ARCADIA, Calif. (KNX) — Medina Spirit, the Kentucky Derby-winning horse that failed a drug test afterward, died Monday during a workout at the Santa Anita Park, the race track announced.
The award-winning horse collapsed after having a "heart attack" and died immediately, according to the California Horse Racing Board.
"Following the completion of a routine morning workout, Medina Spirit collapsed on the track at Santa Anita Park and died suddenly of a probable cardiac event according to the on-site veterinary team who attended to him," read a statement released Monday.
The horse, trained by hall-of-famer Bob Baffert, won the Kentucky Derby in May but later tested positive for a steroid. The trainer, who was suspended after, later blamed the test result on an ointment used to treat dermatitis on the horse.
Baffert confirmed the news of the 3-year-old horse's heart attack Monday. A necropsy by veterinarians at the University of California, Davis will determine an official cause of death.
"My entire barn is devastated by this news," Baffert said in a statement. "Medina Spirit was a great champion, a member of our family who was loved by all, and we are deeply mourning his loss. I will always cherish the proud and personal memories of Medina Spirit and his tremendous spirit."
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