Medina Spirit wins Bob Baffert a record 7th Kentucky Derby
Medina Spirit put up a wire-to-wire effort to win the 147th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
He set off at 12-1 odds and pushed the pace early. Mandaloun and Florent Geroux gave chase, but Medina Spirit outlasted him to the wire. Last year's Champion 2-Year-Old Male and early Derby favorite Essential Quality finished in 4th.
This is a record seventh Kentucky Derby win for his Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who also won last year's Derby with Authentic.
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"If you have him on the lead, he'll fight," Baffert told NBC Sports' Kenny Rice after the race.
Baffert was previously tied with Ben Jones for most Derby wins by a trainer.
John Velazquez had the ride about 25 hours after winning the 147th Kentucky Oaks aboard Malathaat. Velazquez also rode Authentic to Derby victory last year. This is his fourth Kentucky Derby win.
The Florida-bred colt was originally bought for a mere $1,000 as a yearling before being purchased by Zedan Racing Stables last July.
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