Racing Commission Tosses Medina Spirit Under the Bus
Throws Race for Mandaloun to Win 147th Kentucky Derby of 2021
Veterinarian Says Drug Standards Unfair
The new winner of the 2021 147th Kentucky Derby is now Mandaloun. But don’t worry, no need to return your winnings.
Stewards of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) disqualified the late Medina Spirit as winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby; and, suspended legendary trainer Bob Baffert for 90 days, imposing a fine as well.
Baffert intends to appeal the decision; last year, he explained that the drug disqualifying Medina Spirit was an unknown ingredient in a salve applied to the horse prior to the Kentucky Derby.
An independent expert Kentucky veterinarian said the drug standards are grossly unfair, meaning Baffert and his veterinarians are not to blame.
The horse industry is Kentucky’s leading economic engine which is under attack due to unexpected deaths of racing horses in California tracks, where Medina Spirit also died.
This is the second Kentucky Derby winner disqualified and replaced by the runner-up in recent history.
Kentucky racing stewards see drugs as a serious violation of their allegedly arbitrary unfair drug dosage rules, even drugs not necessarily thought to be present in ointments widely viewed as innocuous.
Pari-mutuel wagers and winnings are apparently not affected, so you do not have to return your winnings on paid-out wagers.
Reference:
.@ChurchillDowns’ statement in response to KHRC Stewards ruling on Kentucky Derby 147 and the disqualification of Medina Spirit. pic.twitter.com/hJRhJnFmSj
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) February 21, 2022
