DERBY WINNER DIES 07 Dec 2021 16:08
Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina
Spirit died after a Dec. 6 workout at Santa Anita Park, according to
California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Jeff Blea and
Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group, which
owns the racetrack.Blea characterized Medina Spirit’s passing
as a sudden death. After watching video of the incident he said it
looked like a “classic case of a heart attack.” The incident occurred on
the track, just after the 3-year-old son of Protonico completed a
five-furlong move in a handy 1:01 2/5 Monday at Santa Anita. Medina
Spirit is owned by Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stables and trained by Bob
Baffert.Medina Spirit won the May 1 Derby at Churchill Downs but that
victory is in question after the horse failed a post-race drug test when
he tested positive for betamethasone. Attorneys for Baffert and Zedan
have argued that the positive was a result of an application from an
ointment rather than in injection of the corticosteroid. They said
Friday further testing of the sample in New York provides evidence of
that assertion, which they believe should be exculpatory or mitigating.
Kentucky stewards have not yet conducted a hearing.