Medina Spirit is no longer recognized as the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The colt, who died in December, has been stripped of the title and trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended 90 days after the horse tested positive for a banned medication, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced Monday.
Baffert also was fined $7,500 and all purse money from Medina Spirit’s win was forfeited. The ruling came following a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards last week.
Mandaloun, who initially finished in second place, is now recognized as the winner of the 147th Kentucky Derby.
“Today Churchill Downs recognizes Mandaloun as the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby and extends our congratulations to owner/breeder Juddmonte, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux,” Churchill Downs said in a statement. “Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction.”
Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone last May. Betamethasone is a legal substance, however it is not allowed on race day in Kentucky.
Medina Spirit died Dec. 6 after a workout at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. A necropsy report released last week found no conclusive cause for the death of the 3-year-old colt.
He won five races. Medina Spirit’s last race was on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, where he finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Medina Spirit is the second winning horse in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified due to a banned substance. Dancer’s Image was stripped of the 1968 victory, making Forward Pass the winner.
Baffert was previously banned for two years by Churchill Downs.
–Field Level Media