It was an unfortunate end in the saga of Medina Spirit, the now-deceased winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby who on Feb. 21 was stripped of the victory.
Under controversial (and now-suspended) horse trainer Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit earned a tainted, half-length victory over runner-up Mandaloun, who is now the official 2021 Kentucky Derby winner.
In December, Medina Spirit died after suffering a heart attack following a training run. The 3-year-old colt finished third in the Preakness Stakes but was banned from racing in the Belmont Stakes with fallout from a failed drug test which followed the Derby.
Here's what happened:
Why Medina Spirit was stripped of 2021 Kentucky Derby win
Medina Spirit was stripped of his Kentucky Derby win stemming from a failed post-race drug test that occurred following the 2021 victory.
On Monday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission overturned Medina's victory after a meeting earlier in February, and declared Mandaloun, the second-place finisher, the winner. Mandaloun's team receives the $1.8 million winner's share of the $3 million purse for the event.
Medina Spirit was found with 21 picograms of betamethasone in his system, a substance that's included in ointment for skin conditions. Baffert had admitting to using the ointment, but has maintained that the intentions were not nefarious.
The steroid is legal in Kentucky, but not on race day, which is when the horse was found to have the steroid in its system.
Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer, was suspended by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for 90 days, but he was already suspended from Churchill Downs for two years following the failed test, meaning no horses of his will be entered in the May 7 Kentucky Derby.
Baffert has fostered a reputation of playing fast and loose with the rules, with Churchill Downs citing multiple violations of rules and regulations as impetus for the two-year ban.
What was Baffert's response?
One of Baffert's attorneys, Clark Brewster, said in a statement Monday that the ruling will be appealed.
Brewster said that the drug given to Medina Spirit (betamethasone valerate, rather than betamethasone acetate) and its application as an ointment under the direction of a veterinarian are permitted under the Kentucky Rules of Racing.
"There was no rule violation," he said in the statement, which was sent to Sporting News.
Brewster also said the trace amount of the drug "could not have affected the horse in any way" and "could not possibly have affected the outcome of the race."