Medina Spirit Aims for Grade 1 in Santa Anita Derby

Some of the best trainers in the country hope to keep Bob Baffert from a 10th victory in the $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 3 at Santa Anita Park. 

Baffert has won the 1 1/8-mile event a record nine times, and this year he has entered likely morning-line favorite Medina Spirit  and maiden winner Defunded . Steve Asmussen, Peter Eurton, Michael McCarthy, Doug O'Neill, John Sadler, and John Shirreffs will send out challengers to the Baffert duo.

The Santa Anita Derby often plays a key role in what happens in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), and it offers 100-40-20-10 Derby-qualifying points to the first four finishers. Historically, 19 Kentucky Derby winners competed in the Santa Anita Derby, with 10 capturing both races. Baffert won the two races in 2018 with ultimate Triple Crown winner Justify  , and O'Neill did it in 2012 with I'll Have Another  .

This year's Santa Anita Derby has drawn a field of 10 and none of the horses entered have previously started in a grade 1 race.

It's quite likely a larger field than what would have taken shape had Baffert been able to run Life Is Good  in the race. Undefeated Life Is Good, winner of the Jan. 2 Sham (G3) and March 6 San Felipe (G2) stakes, was expected to be a short-priced favorite but he came out of a March 20 workout at Santa Anita with small chip in his left hind ankle. He underwent surgery in Kentucky March 26, with a good prognosis to return to racing, but will miss the Triple Crown races.

Instead, for the Santa Anita Derby Baffert brings Medina Spirit, owned by Amir Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables, and Defunded, owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.

Medina Spirit finished second to Life Is Good in the Sham and San Felipe. In between those two races, Medina Spirit won the Jan. 30 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). The son of Protonico   cost only $35,000 at last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales' open 2-year-old sale, and he has already earned $165,200.

In the Lewis, Medina Spirit led throughout and held off Roman Centurian  and Hot Rod Charlie  by a neck and a nose. Hot Rod Charlie (trained by O'Neill) went on to win the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2).

Video: Robert B. Lewis S. (G3)

"Those horses came to him; I thought he was beat," said Baffert about Medina Spirit after the Lewis. "He wouldn't let them by; he fought on. I think you have to take him pretty seriously now."

John Velazquez, who rode Medina Spirit in the San Felipe, will be back aboard for the Santa Anita Derby. Mike Smith, who would have ridden Life Is Good, will now pilot Defunded. Medina Spirit drew post 7, while Defunded is on the outside in post 10.

Defunded has started only twice. He broke his maiden in his second start, winning a six-furlong maiden event by 2 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita March 6. A son of Dialed In  , Defunded cost $210,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Baffert won the Kentucky Derby for Pegram in 1998 with Real Quiet, who finished second in that year's Santa Anita Derby to Baffert-trained Indian Charlie.

Among the top contenders aiming to prevent Baffert from winning his third Santa Anita Derby in four years is Dream Shake , who ran third in the March 6 San Felipe in only his second start. At 20-1 in his debut, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Feb. 7, he scored by 4 3/4 lengths. Eurton trains the son of Twirling Candy   for Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, and Richard Hausman.

"We were asking a lot of 'Dream' going into his second start lifetime, first time going two turns against actually a couple of the best horses in the country," Eurton said. "I thought he ran very well. He's trained forwardly to this point. It's asking a lot, but I feel he's up to the challenge."

Flavien Prat will take over the riding duties on Dream Shake, who drew post 2.

Sadler has two in the Santa Anita Derby: Rock Your World  in post 3 under Umberto Rispoli and Back Ring Luck  in post 5 under Tyler Baze.

Hronis Racing and Talla Racing own Rock Your World, a $650,000 Keeneland yearling. A winner of both his starts, Rock Your World captured the Feb. 27 Pasadena Stakes at a mile on the turf. The Santa Anita Derby will be the Candy Ride   colt's debut on the main track.

Back Ring Luck, making his first start for Sadler and the ownership group of the Clarke M. Cooper Family Trust, Mia Familia Racing Stable, and Wade Jacobsen, is coming off back-to-back wins. In his fourth start, he broke his maiden for a $30,000 tag at Churchill Downs.

O'Neill trains The Great One , who drew post 9 and will be ridden by Abel Cedillo. Second in the 2020 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) and fifth in the San Felipe, The Great One is by Nyquist   and named for hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. A partnership headed by Colorado Avalanche hockey player Erik Johnson owns The Great One. O'Neill saddled Nyquist to a Kentucky Derby win in 2016.

Rounding out the field are Parnelli , trained by Shirreffs and ridden by Edwin Maldonado; Ottothelegend , trained by Asmussen and ridden by Mario Gutierrez; and Law Professor , trained by McCarthy and ridden by Kent Desormeaux.

Roman Centurian was entered but will be scratched, trainer Simon Callaghan confirmed April 2.

The 3-year-old son of Empire Maker  was to undergo precautionary bloodwork after his connections noticed his energy level seemed reduced Friday morning.

"This morning we noticed that Roman Centurian was not his usual self, and his energy level was a little lacking for him," Callaghan said via text Friday afternoon. "We will be running some tests, including some blood work to make sure all is ok, and therefore we will scratch from tomorrow's Santa Anita Derby.

"If all shows to be good with him, then there is every chance we will ship to either the Arkansas Derby (G1) or the (Stonestreet) Lexington Stakes (G3)."

The Arkansas Derby is slated for April 10 at Oaklawn Park, while the Lexington Stakes will be held the same day at Keeneland.

Entries: RUNHAPPY Santa Anita Derby (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 03, 2021, Race 8

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 3 yo
• 4:15 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Roman Centurian (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Simon Callaghan	8/1
2	2Dream Shake (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Peter Eurton	7/2
3	3Rock Your World (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	124	John W. Sadler	4/1
4	4Parnelli (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	124	John A. Shirreffs	20/1
5	5Back Ring Luck (KY)	Tyler Baze	124	John W. Sadler	20/1
6	6Ottothelegend (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	124	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
7	7Medina Spirit (FL)	John R. Velazquez	124	Bob Baffert	5/2
8	8Law Professor (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	124	Michael W. McCarthy	10/1
9	9The Great One (LA)	Abel Cedillo	124	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
10	10Defunded (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	8/1