Tripoli Battles Medina Spirit, Idol in Awesome Again

Trainer John Sadler and owners Kosta and Pete Hronis of Hronis Racing are hoping to repeat history Oct. 2 at Santa Anita Park, and beyond.

They run Tripoli  in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes (G1), where the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) winner battles Medina Spirit , Idol , and five others in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race. It's a stakes race the connections won previously with a Pacific Classic winner, capturing it in 2018 with Accelerate  . That led to an even more lucrative payoff when Accelerate took the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) that fall at Churchill Downs on his way to older dirt male championship honors. 

The Awesome Again is a "Win and You're In" Challenge Race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar, though Tripoli doesn't need the paid, automatic berth. He already punched his Breeders' Cup ticket by capturing the Pacific Classic, another Breeders' Cup qualifier. The victory improved his record to 4-3-3 from 14 starts and elevated his earnings to $811,960. Though by a grass stallion in Kitten's Joy  , Tripoli's success this year has come on dirt.

"(Tripoli is) doing so well that we decided to run him here in the Awesome Again," Sadler said, adding that he "didn't see any reason to hold him back for the Breeders' Cup.

"He’s a horse that just loves the dirt right now. He’s honest and consistently runs well. He was unlucky a few times on the turf but he should run well on Saturday. It looks like a good spot.”

A horse Sadler did hold out of the Awesome Again was Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World , an Awesome Again nominee who won the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) this spring. The Oct. 31 Twilight Derby (G2T) at Santa Anita on grass against 3-year-olds is next, the trainer indicated.

Tiago Pereira returns in the irons aboard Tripoli, who is the 126-pound high weight in Saturday's race.

Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit, scratched from last week's Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing by trainer Bob Baffert, stays at his home base of Santa Anita Park to run in the Awesome Again. He won the Shared Belief Stakes this summer at Del Mar, defeating Rock Your World, in his first start since the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

He crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) this spring at Churchill Downs before a third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

Tests from the Derby revealed the prohibited race day presence of the corticosteroid betamethasone in his system, which Baffert's attorneys attribute to treatment from an ointment used to treat a skin rash on the colt. He is at risk of disqualification pending a hearing before Kentucky stewards after follow-up testing is complete.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez returns aboard Medina Spirit, who carries 122 pounds.

Making his first start in more than six months in the Awesome Again is Idol, inactive since taking the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 6. The son of Curlin   was sidelined by a physical setback this summer that required 60 days off.

"He worked (six furlongs Sept. 26) in 1:12; he went good," said trainer Richard Baltas. "He's not cranked up. If he wins, he wins, but this is not our goal."

The goal—for him and others—is the Breeders' Cup Classic is just over a month's time.

Tizamagician , Midcourt , Express Train , Stilleto Boy , and Azul Coast  complete the field.

Entries: Awesome Again S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, October 02, 2021, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tizamagician (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Richard E. Mandella	4/1
2	2Midcourt (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	122	John A. Shirreffs	12/1
3	3Express Train (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	John A. Shirreffs	4/1
4	4Stilleto Boy (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	118	Ed Moger, Jr.	20/1
5	5Medina Spirit (FL)	John R. Velazquez	122	Bob Baffert	5/2
6	6Azul Coast (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Bob Baffert	12/1
7	7Tripoli (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	126	John W. Sadler	3/1
8	8Idol (KY)	Joe Bravo	124	Richard Baltas	5/1