Medal Count Completes ‘Heavy Lifting’

Spendthrift Farm’s Medal Count (Dynaformer) put in his final major work for the GI Kentucky Derby Saturday morning, covering six panels under the Twin Spires in 1:13 flat (1/2). The bay, winner of Keeneland’s rained-off GIII Transylvania S. Apr. 4 and second in the GI Blue Grass S. just eight days later, was clocked in splits of :12.60, :24.40, :36.20, :48.20 and 1:00.20 with seven and eight-furlong gallop-out times in 1:26.60 and 1:42.20. “This was the last piece of the heavy lifting,” said trainer Dale Romans, who noted that he “wouldn’t have changed anything” about the drill. “As far as I know he came out well. We’ll check him out again [Sunday] but he scoped clean and was walking good.”