Chief Stipe Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Medina Spirit Collapses, Dies After Santa Anita Workout Kentucky Derby (G1) winner died after a five-furlong move Dec. 6 at Santa Anita. By Eric Mitchell , Frank Angst and Byron King Today, 12:16 PM Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit died after a Dec. 6 workout at Santa Anita Park, according to California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Jeff Blea and Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group, which owns the racetrack. Blea characterized Medina Spirit's passing as a sudden death. After watching video of the incident he said it looked like a "classic case of a heart attack." The incident occurred on the track, just after the 3-year-old son of Protonico completed a five-furlong move in a handy 1:01 2/5 Monday at Santa Anita. Medina Spirit is owned by Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables and trained by Bob Baffert. "We don't know the cause and sometimes even after the necropsy, we don't know," Benson told BloodHorse. Blea said the CHRB has a necropsy program in place to determine cause of death but acknowledged that such sudden death incidents sometimes prove elusive, with about half remaining a mystery even after further study. In watching video of the incident, Blea said Medina Spirit completes the workout, is pulled up, then lies down on the track as the rider dismounts. As is typical of any horse death, the CHRB has pulled samples—blood, hair, urine, tissue—that will be sent to the lab at the University of California-Davis for testing. A statement from Santa Anita Park said that the samples were immediately taken by the track's veterinary team, led by senior veterinarian Dr. Laurie Bohannon, and sent to the CHRB. A comprehensive necropsy, as is protocol in California, also will be performed in an effort to determine the cause of death. Sudden deaths are more rare than catastrophic injury associated with serious limb injuries. Santa Anita's statement also said that the results of the necropsy and toxicology studies will be released by the CHRB as part of their inquiry into the cause of death. "Sudden deaths take longer than normal necropsy because they are so in depth," Blea said. "It can be—I'm not going to give you a number—but I've had some deaths that are well out of 60 days. It just depends on how the forensics and toxicology program is working, especially with the holidays. It's hard to predict a date." Among equine racing deaths in Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in California in which a cause of death has been assigned by the CHRB since Jan. 1, 2020, 13% have been cases of sudden death. While those efforts move forward to determine a cause of death, racing has lost a standout horse who also made headlines after failing a post-race test after the Derby. "It is with great sadness that I am reporting Medina Spirit passed away today from a heart attack at Santa Anita following a workout," read a statement from Baffert. "My entire barn is devastated by this news. 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. Our most sincere condolences go out to Mr. Amr Zedan and the entire Zedan Racing Stables family. They are in our thoughts and prayers as we go through this difficult time." Medina Spirit won the May 1 Derby at Churchill Downs but that victory is in question after the horse failed a post-race drug test when he tested positive for betamethasone. Attorneys for Baffert and Zedan have argued that the positive was a result of an application from an ointment rather than in injection of the corticosteroid. They said Friday further testing of the sample in New York provides evidence of that assertion, which they believe should be exculpatory or mitigating. Kentucky stewards have not yet conducted a hearing. While that controversy has surrounded the horse, he had continued to run well. Medina Spirit most recently finished second in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Besides that Breeders' Cup finish, Medina Spirit won the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in the fall and the Shared Belief Stakes in the summer at Del Mar. Medina Spirit finished third in the Preakness Stakes (G1). Baffert said the horse was improving in the summer and fall. "I'm very proud of him," Baffert said after the Awesome Again. "This is the time of year the 3-year-olds catch up to the older horses. I'm happy for Zedan and what we have had to deal with. We stayed focused on the horses. "The fans came out to see this horse and they are rooting for him. I could tell by the crowd noise. They are all pulling for him. It's an emotional win for us. (Jockey John Velazquez) can do whatever with the horse. He can wait, stalk, whatever. This horse keeps getting better and better." Before this year's classics, Medina Spirit won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and finished second in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit died after a Dec. 6 workout at Santa Anita Park, according to California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Jeff Blea and Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group, which owns the racetrack. Blea characterized Medina Spirit's passing as a sudden death. After watching video of the incident he said it looked like a "classic case of a heart attack." The incident occurred on the track, just after the 3-year-old son of Protonico completed a five-furlong move in a handy 1:01 2/5 Monday at Santa Anita. Medina Spirit is owned by Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables and trained by Bob Baffert. "We don't know the cause and sometimes even after the necropsy, we don't know," Benson told BloodHorse. Blea said the CHRB has a necropsy program in place to determine cause of death but acknowledged that such sudden death incidents sometimes prove elusive, with about half remaining a mystery even after further study. In watching video of the incident, Blea said Medina Spirit completes the workout, is pulled up, then lies down on the track as the rider dismounts. As is typical of any horse death, the CHRB has pulled samples—blood, hair, urine, tissue—that will be sent to the lab at the University of California-Davis for testing. A statement from Santa Anita Park said that the samples were immediately taken by the track's veterinary team, led by senior veterinarian Dr. Laurie Bohannon, and sent to the CHRB. A comprehensive necropsy, as is protocol in California, also will be performed in an effort to determine the cause of death. Sudden deaths are more rare than catastrophic injury associated with serious limb injuries. Santa Anita's statement also said that the results of the necropsy and toxicology studies will be released by the CHRB as part of their inquiry into the cause of death. "Sudden deaths take longer than normal necropsy because they are so in depth," Blea said. "It can be—I'm not going to give you a number—but I've had some deaths that are well out of 60 days. It just depends on how the forensics and toxicology program is working, especially with the holidays. It's hard to predict a date." Among equine racing deaths in Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in California in which a cause of death has been assigned by the CHRB since Jan. 1, 2020, 13% have been cases of sudden death. While those efforts move forward to determine a cause of death, racing has lost a standout horse who also made headlines after failing a post-race test after the Derby. "It is with great sadness that I am reporting Medina Spirit passed away today from a heart attack at Santa Anita following a workout," read a statement from Baffert. "My entire barn is devastated by this news. 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. Our most sincere condolences go out to Mr. Amr Zedan and the entire Zedan Racing Stables family. They are in our thoughts and prayers as we go through this difficult time." Medina Spirit won the May 1 Derby at Churchill Downs but that victory is in question after the horse failed a post-race drug test when he tested positive for betamethasone. Attorneys for Baffert and Zedan have argued that the positive was a result of an application from an ointment rather than in injection of the corticosteroid. They said Friday further testing of the sample in New York provides evidence of that assertion, which they believe should be exculpatory or mitigating. Kentucky stewards have not yet conducted a hearing. While that controversy has surrounded the horse, he had continued to run well. Medina Spirit most recently finished second in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Besides that Breeders' Cup finish, Medina Spirit won the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in the fall and the Shared Belief Stakes in the summer at Del Mar. Medina Spirit finished third in the Preakness Stakes (G1). Baffert said the horse was improving in the summer and fall. "I'm very proud of him," Baffert said after the Awesome Again. "This is the time of year the 3-year-olds catch up to the older horses. I'm happy for Zedan and what we have had to deal with. We stayed focused on the horses. "The fans came out to see this horse and they are rooting for him. I could tell by the crowd noise. They are all pulling for him. It's an emotional win for us. (Jockey John Velazquez) can do whatever with the horse. He can wait, stalk, whatever. This horse keeps getting better and better." Before this year's classics, Medina Spirit won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and finished second in the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1).
SLB2.0 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Keep drugging your horses and they'll keep dying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.