Medina Spirit digs deep to win Robert B. Lewis S. (G3)

Medina Spirit gave Bob Baffert his fifth win in the past eight runnings of the Robert B. Lewis S. (G3) with a gritty neck victory in a three-way photo in Santa Anita Park’s first stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Baffert has won the Lewis a record nine times, including in 2020 with Thousand Words and 2019 with Mucho Gusto.

After a debut maiden special weight win at 5 1/2-furlongs Dec. 11 at Los Alamitos, Medina Spirit was beaten just a neck by stablemate Life Is Good in the Jan. 2 Sham S. (G3). Saturday, the 3-year-old owned by Zedan Racing Stables responded with one of the most determined efforts in recent history of the race. Sent to the lead by Abel Cedillo, he was pressed by Wipe the Slate through a half-mile in :46.61 and six furlongs in 1:12.36. 

Coming into the stretch, Roman Centurian and stablemate Hot Rod Charlie bore down on the leader, and at several points in the stretch, looked like they might take the lead. Medina Spirit kept finding more, however, and finished a neck in front of Roman Centurian, with Hot Rod Charlie a nose back in third. 

“That reminded me a little bit of Silver Charm,” Baffert said of the race named in honor of Silver Charm’s part-owner. “He had every reason to give it up late in the stretch [when] those horses came to him. I thought he was beat. I thought they were going to get by and he wouldn’t let them by, he fought on.” 

Medina Spirit is now 2-1-0 in three starts and has earned $105,200. He also was awarded 10 points as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge series.