LOUISVILLE, Ky. - John Velazquez will turn 50 later this year, considered old by jockey standards. But the Hall of Fame rider showed age is only a number after completing a sweep of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby with his wire-to-wire victory aboard Medina Spirit for trainer Bob Baffert in Saturday’s Run for the Roses.  In the process, Velazquez not only became the first rider since Calvin Borel in 2009 to win Churchill Downs’s two most prestigious races in the same year, he also became the first jockey to win two Kentucky Derbies within a seven-month span, having captured the pandemic-delayed 2020 renewal, also for Baffert, with Authentic last Labor Day weekend. Medina Spirit put Velazquez in lofty company, tying him with the legendary Bill Shoemaker with four Derby winners, one fewer than Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack, who captured five apiece. “At my age, in this game, things like this don’t happen,” said Velazquez. “It’s incredible just to be able to come into races like this and get these opportunities. And when you do get them, you have to make the most of them. I’m truly blessed to have been given these types of horses to ride. There’s really no words to describe my feelings about what has happened here this weekend.” Velazquez picked up the mount on Medina Spirit for the first time in the Grade 2 San Felipe at Santa Anita, finishing a distant second to his stablemate Life Is Good. Medina Spirit and Velazquez came back four weeks later in the Santa Anita Derby, again running second, this time behind gate-to-wire winner Rock Your World. “I kept telling Bob the two races he ran in California were very tough races over a speed-favoring track and that they didn’t come back to us, but that this horse is all heart,” said Velazquez. “He kept fighting for second. Today was a different story. There wasn’t that much speed in the race. The plan was to put him on the lead. He broke really well, I sent him to the first turn and the rest was history. [Mandaloun] came to me and I asked him and he kept giving me more. That’s all you can ask.” Baffert admitted Velazquez helped boost his confidence in Medina Spirit coming into the Derby.  “Johnny is unbelievable, he’s just a pro,” said Baffert. “We talked about the race last night and he said: ‘Don’t worry, boss. He’s a lot better than you think he is. If you have him ready, we’ll be okay.’ He broke good, got him nice and relaxed, and had enough left to go all the way.”                     :: Join DRF Bets and get ready to watch and wager on the Preakness with a $250 first deposit bonus  Ron Anderson, among the most respected agents in the history of the sport, echoed Baffert’s sentiments about “Johnny V,” whose book he picked up 15 months earlier. “He’s just an amazing rider,” said Anderson, who also represents Joel Rosario. “He’s so classy and respected. He’s been the [Jockeys’] Guild president all these years. Everybody loves him. When we first picked up this mount, he told me he really liked this horse, and he was right. This weekend is all about him. I’m just so happy for him right now.” Winning big races like the Oaks and Derby. That will never get old for Johnny V.