And it was still nothing like a usual Derby. I remember Luis Saez explaining Maximum Security jumped sideways at the crowd noise when he cut off War of Will. "He’s just a baby, " he said.
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I was mad at myself for forgetting that Lava Man was going to pony Hot Rod Charlie to the post. Searched for a photo without luck, but managed to extract this picture from the filmed coverage.
Not a good picture, but the old guy (now 20) looks fine.
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I love the track ponies. Sometimes they crack me up with all the tack they wear—it’s almost like they walk by a tack locker, stick their head in, shake it and come out with all this tack!
I get the concept that their riders have “bigger fish to fry”, but between the tack and the leather padding protecting their shoulders and withers, it looks like it would take a degree in engineering just to tack them up!
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Have you seen him at Turfway Park or Kentucky Downs? Both KY tracks and I might have missed Harley at either of them; I’ve only noticed him at Churchill and Keeneland.
Me, too. He doesn’t look tiny. 15.2 maybe?
We were watching the morning workouts at Keeneland the week before last and saw a track pony in a war bridle. I didn’t get my phone out quick enough to snap a picture darn it!
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No, I’ve only seen him at Keeneland and Churchill. I don’t have a racing channel subscription TVG so I don’t get to see the post parades at Kentucky Downs or elsewhere.
He looks to be a bit on the light-framed side. Not delicate, but not robust either. That can make a horse look shorter than he actually is.
I have no idea how tall Baffert is but the horse doesn’t look super small to me in this photo, just a more classic TB type than some of the more QH looking TBs. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/249888/medina-spirit-would-face-mostly-newcomers-in-preakness
Medina Spirit’s dam is a big girl 16.3h with a lot of bone. Funny how you never know how a “weedy” but well built one will mature. I think he’s a lovely type.
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Medina Spirit does not look particularly small to me either. Looks finely built but elegant and correct, as much as I can see. Looks like a stayer type, as opposed to the sprinter quarter-horse type.
Interesting article on Protonico:
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Steve Haskin’s after the derby article. It’s another great read
https://www.secretariat.com/askin-haskin/05/02/2021/derby-recap-the-stuff-of-dreams/
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I wonder if a move to Kentucky is in Protonico’s future.
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Medina Spirit looks 16-16.1 to me. Photos to me look like he’s definitely bigger than the 15 hands
He is a very classy looking horse. Lighter framed; like a thoroughbred from yesteryear. I saw a photo of him getting his legs wrapped and he was wearing an old school cool out cooler standing there and if the photo was black and white it would’ve looked like something out of the 1930s. He is a beautiful horse, as is his sire, just not as heavy muscled as some of the horses running for Bob and others’.
Hot Rod Charlie was my pick but I had a feeling about Medina Spirit. Perfect gate, coming in relatively under the radar despite his record. But good Lord I wanted anyone else but Baffert to win it. Mandaloun really put his heart on the dirt on Saturday; just couldn’t find that extra gear. If Hot Rod Charlie didn’t catch some traffic coming out of the turn; he may have caught them at the wire; he never stopped coming on
I am a bit surprised that after the Baffert success as of recent; they continue to let the Baffert horse get the lead and control the entire race. No one went up there to challenge and at the head of the stretch Medina Spirit was still in full control . Kind of expected someone to get up there and not let the same reoccurrence happen again or at least try.
Great race. A real thriller.
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He is in Kentucky now, but I know what you mean–move to a big name farm.
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He is in Kentucky. He currently stands at Castleton Lyons Farm in Lexington.
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Oops, my mistake! Somehow I got it in my head that he’s in FL. I know that “Florida-bred” means Medina Spirit was foaled there regardless of where the actual cover took place; I wasn’t thinking that at the time, obviously.
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LaurieB, I’m a bit late but just saw a replay of the Pat Day. Dreamshake was fantastic! What a pleasure to watch that race. Congrats.
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Thank you! He tried his hardest and was narrowly beaten by a very good horse. Hopefully he’ll get his nose in front next time. 
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I just saw, “Trainer Mark Casse tweeted Soup and Sandwich displaced his soft palate during the race, causing a partial obstruction of his airway at the half-mile pole. “We are thankful to (jockey Tyler Gaffalione) for putting his safety first and not persevering from that point on.” Casse said Soup and Sandwich was doing well Sunday morning.” at https://www.thelines.com/preakness-horses-2021/.
Glad to hear he’s doing well.
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Although, in watching the race, you could see Soup and Sandwich quit running. If Gaffalione had persevered, I would have been disappointed as he really had no horse at that point. When I saw how abruptly Soup and Sandwich quit running, I thought something like displaced palate or bleeding before they’d even crossed the wire.
