Medina Spirit died in December. The thoroughbred was finishing a workout when he collapsed near the finish line at the Santa Anita Park racetrack
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced Monday that Medina Spirit’s victory at the 2021 Kentucky Derby has been disqualified.
The horse failed a drug test after crossing the finish line first at the Derby.
Medina Spirit died in December. The thoroughbred was finishing a workout when he collapsed near the finish line at the Santa Anita Park racetrack.
The KHRC also announced a 90-day suspension for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who trained Medina Spirit, and fined him $7,500. Baffert said he plans to appeal the decision.
“I am very disappointed in the ruling,” Baffert said in a statement provided by his spokesperson to CNN. “It runs contrary to the scientifically proven facts in this case and the rules of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. We will be filing an immediate appeal.”
The commission said the winner’s purse of $1.86 million must be returned.
Churchill Downs, where the famed race takes place, said Mandaloun is now the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby.“Today Churchill Downs recognizes Mandaloun as the winner of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby and extends our congratulations to owner/breeder Juddmonte, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux,” Churchill Downs said in a statement Monday.
“Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction.”
This is far from the first time baffert has drugged his horses. His behavior requires a lifetime ban, and a fine that will actually cause him pain.
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U.S. surveillance efforts have identified the bird flu in wild birds in a number of states including New Hampshire, where it was detected this month in 20 wild ducks
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed cases of the bird flu in eight wild ducks, a Canada goose and a red-shouldered hawk in Delaware
The flu was detected in a non-commercial backyard flock of birds
… New York state officials have quarantined the site in Suffolk County and birds on the affected properties “will be depopulated to prevent the spread of disease,” said the USDA in a statement, noting that birds from the flock will not enter the food system.
The virus has been detected at commercial turkey farms in southern Indiana, a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Kentucky and a backyard flock of mixed species birds in northern Virginia. …
