Medina Spirit stripped of 2021 Kentucky Derby title for positive drug test
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Medina Spirit has been stripped of his 2021 Kentucky Derby title following a positive drug test, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced Monday. The official winner is now the second-place horse, Mandaloun.
The news comes more than two months after Medina Spirit collapsed and died following a workout at Santa Anita. His trainer Bob Baffert said the colt suffered a heart attack on December 6 but a necropsy released this month showed no definitive cause of death.
In addition to Monday's ruling on the winner, Baffert was also suspended for 90 days and was issued a $7,500 fine.
That suspension means he is "denied the privileges of all facilities under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Entry of all horses owned or trained by Mr. Baffert is denied pending transfer to persons acceptable to the stewards."
That marks the second time in three years that the first horse to cross the Kentucky Derby finish line is not the winner. In 2019, Maximum Security was disqualified for impeding the path of two horses in the final turn before crossing the line first.
Baffert is allowed to appeal the decision.
Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby victory last May came under scrutiny after he tested positive for betamethasone, a legal medication that is not allowed on race day in Kentucky.
As a result, Baffert was suspended by Churchill Downs and barred from entering horses in the 2022 and 2023 Kentucky Derbies. He also was banned by the New York Racing Association from entering horses at its Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct tracks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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