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Bob Baffert is the greatest to ever do it.
Thanks to a magnificent performance by Medina Spirit, the Arizona alum won his seventh Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the most by any horse trainer ever. Baffert overtook Ben Jones, who won six Kentucky Derbies from 1938 to 1952.
Given 13-1 odds and ridden by jockey John Velazquez, Medina Spirit led Saturday’s rendition wire to wire.
Medina Spirit is the winner of the @KentuckyDerby!
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 1, 2021
Watch the full #KyDerby race from start to finish. #DerbyAtHome
NBC Sports // @WhiteClaw pic.twitter.com/cHYh3VgXz8
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Baffert said on NBC. “I’m so spoiled, bringing these heavy-duty horses in here. And this little horse has a big heart.”
Baffert, a 68-year-old from Nogales, graduated from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Baffert’s Kentucky Derby wins
- Silver Charm — 1997
- Real Quiet — 1998
- War Emblem — 2002
- American Pharaoh — 2015
- Justify — 2018
- Authentic — 2020
- Medina Spirit — 2021
"He doesn't know how much he costs. What a little race horse."
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 1, 2021
Medina Spirit was bought for $1,000 as a yearling. Now, he's a winner of the #KYDerby with 7-time winning trainer Bob Baffert. pic.twitter.com/pEvJFsQwBw