Under jockey John Velazquez, Medina Spirit jumped out to an early lead and fended off challenges down the stretch in front of 51,838 fans in Louisville, Kentucky, in the largest U.S. sporting event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Baffert had downplayed his "little" horse's chances heading into the race and was stunned to see the dark bay 3-year-old maintain his speed for the duration of the 1-1/4-mile trip around the fast dirt track. "His heart is bigger than his body and when he turned for home, something told me that he doesn't know how much he cost, he wasn't going to let anybody pass him."
Longshot Mandaloun was second, 5-1 Hot Rod Charlie was third and 5/2 favorite Essential Quality was forced to settle for fourth after taking a wide turn heading into the stretch.Baffert, one of the best known trainers in the world, has come under scrutiny from state horse racing regulators in recent years after some of the horses in his stables tested positive for banned substances.
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