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The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced on Monday that Medina Spirit, the horse that won the 2021 Kentucky Derby but later failed a drug test and died, has been stripped of his Derby victory. The commission also ruled that the $1.86 million purse from Medina Spirit’s win must be forfeited and returned for redistribution. In addition, the commission suspended Medina Spirit’s trainer, Bob Baffert, for 90 days, and issued him a $7,500 fine. Baffert said in a statement: “I am very disappointed in the ruling. It runs contrary to the scientifically proven facts in this case and the rules of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. We will be filing an immediate appeal.” Baffert previously was suspended by Churchill Downs and cannot enter a horse in the Derby in 2022 or 2023. The veteran trainer also is barred from entering horses at the New York Racing Association’s Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct tracks.
The commission named Mandaloun, the second-place finisher, the official winner of the annual Triple Crown race. Churchill Downs in a statement: “Today, Churchill Downs recognizes Mandaloun as the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby and extends our congratulations to owner-breeder Juddmonte, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction.”
Medina Spirit tested positive for 21 picograms of the steroid betamethasone through a post-race sample after the 2021 Derby win. That amount of the drug is double the legal threshold allowed in Kentucky racing. Baffert claimed that the drug came from an ointment used to treat the horse for a skin condition. Medina Spirit died during a workout Dec. 6 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Baffert initially claimed that Medina Spirit died of a heart attack, but a necropsy report this month showed no definitive causes of death for the 3-year-old colt.
The 2022 Kentucky Derby is set to take place May 7 at Churchill Downs.
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