Triple Crown Weekend Prep Report Card: A Tale Of Two Pedigrees Sponsored by:
Two Grade 3 races on each coast, the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in South Florida and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita in Southern California, were run on Saturday, offering 17 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1).
The last time the Holy Bull Stakes winner went on to victory in the G1 Kentucky Derby was in 2006 when Barbaro, making his dirt track debut after winning his first three career starts on turf, scored by three-quarters of a length on a sloppy track. Before that, when the race was known as the Preview Stakes, Go for Gin was victorious en route to capturing the 1994 Kentucky Derby. Some very good horses have won the Holy Bull, including the 2020 winner Tiz the Law, who opened last year s disjointed Triple Crown with a win in the Belmont Stakes.
Medina Spirit Emerges With Narrow Victory In Robert B. Lewis Stakes Sponsored by:
Medina Spirit and jockey Abel Cedillo (right) hold off Roman Centurian (left), and Hot Rod Charlie to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes
In a gutty gate to wire performance, Medina Spirit fought off all challengers to take Saturday s Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by a neck and thus stamped himself a top tier Derby hopeful for Bob Baffert. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc. and ridden by Abel Cedillo, Medina Spirit got 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.26 over a Santa Anita main track listed as “good” due to recent rains that deposited 2.4 inches of rain through noon on Friday.
Laoban Filly Tops OBS Winter Mixed Sale Finale Sponsored by:
Hip 805, a yearling Laoban filly, brings $175,000 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale.
The Ocala Breeders Sales Company s 2020 Winter Mixed Sale ended on a high note as Hip No. 805, a New York-bred yearling daughter of Laoban consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent was sold to Sand Hill Stables for $175,000 topping Wednesday s Open Session as well as the entire sale.
The bay filly is out of Best Reward, by Grand Reward, a half-sister to stakes-placed Avery Glenn.
Hip No. 616, a son of Mor Spirit consigned by Beth Bayer, Agent, went to Donato Lanni, Agent, for $115,000. The dark bay or brown yearling colt is out of Cat Be Nimble, by Tale of the Cat, from the family of graded stakes winner Niner s Home.
Baffert Duo Spielberg, Medina Spirit Take On Competitive Field In Bob Lewis Sponsored by:
Spielberg and jockey Flavien Prat, outside, overpower The Great One in the Los Alamitos Futurity
Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday s Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. To be contested at a mile and one sixteenth over Santa Anita s main track, the Lewis is a key prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Originally titled the Santa Catalina, the Lewis will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday.
Bear Brian Tops OBS Winter Mixed Sale’s Opening Session Sponsored by:
Hip 182, a Practical Joke colt, brings $130,000 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale.
Hip No. 368, Bear Brian, consigned by Summerfield (Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent for Stonestreet Stables LLC, went to Kerri Raven for $150,000 to top the Horses of Racing Age section on the first day of the Ocala Breeders Sales Company s 2021 Winter Mixed Sale.
The 3-year-old bay colt by Tiznow, who captured a maiden special at Sam Houston Race Park on Jan. 9, is out of stakes winner Lil Super Bear, by Super Saver.
Hip No. 182, a son of Practical Joke also consigned by Summerfield, was purchased by Ronald Clark Shepherd for $130,000 to top the Consignor Preferred Session. The bay yearling colt is out of Mobeautiful, by Uncle Mo, from the family of graded stakes winner Speed Dialer.