Medina Spirit back in action in Shared Belief Stakes
Medina Spirit – the racehorse – will be the focus of Sunday’s Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, and not a court hearing or lab report involving the colt’s medication positive after his win in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1.
Medina Spirit, trained by Bob Baffert for Amr Zedan, has not raced since he finished a well-beaten third as the 9-5 favorite in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 15, days after the positive test for the corticosteroid betamethasone was revealed.
The $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes at a mile is a comeback race for Medina Spirit, as well as Rock Your World, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby against Medina Spirit but was well beaten in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes on June 5.
In recent weeks, Medina Spirit and Rock Your World have worked quickly, suggesting they are well prepared for the Shared Belief. Baffert and John Sadler, who trains Rock Your World, have said the Shared Belief Stakes is a prep for the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, a $1 million race at Parx Racing on Sept. 25.
Monday, Medina Spirit worked five furlongs in 58.60 seconds, the fastest of 69 works at the distance.
“He worked a little fast, but he came out of it good,” Baffert told Del Mar publicity.
“He’s going to need the race, coming off a layoff, and he’s got to go a mile, but if I can run him that will set him up to go on to the Pennsylvania Derby.”
Medina Spirit was supplemented to the Shared Belief for $1,000 when entries were taken on Thursday. John Velazquez, who has been aboard Medina Spirit in four starts since early February, is traveling from his summer base at Saratoga for the mount.
Rock Your World, who races for Hronis Racing and Michael Talla, finished 17th after a troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby and was sixth by 22 lengths in the Belmont Stakes after disputing the pace.
“He really didn’t handle the track,” Sadler said of Belmont Park. “He ran down a little bit. It was not what we wanted.
“We gave him a little time. He’s a fresh horse for the fall.”
Rock Your World worked weekly on turf in July and early August, with the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on turf Sept. 4 as a goal. Sadler changed course through August, focusing on the Shared Belief for Rock Your World, who won the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in February and won the Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles in April in his first start on dirt.
“He started training lovely on the dirt,” Sadler said. “We know he can do both.
“The spacing is good for the Penn Derby. We’ll see how this one goes this weekend. I’m excited.”
Rock Your World will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli, who rode the colt to wins in his first three starts before he was replaced by Joel Rosario for the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. In the Santa Anita Derby, Rock Your World finished 4 1/2 lengths clear of runner-up Medina Spirit.
In the Shared Belief, Rispoli is expected to have Rock Your World in his customary position near the front of the field of six. Rock Your World stalked the pace when he won the Pasadena Stakes, and led all the way in the Santa Anita Derby.
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Stilleto Boy, the winner of the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows last month, and Team Merchants, the winner of an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs on July 16, are expected to be near the front.
Stilleto Boy set the pace in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap on turf on Aug. 8 but faded to finish fifth by 2 1/2 lengths in his first start for trainer Ed Moger Jr. Stilleto Boy will not be fitted with blinkers on Sunday for the first time.
Completing the field are The Great One, unraced since a seventh in the Santa Anita Derby, and Willy the Cobbler, who has won his last two starts but will be a longshot in his stakes debut.