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Medina Spirit was stripped of the 2021 Kentucky Derby win over a positive drug test that was revealed after the race, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) Board of Stewards announced Monday.
Officials declared Mandaloun the race winner.
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John Velazquez riding Medina Spirit crosses the finish line to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Medina Spirit had won the Kentucky Derby last May, but a failed drug test put the victory in question and led to the suspension of trainer Bob Baffert. The horse was found to have tested positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone, which is permitted unless it is found in the horse’s blood on race day.
Baffert explained on May 11 that 21 picograms of betamethasone in the post-race Derby sample may have come from a fungal ointment meant to treat dermatitis. But there was a debate over whether the betamethasone came from a topical ointment or an injection.
KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER MEDINA SPIRIT DIES SUDDENLY AT SANTA ANITA PARK
Kentucky Derby hopeful Medina Spirit works out at Churchill Downs on April 27, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The Board of Stewards on Monday determined there was a violation.
As part of the ruling, Baffert was suspended for 90 days and fined $7,500.
Clark Brewster, Baffert’s attorney, released a statement on the ruling.
"We are disappointed by the Commission’s ruling, but not surprised. This ruling represents an egregious departure from both the facts and the law, but the numerous public statements by KHRC officials over the last several months have made perfectly clear that Bob Baffert’s fate was decided before we ever sat down for a hearing before the three stewards, one of whom is directly employed by Churchill Downs as the racing director at Turfway Park. We will appeal, and we will prevail when the facts and rules are presented to detached, neutral decisionmakers," the statement read.
The thoroughbred died in December after a workout at Santa Anita Park in California.
Owner Amr Zedan told Thoroughbred Daily News the horse suffered an apparent heart attack after a workout. California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Jeff Blea told the website he saw a video of the workout and it appeared the colt had trouble breathing.
Bob Baffert spoke with the media the day after his seventh victory in the Kentucky Derby, with Medina Spirit. May 2, 2021. (Reuters)
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Blea said by the time a veterinarian reached Medina Spirit, the horse had already died. Santa Anita spokesman Mike Willman also confirmed the horse’s death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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