Kentucky Derby Winner Medina Spirit Dead of a Heart Attack After Training Session

Sam Mallon/Getty Images

Medina Spirit, the controversial winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby, has died of a reported heart attack.

Craig Robertson, an attorney for Medina’s trainer Bob Baffert, sent out a media announcement that the 3-year-old colt collapsed and died on Monday after a workout at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA.

“My entire barn is devastated by this news,” Baffert said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. “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.”

Following Medina’s Kentucky Derby victory back in May, the horse and his trainer became subjects of controversy when it was revealed that Medina tested positive for betamethasone, a legal medicine that was not permitted on race day. Baffert denied the doping allegations raised against him, but the horse was forbidden from running in the Belmont Stakes, even though he took third place in the Preakness Stakes. He went on to run second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The AP notes that Robertson sent out a statement last week saying lab results “definitely confirmed” that Medina’s positive test was due to a skin ointment, not a steroidal injection. The case remains outstanding, and as per the California Horse Racing Board, Medina Spirit will undergo a full necropsy.