Medina Spirit drew off impressively down the Santa Anita Park stretch to score a five-length win in Saturday’s $300,000 Awesome Again S. (G1).
For his trainer Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit marked a record seventh winner in the Awesome Again and under its previous name the Goodwood S.
Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Medina Spirit is now 5-3-1 in nine starts and has earned $2,525,200.
Medina Spirit and stablemate Azul Coast were quickest out of the gate, with Medina Spirit taking over the top spot in the first furlong. He was never headed from that point. Tizamagician got within a length with about three furlongs to run, but Medina Spirit turned him away easily and was all alone through the stretch as he finished the 1 1/8- miles in 1:49.67.
His Beyer Speed Figure of 107 is a career-best.
"I'm happy for Zedan and what we have had to deal with," said Bob Baffert. "We stayed focused on the horses. The fans came out to see this horse and they are rooting for him. I could tell by the crowd noise. They are all pulling for him. It's an emotional win for us. He can wait, stalk, whatever. This horse keeps getting better and better."
Medina Spirit also earned a free trip to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Nov. 6 at Del Mar, as part of the “Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.