Medina Spirit stripped in Kentucky Derby victory – CBS Baltimore

(AP / WJZ) – Medina Spirit was stripped of last year’s Kentucky Derby victory and Mandaloun was declared the winner following a ruling by the state’s racing regulators on Monday.

Medina Spirit passed away testing positive after a race last May for a steroid, betamethasone, which is legal in Kentucky but banned on race day.

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Medina Spirit finished half way ahead of Mandaloun in the race, giving coach Bob Baffert his seventh Kentucky Derby title later. Baffert was subsequently banned by Churchill Downs for two years after testing positive.

Prior to the 2021 Preakness Stakes, Baffert and the Maryland Jockey Club agreed to test the horse’s blood sample. Medina Spirit passed all three of her drug tests before running in the second jewel in the Triple Crown of horse racing, Maryland racecourse officials said.

Samples were taken on May 6, May 10 and May 11. At 11-1, Rombauer relieve sadness in the race, overtaking Medina Spirit, who went on to finish third.

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Monday’s decision by the Kentucky Equestrian Commission makes Medina Sprit the second horse in race history to be disqualified for doping; The first was Dancer’s Image in 1968, a decision that won the Forward Pass. The only other disqualification was in 2019 when Maximum Security was penalized for meddling.

Following the announcement by race administrators, Churchill Downs released a statement declaring Mandaloun the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Mandaloun owners will receive a winner’s wallet worth $1.8 million.

The Racing Commission also suspended Baffert for 90 days and fined him $7,500 on Monday.

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Medina Spirit fall and die on December 6 of a heart attack after running training at Santa Anita less than a month after finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.