The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission ruled Monday that the horse that crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby has been stripped of its win and the trainer has been suspended after an investigation into a failed drug test.
The Kentucky Derby will take place on May 1, 2021. The photo was taken by Tim Nwachukwu.
All prize money must be forfeited after the ruling disqualifies Medina Spirit.
Bob Baffert, the horse's trainer, faces a fine and suspension from racing for 90 days.
The winner of last year's Kentucky Derby has been declared, according to a statement from the host of the race.
There was no clear cause of death for Medina Spirit, who died after a workout at the Santa Anita racetrack in California on December 6.
According to the Daily Racing Form, Baffert intends to appeal.
$2 million. The prize money was collected from the Derby win. The premature death of the horse meant that his owners lost money from future breeding.
After the Derby last year, test results showed Medina Spirit had twice the legal amount of a steroid in his system. The drug is not allowed on race days in Kentucky, and Baffert has claimed that the horse received it without an injection. Baffert, who trained seven Kentucky Derby-winning horses and two Triple Crown winners, found little support in the racing community. He has been suspended multiple times for failed drug tests among his horses. Baffert was given a two-year ban from the track after a second test on Medina Spirit came back positive.
Brad Cox, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, becomes the first Louisville native to train a Derby-winning horse after the decision to hand Mandaloun the win.
Two horses have been disqualified as Kentucky Derby winners in the past three years, and only two horses have been disqualified as Kentucky Derby winners. A horse named Maximum Security was disqualified after a video review showed him interfering with other horses.
The Kentucky Derby winner died of a drug overdose.
Bob Baffert was suspended for 2 years after his horse failed a drug test.
Longshot Country House is 65-1 to win the Kentucky Derby.
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