Medina Spirit stripped of Kentucky Derby win, Bob Baffert suspended

Roughly nine months after the actual race, a new Kentucky Derby winner has been declared.

On Monday, it was ruled by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission that last May’s 2021 Kentucky Derby victor, Medina Spirit, has been stripped of the title and disqualified as a result of a positive drug test that caused plenty of controversy in the following months. The horse tested positive for the banned steroid betamethasone after the race, which is legal for use in the state of Kentucky but not on the day of a race. Medina Spirit was a three-year-old Thoroughbred racehorse who later died in Dec. 2021 from what was described as a heart attack.

Additionally, Medina Spirit’s owner, Bob Baffert, has been suspended for 90 days and fined $7,500. He is currently serving a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs as a result of the fiasco.

Shortly after the announcement was made on Monday, the commission declared the second-place finisher, Mandaloun, as the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner. This marks just the second time in the race’s 146-year history that a winner has been stripped of the crown over a banned substance, the first happening back in 1968. Mandaloun’s owner will now be owed the $1.8 million prize.

The Daily Racing Forum reports that Baffert’s attorney says his side “will be filing an immediate appeal” over the ruling. If Baffert’s team were to win the appeal, the Derby result could be reversed again.