Robert Medina

Robert Medina capitalized on decades of experience in the horse industry by opening his own public training operation in 2023. The Chicago native began his career as a groom in New York and Chicago and spent 25 years – from 1995 to 2020 – working with Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, gradually moving up the ladder from groom to assistant trainer.

Medina then served as general manager and trainer for Blackwood Stables in Lexington and trained a handful of horses for clients before launching his public stable in 2023. That fall, Medina won his first graded stakes with Liberal Arts, who took the Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs. Liberal Arts earned qualifying points for the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve with the victory and remained on the Derby trail during winter and spring.