'It happens': Vets, Marion horse experts urge patience as Medina Spirit death investigated

News of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s sudden death after a workout on Monday morning has shocked the horse world and led to speculation over the cause of death in addition to messages of remembrance of the horse, which was bred in Marion County.

Owner Amr Zedan and trainer Bob Baffert both stated the 3-year-old died of a heart attack at Santa Anita in California, though local veterinary experts caution against speculation until a necropsy is complete to determine the exact cause of death.

Shortly after hearing the news on Monday, Gail Rice, who bred Medina Spirit at her farm in Citra in north Marion County, said that Medina Spirit was a happy horse that had received the best care and love from Baffert and his crew.

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'It happens'

“I’ve lost a lot of horses over the years. I’ve been in the business since 1981, and it happens,” she said. “It happens at the racetrack and on farms. There are other horses that get sick and pass away. It’s part of what we do, and it’s the same as people. People come and they go, and they get sick and they get hit by cars and they run in front of trains.”

Though it’s devastating when it happens, Rice said they would celebrate the horse he was and remember him for “his big heart and will to win.” She recalls three horses she was personally connected to that suddenly died suddenly like Medina Spirit over the years.

“We all have to die one day, and we wished it had been later than sooner for this horse, but it’s our business, and it’s our love, and these animals are our life,” she said.

Her statement rings true especially in Marion County, the Horse Capital of the World, which produces many thoroughbreds that compete in prominent races such as the Derby and the other Triple Crown events.

In 2015, the equine industry contributed $2.6 billion to the local economy, and the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership even has an Equine Engagement initiative. Louisa Barton, the program's director, stated in a CEP Facebook post on Monday that Medina Spirit was "an incredible champion" and "will be so missed by all who were connected."

Francis Vanlangendonck of Summerfield Sales consigned Medina Spirit for Rice in 2019, when the horse sold for $1,000 at an Ocala Breeders’ Sales auction.

“These types of things happen in the horse business all the time. People die of heart attacks,” he said. “Stuff like this happens, and you can’t control it, and I can’t imagine (Baffert is) doing anything he’s not supposed to be doing. They’re testing everything possible.”

Shortly after winning the Kentucky Derby on May 1, Medina Spirit tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone, leading to a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs for Baffert and jeopardizing the victory. The investigation is ongoing, and a decision on whether the win will be upheld has not yet been announced.

Official cause of death is still to be determined

Though speculation has swirled about the cause of death given the previous controversy, those close to Medina Spirit hope he won’t be remembered that way. And veterinarians from the University of Florida caution about making assumptions before the official cause is determined.

“Although cardiovascular events are at the top on our list of differential diagnoses for sudden death in horses, until a complete post-mortem examination has been completed, we will not know the cause of Medina Spirit’s death,” Dr. Alison Morton, medical director of the Large Animal Hospital at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, wrote in an email.

She stated that sudden death from cardiovascular events “is not very common, but well-recognized" in all types of horses.

Dr. Meg Sleeper, a veterinary cardiologist at UF’s Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, also wrote that there are other possible causes of cardiovascular death, and to even attribute the cause to the horse’s heart before the necropsy is a guess.

“Many people will say a dog, cat or horse died of a ‘heart attack’ when the death was sudden or unexpected. However, these species very rarely have myocardial infarction (as people do),” she wrote.

Morton also explained that the term is misleading, as horses do not experience the type of heart attacks people do.

“One of the more common cardiac events which may be responsible for sudden death in horses is a cardiac arrhythmia, where the heart develops a sudden abnormal, dysfunctional rhythm and eventually stops,” she stated. “This is much different than what we consider a heart attack in people, which is more commonly caused by myocardial infarction, when the blood vessels that supply blood flow to the muscle of the heart become blocked.”

Morton also referenced studies that list other causes of sudden death, including cardiac failure, apparent pulmonary failure, pulmonary hemorrhage, hemorrhage associated with pelvic fractures or with idiopathic blood vessel rupture and spinal cord injury.

Some older studies report sudden death rates making up 9%-12% of thoroughbred racehorse fatalities, and she assumes a majority of the remainder are catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries, which include broken bones.

Morton said sudden death due to cardiac causes “happens unpredictably to horses younger and older” but emphasized the importance of waiting until the official cause is determined. Nonetheless, she encourages horse owners and trainers to get routine veterinary performance examinations.

A fairytale turned nightmare

Christy Whitman, who purchased Medina Spirit in 2019 and sold him to Zedan at OBS in 2020, has experienced two personal instances where horses collapsed on the track without warning.

She says it is not common – but not unheard of, either – and wonders whether the cause in this case was an aortic rupture.

“Horses are living, breathing beings just like humans are, and seemingly healthy people drop dead from heart attacks and strokes and things like that all the time,” she said. “There’s not necessarily a cause or reason or anybody’s fault.”

Whitman hopes to dispel gossip that Baffert or anyone close to the horse would have done anything to cause the death.

“Baffert doesn’t want this to happen. It’s not good for him. It’s not good for our industry. It’s not good for any of the horses or anybody involved,” she said. “This is the last thing that anybody associated with this horse wanted to happen.”

Whitman says Medina Spirit brought together many people, from his breeder to owner to the people who groomed him and cleaned his stall.

“All those people are connected by that special feeling that they were part of something great, and that’s what makes horse racing so special,” she said. “I just hate that it’s being made into this terrible thing that it’s not.”

For Whitman, what was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime fairytale is turning into a nightmare instead.

“I just hope that it doesn’t negatively affect this horse’s legacy because he was a very special horse,” she said. “He never seemed to get the respect that he deserved, and I hope that this doesn’t tarnish what he was and all that he accomplished.”

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Medina Spirit dies: Horse experts call heart attack diagnosis premature