Mor Spirit Runs Away with the Met Mile
Last year Mor Spirit was a highly regarded Kentucky Derby contender who ultimately came up empty in the Churchill Downs stretch. In today’s Grade 1, $1.2 million Mohegan Sun Metropolitan Handicap Mor Spirit took his career to a new level. After racing with leader Sharp Azteca from the start, Mor Spirit took over at the top of the stretch and obliterated the field to win the by a widening 6 1/4 lengths.
The win today by Mor Spirit marked the fourth win of the day for trainer Bob Baffert, and the fifth win of the day for jockey Mike Smith. Mor Spirit also elevated himself into the conversation as the best older dirt male in the country not named Arrogate. After last year’s Derby, Mor Spirit was given a long freshening by Baffert and he reappeared in late December to run fourth in the Gr1 Malibu at 7 furlongs at Santa Anita. After splitting his first two races this year with a win and a second place finish, Mor Spirit showed a new dimension last time out while going wire to wire to easily take the Gr3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star.
It was all Sharp Azteca and Mor Spirit in today’s Met Mile. The other 10 entrants had a great view of the battle from behind as Sharp Azteca and Mor Spirit both went straight to the front. As Sharp Azteca, breaking from the #5 post, took up residence on the lead, Mike Smith sent Mor Spirit from the #9 post to immediately put the pressure on from the outside. Racing closely throughout, Mor Spirit was a half-length back after a first quarter in 23.20.
These two continued there battle on the lead, putting some daylight between them and the rest of the field, and as they rounded the far turn they were on near even terms. When the pair entered the stretch Mor Spirit took over, and from there, the son of Eskendereya put on the after burners and turned the Met Mile into a romp. Sharp Azteca held on for second, Tommy Macho and Awesome Slew rounded out the top four. The final time for the mile was 1:33.71.
"The way he ran today, how fast he ran it was incredible. He couldn't have looked any better in the paddock.” Baffert said after the race. Discussing Mor Spirit's path to this Met Mile he said, ”We took a different route to get here and sometimes it doesn't work out but today it did. It's funny; people were trying to buy this horse earlier in the year and I said no, he's worth a lot more than that and actually when people are trying to buy your horse that's a good thing. That means your horse is training well and the word's out.”
The Met Mile win today was the second Gr1 win of Mor Spirit’s career. His earnings now sit at $1,658,400 and his record now stands at 13-6-5-0. This was the second straight year a highly regarded three-year-old from the previous season romped in the Met Mile - Frosted won by 14 ¼ lengths last year. Sharp Azteca was the high weight in the race carrying 122lbs, Mor Spirit was next carrying 120lbs. The remainder were all spread between 114lbs and 118lbs. Off as the favorite, Mor Spirit paid $7.10, $4.10, and $3.30. Sharp Azteca returned $4.40 and $3.50 as the second choice in the wagering. Tommy Macho paid $7.20 to show.
Mor Spirit is owned by Pandora Jewelry magnate Michael Lund Petersen who named the horse after his mother, Mor. Bred in Pennsylvania, Mor Spirit was purchased for $650,000 by Petersen and Bernard Schiappa out of the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-year-olds in training sale.
Baffert summed his day afterwards when he said, “It's a pretty incredible day for us. To be able to pull this off and I wish I had another horse in. They all shipped well, they all worked well and we put them on the plane and they all drew well. On a big day like this, for them to run, like this, it's pretty incredible”