ftboa.com • Thursday • May 6, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST Baffert, Medina Spirit Chase FSS Yearling Deadline Reminder More History in Preakness May 15 - $250 Click here for form Click here to check eligibility In This Issue: Medina Spirit the Seventh Florida-bred to Win KY Derby Medina Spirit No. 1 in NTRA Poll Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators 2020 NTRA Legislative Annual Report Released American Pharoah, Pletcher, Fisher Elected to Hall of Fame Belmont Stakes Tickets go on Sale May 6 Track Results & Entries Florida Stallion Progeny List Florida Breeders’ List Florida-bred Medina Spirit/COADY PHOTO Wire to Wire Business Place BY PIMLICO OFFICE ______________ Zedan Racing’s Florida-bred Medina Spirit became the seventh Kentucky Derby BALTIMORE, MD—Hall of Famer Bob winner trained by Baffert, who had been Featured Advertisers Baffert, who became the winningest train- tied with legendary Ben “Plain Ben” Jones Florida Department of er in Kentucky Derby presented by for most victories by a trainer in the Run Agriculture Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) history by for the Roses. FTBOA saddling Medina Spirit for an upset victory Medina also became the seventh Journeyman Stud Saturday at Churchill Downs, is hoping to Florida-bred to win the Run for the Roses Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply make history again in the 146th Preakness following Needles (1956), Carry Back Stakes (G1) to be run May 15 at Pimlico (1961), Foolish Pleasure (1975), Affirmed Ocala Stud Race Course with his Derby winner and (1978), Unbridled (1990) and Silver Peterson Smith Equine Hospital Triple Crown newcomer Concert Tour. Seminole Feed See PREAKNESS on page 3 Back to Top Page 3 Preakness Continued from COVER Charm (1997). In this year’s Preakness, Baffert will seek to break a tie with Robert Wyndham Walden, who saddled seven Preakness winners between 1875 and 1888. Baffert has been represented in the Preakness winner’s circle by Triple Crown champions Justify (2018) and American Pharoah (2015), as well as Lookin At Lucky (2010), War Emblem (2002), Point Given (2001), Real Quiet (1998) and Florida-bred Silver Charm (1997). In addition to Silver Charm, Florida-bred Preakness winners include Carry Back, Affirmed, Codex (1980), Aloma’s Ruler (1982), Gate Dancer (1984) and Afleet Alex (2005). Baffert’s horses will stay Concert Tour/COADY PHOTO at Churchill Downs before traveling to Pimlico. Normally, Baffert’s horses fly from Louisville on the Wednesday before the Preakness. However, he said Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation, which flies horses See PREAKNESS on page 5 Florida-breds Make Florida Racing Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds won 31.5% of races run at the recent Gulfstream Park Championship Meet? This demonstrates how vital Florida-breds are to the success of Gulfstream Park throughout the year—not just during the Spring/Summer season. Additional good news for Florida breeders—66% of those Florida-bred winners during the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet were sired by Florida stallions. Florida-breds: Race ‘Em or Chase ‘Em! Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Preakness page 3 Continued from across America, is being shut down for a peri- od of time after this week, and thus his horses will van to Baltimore. He said he’s working on travel arrangements. Medina Spirit, who entered the Kentucky Derby off a runner-up finish behind Rock Your World in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), gave Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez his fourth victory in the first jewel of the Triple Crown, leading all the way and fighting off Mandaloun through the stretch to complete the mile-and-one-quarter in a very good 2:01.02. Baffert said that he made changes in strat- egy after Medina Spirit was second as the favorite in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 3. Putting the colt on the lead in the Derby led to his triumph. Meanwhile, he’s had to fine-tune his approach with Concert Tour. “We’re getting to know these horses,” Baffert said. “He’s lightly raced, but we’ve learned a lot about him. So we make adjust- ments and here we are. Keepmeinmind /COADY PHOTO Zedan Racing’s Medina Spirit, a two-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company was scheduled to who gave Baffert his record seventh Kentucky Derby success with resume training Wednesday at Churchill Downs as the 3-year-old a gutsy front-running victory at Churchill Downs. colt prepares for the Preakness Stakes. Medina Spirit had his third Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Concert Tour for the scheduled walk day Tuesday after his 12-1 upset Derby victory. first time in the Preakness. Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s top assistant who is overseeing the Since the Arkansas Derby, Concert Tour has worked twice at training of the Gail Rice-bred Medina Spirit and the stable’s other Churchill Downs. Baffert watched him breeze five furlongs in horses at Churchill Downs, said Concert Tour returned to the track 1:00.60 Sunday morning and decided he should stay on course for Tuesday morning after a day off following Sunday’s five-furlong the Preakness. Concert Tour will work again this weekend before workout. shipping to Baltimore early next week. “Concert Tour jogged. Medina [Spirit] walked again today. Baffert said he spoke with Gary West after Concert Tour’s We’ll talk to Bob and see if he wants to go another day or jog him Sunday morning workout and they decided to continue with the tomorrow or something,” Barnes said. “Everyone is very healthy. plan to run at Pimlico. I couldn’t be happier with them.” “He asked me, ‘Did he work well enough to run in the “We know what we need to do, just like Medina Spirit. You get Preakness?’” Baffert said. “I said, ‘Yes, he did. He worked well.’” beat and you figure it out,” he added. “You learn more from your Once that question was answered, the Wests did not hesitate to losses: what a horse likes, what he doesn’t like. Did I have him make plans for the Preakness. ready? I make notes and figure out what’s wrong. Three weeks just “That’s why they are in the business and that’s why they want wasn’t enough to really feel comfortable to go in there and Gary to try for it,” Baffert said. “If you can run in the Preakness and win West really didn’t feel comfortable running in the Derby after a the Preakness, it’s a very exciting race.” race like that.” Concert Tour entered the Arkansas Derby unbeaten in three Baffert said Tuesday morning that the time was right for Gary starts and a top candidate to be among the Kentucky Derby and Mary West’s Concert Tour to jump onto the Triple Crown trail favorites. He faltered, though, forcing Baffert to change his sched- in the Preakness Stakes. ule. “We figure, this is the race,” Baffert said by phone from Santa “We’ll find out. Let’s see how good he is,” Baffert said. Anita. “The Derby is run. A lot of horses, they went through a lot “Maybe he’s good or maybe not as good as we thought he was. to get here. He’s sort of a fresh horse. In the Rebel, he looked so We’re going to find out next week.” good.” Preakness under Consideration for Keepmeinmind Concert Tour, who captured the March 13 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Trainer Robertino Diodoro told Maryland Jockey Club racing Oaklawn by four-and-a-quarter lengths, was withdrawn from con- officials that Keepmeinmind, the seventh-place finisher in sideration for last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby presented by Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, is being considered for a run in the Woodford Reserve (G1) after finishing third as the 3-10 favorite Preakness. in the Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 10 at Oaklawn. Baffert made Keepmeinmind trailed the 19-horse Derby field for three-quar- the decision to point the son of Street Sense to the Preakness ters of a mile before making a very wide drive to finish seventh. instead and he confirmed this week that the colt will indeed com- The son of Laoban, who is owned by Cypress Creek Equine, pete in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Concert Tour is Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm LLC, finished third in scheduled to clash with Florida-bred stablemate Medina Spirit, See PREAKNESS on page 7 Back to Top Back to Top Page 7 Preakness Continued from page 5 last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland before capturing the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky-bred colt is winless in three starts this year. Essential Quality to Skip Preakness Trainer Brad Cox confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Godolphin’s Essential Quality, the fourth-place finisher and beaten favorite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), has been removed from consideration for the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico. Cox said via text that no decision has been made on the 2020 Eclipse champion’s next start. Decisions on the Preakness status of Juddmonte Farms’ Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun and Shortleaf Stable’s Caddo River are still pending. Caddo River, the Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up who was taken out of Derby consider- ation after spiking a temperature, returned to the work tab at Churchill Downs Monday with a half-mile breeze in :48.80. Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Midnight Bourbon, who fin- ished sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), had another sched- uled walk day at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning. Trainer Steve Asmussen said all was well with the Tiznow colt but that King Fury /COADY PHOTO no final decision on the Preakness could be made until after Midnight Bourbon resumes training.