Medina Spirit (April 5, 2018 – December 6, 2021) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified.
He was sold for the minimum $1,000 (meaning he received only one bid) to Christy Whitman, who later resold the colt to bloodstock agent Gary Young who purchased him for $35,000 for Amr Zedan at the Ocala July Two-Year-Old Sale.
[10] Medina Spirit was sent into training with Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, initially under assistant Mike Marlow.
Life Is Good went to the early lead and set sensible fractions while maintaining an advantage of three to four lengths down the backstretch and into the stretch.
In a blanket finish, Medina Spirit hung on to win by a neck over Roman Centurion, with Hot Rod Charlie a nose behind in third.
He was the second betting choice to Life Is Good, who went to the early lead and was never challenged, winning by eight lengths over Medina Spirit, with Dream Shake third.
Rock Your World, in his first start on the dirt, unexpectedly went to the early lead and pulled away in the stretch over Medina Spirit with Dream Shake again in third.
The favorite was the undefeated champion Essential Quality, who had won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Blue Grass Stakes.
They avoided a potential pace duel when Known Agenda broke poorly on the rail and Rock Your World got bumped at the start.
[26] In Kentucky, betamethasone is classified as a Class C drug that is permitted for therapeutic use in horses, but requires a 14-day withdrawal time.
"[4][5] Shortly thereafter, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of the commission's investigation.
[29] At one point, Baffert theorized that, prior to the race, Medina Spirit might have eaten hay on which a groom who had taken cough medication had urinated.
Baffert claimed that Onomax was used to treat dermatitis on the horse's hind end, and that he did not realize the ointment had betamethasone until after the positive test was reported.
Baffert said he never attempted to "game the system or get an unfair advantage", and quoted pharmacologists who told him that "21 picograms of betamethasone would have no effect on the outcome of the race.
They also announced that a third test had been authorized that would help detect chemicals to potentially support Baffert's claim that the steroid came from Onomax and not an injection.
[33] In June Baffert filed suit in Franklin County, Kentucky civil court for more tests to be conducted before Medina Spirit could be stripped of his derby win, hoping to prove the presence of the aforementioned ointment Onomax which incidentally contains betamethasone and thus establishing that the "spirit of regulations" were not "knowingly violated".
[36] Two sets of bettors have filed class action lawsuits against Medina Spirit's trainer Bob Baffert accusing him of "racketeering", fraud, and negligence".
Ky federal judge Claria Horn Boom dismissed the class action filed by thirty plaintiffs led by Michael Beychok.
Earlier, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit also dismissed similar bettors' lawsuit led by Anthony Mattera on May.
[40] Medina Spirit's next start was the Preakness Stakes, the second leg in the Triple Crown, run at Pimlico Race Course on May 15.
[41] Prior to the draw for the race, Baffert announced he would not travel to the Preakness so as to not be a distraction, adding that he would be represented at Pimlico by his assistant Jimmy Barnes.
[44] After going off as the co-favorite at 5-2, Medina Spirit finished third in the race behind Rombauer and Midnight Bourbon, ending his bid for the Triple Crown.
"[50] Medina Spirit's final race of the year was the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 6, where he finished second behind the winner Knicks Go.
[52] A necropsy conducted by veterinarians and forensic experts at the University of California, Davis showed no evidence of doping, but a definitive cause of death could not be established.