Courtlandt Farm’s Greatest Honour (Tapit – Tiffany’s Honour by Street Cry (Ire) swept to the lead on the turn into the Gulfstream Park homestretch and drew off to a 5 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Holy Bull, establishing himself as a prime prospect for the 2021 Triple Crown.
The Holy Bull, a 1 1/16-mile prep on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n Dale at Xalapa, headlined a 12-race program featuring five graded stakes.
On the west coast at Santa Anita, MEDINA SPIRIT battled back to win a wild three-horse duel to the wire in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes, also a Derby prep.
Medina Spirit’s race story is below.
Greatest Honour gave trainer Shug McGaughey his first Holy Bull victory on a Hall of Fame resume that includes Orb’s victories in the 2014 Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1). Orb went on to give McGaughey his first Kentucky Derby success.
The 5-2 second choice in a field of nine 3-year-olds, Greatest Honour rated near the back of the field while racing on the outside along the backstretch as Willy Boi set the pace, pressed by Tarantino and closely stalked by even-money favorite Prime Factor. Willy Boi set fractions of 23.28 and 46.97 seconds for the first half mile with Tarantino in close attendance as Greatest Honour steadily advanced along the outside. Jose Ortiz asked the McGaughey trainee for some run on the far turn, and the son of Tapit responded with a eye-catching kick that quickly carried him to the front of the pack leaving he turn into the stretch, leaving Tarantino and Prime Factor to fight it out for the minor placings.
Greatest Honour, who broke his maiden at the 1 1/16-mile distance in his fourth career start at Gulfstream Dec. 26, went on to win comfortably, completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.19.
He earned an 89 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.
“We had a clean trip. He broke fine and Jose got him over a little bit to save ground. I thought we were in good position when we turned down the backside. When he was in that kind of position, I knew they were going to have a hard time with him, because he’s going to finish better than he starts,” McGaughey said. “Jose said, ‘At the half-mile pole, I asked him a tad, he was there.’ When he really asked him, he said that he finished up very strong. He picked up his horses quick today. He was a winner early today.”
Tarantino, who was a nose away from being undefeated in three starts on turf, held gamely under Edgard Zayas to finish second in his dirt debut, 3 ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Prime Factor.
Greatest Honour finished a late-closing third while sprinting in his first two career starts, before stretching out two turns at Aqueduct Nov. 8 to finish second, beaten by just a head by Known Agenda, who went on to finish third in the Remsen (G2). The Courtlandt Farms homebred broke through to graduate at Gulfstream in his next start.
“He was kind of a big clown and did what he wanted to do all summer. We got him ready to run at Saratoga. Sprinting wasn’t going to be his bag, but I think those two sprint races sort of helped him to learn and learn how to finish,” McGaughey said. “We took him over to Aqueduct and he had a big race there and just got beat. He came here and his two races here have been very good. The distances helped too – two turns. I think the farther we go, the better.”
The $300,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream has been on McGaughey’s radar.
“It’s what I’ve had on my mind. I’m not going to leave Florida unless I’m forced to,” he said. “I won’t have any trouble having him ready for the Florida Derby if I don’t want to run him there.”
GREATEST HONOUR is a homebred for Courtlandt Farm of Don and Donna Adam who had Mark Hennig training their horses up until last year.
The colt is impeccably bred, not just because he is by the great sire Tapit but his dam Tiffany’s Honour is a half-sister to RAGS TO RICHES (Kentucky Oaks, Belmont Stakes), JAZIL (Belmont Stakes) and CASINO DRIVE (Peter Pan Stakes).
Second dam BETTER THAN HONOUR won the Grade 3 Demoiselle as a 2-year-old. Third dam is BLUSH WITH PRIDE, a daughter of BEST IN SHOW.
At Santa Anita, Medina Spirit (Protonico – Mongolian Change by Brilliant Speed) fought off all challengers to take Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes by a neck and thus stamped himself a top tier Derby hopeful for Bob Baffert. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc. and ridden by Abel Cedillo, Medina Spirit got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:46.26 over a Santa Anita main track listed as “good” due to recent rains that deposited 2.4 inches of rain through noon on Friday.
His Beyer Figure was 91.
Originally a $1,000 Ocala Winter Mixed Sale short yearling bought by Christy Whitman, Medina Spirit, a Florida bred was bought by Zedan Racing for $35,000 in July 2020 at the Horse of Racing Age sale in Ocala.
Amr Zedan of Saudi Arabia first got involved with racing as a part-owner of California Chrome when he won the Dubai World Cup. The Los Angeles-born owner bought a lot of expensive horses in ensuing years bit had no luck. He took back from the business but then returned with trainer Bob Baffert and in 2020 he raced top filly PRINCESS NOOR, named after his wife.
Sent to the lead while head-and-head with Parnelli and Wipe the Slate into the Club House turn, Medina Spirit was pressed up the backside by Wipe the Slate, who was three quarters of length back three furlongs out. With a length advantage at the top of the stretch, Medina Spirit drifted out a bit and was immediately engaged by Hot Rod Charlie and Roman Centurian in a thrilling three-horse battle to the wire.
“He’s a very game horse,” said Cedillo, who collected his third win on the day and who has now ridden the Florida-bred colt by Protonico in all three of his races. “At the quarter pole, I didn’t know, but he looked around and when he saw those horses, he kept going. He didn’t get tired at all. On the gallop out (after the wire), he was by himself.”
A close second to highly-regarded stablemate Life is Good going one mile in the Grade III Sham Stakes here Jan. 2, Medina Spirit was heavily backed as the even-money favorite in a field of six sophomores and paid $4.00, $2.80 and $2.20.
“That reminded me a little bit of Silver Charm (1997 Kentucky Derby winner),” said Baffert, who rung up his record ninth Lewis win today. “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.
“…We just have to keep him healthy. It’s a really tiring track, he went real fast early, but he showed that he had the qualities there. It’s nice to win the Robert B. Lewis because it means so much to me. I would have liked my other horse (fourth place finisher Spielberg) to run better than he did, but those things happen.”
A first-out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, Medina Spirit, who is out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Change, was sold for just $35,000 at public auction last July. With today’s winnings of $60,000, he increased his earnings to $95,200 from three starts.
Trained by Simon Callaghan, Roman Centurian, an impressive 1 1/16 mile maiden winner on Jan. 3, was last early and rallied resolutely while caught five wide turning for home to best Hot Rod Charlie by a nose for second money. Off at 11-1 with Juan Hernandez, Roman Centurian paid $7.60 and $3.80.
Fractions on the race, all set by the winner, were 22.89, 46.61, 1:12.36 and 1:39.34. 
MEDINA SPIRIT is by Protonico, a Grade 2 and 3 winning son of Giant’s causeway who stands at Castleton Lyons in Kentucky for $5,000.
Medina Spirit’s dam is the winner Mongolian Changa by Brilliant Speed.
He was bred by Gail Rice.
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