SANTA ANITA, Calif. (KNX) — The racehorse Medina Spirit has been stripped of his victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby following a ruling by race officials on Monday.
Medina Spirit collapsed and died of a heart attack on Dec. 6 following a training run at Orange County’s Santa Anita Park. A subsequent autopsy revealed the stallion tested positive for betamethasone, a steroid legal in Kentucky but is banned for equine consumption on race days.
Following the announcement of Medina Spirit’s postmortem disqualification, Churchill Downs issued a statement declaring Mandaloun the winner of last year’s Derby and congratulating owner and breeder Juddmonte Farms, trainer Brad Cox, and jockey Florent Geroux.
“We look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction,” the statement said.
The racing commission also suspended Medina Spirit’s trainer, Bob Beffert for 90 days and fined him $7,500 on Monday. That’s in addition to a two year ban by Churchill Downs against the trainer for the positive steroid test.
Medina Spirit was the second horse in the 146-year history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified on grounds of consuming a banned substance — the last being Dancer’s Image in 1968.
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