Medina Spirit, a well-known English thoroughbred, is dead. It was only in May that the racehorse won the prestigious Kentucky Derby in the USA. Coach Bob Baffert is under criticism.
Racing stallion Medina Spirit is dead. This was confirmed by the US association “California Horse Racing Board” on Monday. The whole blood collapsed Monday after exercising at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, it died of a heart attack. The exact circumstances of the death are still being investigated.
“Medina Spirit was a great champion, a member of our family loved by everyone, and we deeply mourn him,” said the colt’s trainer Bob Baffert in a statement released through his attorney. “I will always cherish the proud and personal memories of Medina Spirit and its great spirit.”
Coach Baffert in the criticism
But Baffert himself is now under criticism. Medina Spirit tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone in May after winning the Kentucky Derby and failed the drug test. After initially denying he gave the horse the active ingredient, he admitted to giving Medina Spirit a rash-relief ointment that contained the substance. A laboratory in New York confirmed this claim.
The New York Racing Association (NYRA) then banned Baffert from using Medina Spirit or one of his other horses in the “Belmont Stakes” or other races. Baffert protested against the suspension in court. In October, however, a federal judge ruled that the NYRA could hold a hearing against him. The “Churchill Downs” horse racing complex, where the Kentucky Derby is being held, also banned Baffert from using his horses for the next two races.
Medina Spirit had surprisingly won the Kentucky Derby and started with a win rate of 12: 1. In his racing career, Medina Spirit celebrated five wins and four second places and one third place in ten starts – and earned more than 3.5 million dollars in the process.
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