds were 4 to 1 or higher on a given horse and a given race, with those pole positions. Then he would double his bets for each race. Eventually if a long shot or big enough winner had not come in, he would go to what he called "failsafe" which is when then he wasn't betting the really high amounts that doubling would require but just enough to get his money back from previous losses plus a hundred dollars.

He sometimes would win over a thousand a day, which he was happy to tell you about.

But then if he went several days without a winner, well he didn't want to talk about it. 

[andrewfi]

Your friend sounds like I used to be with one-armed bandits!

Happy to shout about my winnings but dead silent about my much more frequent losses!

[Gipsy]

It seems as though the nag was doped.... 

[BillyB]

It seems as though the nag was doped.... 

There will be a review and if the decision is upheld, they'll pull the win from Median Spirit and Bob Baffert trained horses will be banned from Churchill Downs.

[Contrarian]

What a complete shame!

I have suddenly lost respect for Baffert.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/kentucky-derby-medina-spirit-drug-test-bob-baffert-11620577439

[Gipsy]

It seems that the trainer has some "Previous form in doping"..

[Danchik]

Baffert is probably the most successful trainer the sport has ever known. As I mentioned previously, the sport has taken a hit with the number of horses that have had to be put down and the use of P.E.D.'s.

Let's see how this plays out and don't be surprised if you see Medina Spirit running this coming Saturday.

While Baffert has been embroiled in controversy in the past I see no reason for him to jeopardise his future at Churchill Downs.

Could there have been some sabotage? Maybe, but this "sport" has been dirty for years.

[Danchik]

From the horse's mouth (yeah I know ). Do you believe him?

[BillyB]

Baffert says he doesn't know how the drugs got into the horse. It would look bad if he says he authorized the drugs so he has to lie. If this was his first offense, it may warrant a slap on the wrist but it's not his first offense. He got caught before so from then on, he should give his horses a blood test before races to make sure they are below legal limits on any drugs. He's probably pumping multiple drugs into the horses attempting to stay within legal limits but.... mistakes happen. It would also look bad telling a horse owner "I F'd up and pumped too much drugs into your million dollar horse so we got to pull out of the Kentucky Derby or do the race and hope we don't get caught".

https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-officials-hear-bob-bafferts-appeal-of-drug-positives

[Contrarian]

This is shocking. Baffert has a long history if this sordid stuff.

Quote

"No matter the outcome – which could take weeks to resolve – the episode marks the fifth such controversy for Baffert in just over a year. The list of failed tests go back even longer, with the New York Times reporting last fall that Baffert has been cited in 29 instances spanning more than four decades."

https://www.sportsnet.ca/horse-racing/article/bob-baffert-no-stranger-failed-drug-tests-horses/

[BillyB]

Baffert has been cited in 29 instances spanning more than four decades."

Like Lance Armstrong, he's too important to the sport. If he were a nobody, he may have been permanently banned long ago. It's apparent, he's pumping drugs into horses and pushing legal limits to give horses the edge. I don't think he purposely goes over legal limits but mistakes happen.

[Contrarian]

Baffert has been cited in 29 instances spanning more than four decades."

Like Lance Armstrong, he's too important to the sport. If he were a nobody, he may have been permanently banned long ago. It's apparent, he's pumping drugs into horses and pushing legal limits to give horses the edge. I don't think he purposely goes over legal limits but mistakes happen.

I am not so sure about this and the reason is that the amounts are infinitesimally small. Something like a trillionth.

Quote

"Baffert took a shot at the testing protocols. He said officials test at picogram levels (which is equal to one trillionth of a gram). He described it as a salt grain in an Olympic-sized pool and offered theories on how Medina Spirit could have come in contact with the drug."

source Fox on twitter



Then there is this:

Quote

"Baffert earlier Tuesday said it was brought to his attention that a veterinarian treated Medina Spirit with an antifungal medication to treat dermatitis that includes the steroid betamethasone. Medina Spirit failed a Kentucky Derby postrace drug test due to the presence of betamethasone."




https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/bob-baffert-medina-spirits-positive-drug-test-may-be-result-of-anti-fungal-ointment-use/

[Danchik]

Different tracks have different regulations when it comes to drugs in the horse's system. Baffert mentioned this in the interview I posted.

For example, Churchill Downs In Kentucky has an lower acceptable blood limit for betamethasone than Santa Anita Park in California. There's no nationwide regulation, which makes it more of a problem in bigger stakes races.

[Contrarian]

Different tracks have different regulations when it comes to drugs in the horse's system. Baffert mentioned this in the interview I posted.

For example, Churchill Downs In Kentucky has an lower acceptable blood limit for betamethasone than Santa Anita Park in California. There's no nationwide regulation, which makes it more of a problem in bigger stakes races.

While I am not too thrilled about Baffert's history it does appear to be a real problem that different tracks have different regulations etc and I think he has a pretty good reason to complain and to appeal through legal processes.

Mostly I like the horse and although the horse won't know if the Kentucky Derby crown gets yanked from him, it is very disappointing. I am hopeful that the split test will not show the same levels so that the horse gets to retain his title as Kentucky Derby champion for 2021.

[Contrarian]

Update: Medina Spirit was allowed to race at the Preakness after passing 3 drug tests. He went into the race as the favorite. He started well but was unable to withstand a huge charge from Rombauer who was in the middle of the pack. Medina Spirit did hold on for a 3rd place finish (Show).

Moving on the New York horse racing association has suspended Baffert from having any entries. So neither Baffert nor Medina Spirit will be allowed to race at the Belmont Stakes.

Quote

NYRA CEO David O’Rourke announced Monday's decision in a statement:

“In order to maintain a successful thoroughbred racing industry in New York, NYRA must protect the integrity of the sport for our fans, the betting public and racing participants,” O’Rourke said. “That responsibility demands the action taken today in the best interests of thoroughbred racing.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/nyra-suspends-bob-baffert-medina-spirit-from-belmont-stakes-in-the-best-interests-of-horse-racing-211639969.html