Medina Spirit dies following work at Santa Anita
Brad Free, 12/6/21, Daily Racing Form

The embattled Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit collapsed
& died on the Santa Anita racetrack Monday morning near the
end of a 5-furlong workout for trainer Bob Baffert.

Working in company under regular exercise rider Juan Ochoa,
Medina Spirit collapsed immediately after the finish & was
pronounced dead soon thereafter. The 3-year-old colt may
have suffered a heart attack. He is not believed to have
sustained a leg injury.

Cause of death will be determined at necropsy, according
to Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the California
Horse Racing Board. “Right now, it’s sudden death,” Blea
said Monday. “It’s presumed to be a cardiovascular incident,
but we don’t know. That will be determined [later].”

Baffert issued a statement late Monday morning. “It's with
great sadness that I'm reporting Medina Spirit passed away
today from a heart attack at Santa Anita following a
workout. 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'll always cherish the proud & personal memories of
Medina Spirit & his tremendous spirit. Our most sincere
condolences go out to Mr. Amr Zedan & the entire Zedan
Racing Stables family. They are in our thoughts & prayers
as we go thru this difficult time.”

Medina Spirit & Baffert have been under intense scrutiny
since the colt tested positive for the prohibited raceday
medication betamethasone after winning the Kentucky Derby.
Although the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has not issued
a ruling following the positive test, Churchill Downs banned
Baffert from racing or training there thru 2023.

While the case continued to be adjudicated, Medina Spirit
put together an outstanding late-season campaign on the
racetrack. He scored a 5-length victory in the Grade 1
Awesome Again in October at Santa Anita, followed by a
runner-up finish behind Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup
Classic in his most recent start on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Baffert was aiming Medina Spirit for the Grade 2 San
Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, a race that was
designed to be a prep for the $20 million Saudi Cup on
Feb. 26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia.
Medina Spirit is owned by Zedan Racing Stables of Amr Zedan.

Medina Spirit was purchased at a 2-year-old auction for
$35,000 on the recommendation of bloodstock agent Gary
Young, Zedan racing manager and clocker.

Young was crestfallen Monday. He said Medina Spirit “had
been training & galloping unbelievably,” but in the stretch
of his workout “he wasn’t working nearly as well as he
normally did. I couldn’t understand it, because he had
been breezing really well.

“Unfortunately, I’ve seen this before when a horse has a
heart attack. Their front legs get really rigid, they
take a couple strides, and then they just collapse.
That’s basically what happened.”

Medina Spirit, a 3-year-old sired by Protonico, won
5 races & $3,545,200 from 10 starts. In addition to the
Kentucky Derby & Awesome Again, Medina Spirit won the
Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, & $100,000 Shared
Belief Stakes at Del Mar. He also finished third in the
Preakness Stakes. John Velazquez was his regular rider.

Santa Anita issued a release Monday that outlined the steps
in necropsy. The statement read, in part: “The Santa Anita
Park veterinary team, led by Senior Veterinarian Dr. Laurie
Bohannon, immediately took blood, hair & urine samples from
Medina Spirit. Those samples were sent to the California
Horse Racing Board. A full necropsy, as per protocol in
California, run by the UC-Davis’ School of Veterinary
Medicine will be performed to try & ascertain the exact
cause of this sudden death. The results of the necropsy &
toxicology studies will be released by the California
Horse Racing Board as part of their inquiry into the
cause of this unfortunate event.”

https://www.drf.com/news/medina-spirit-dies-following-work-santa-anita

If I was a horsing-around headline scribe, I'd consider "MR. MED DEAD" .

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida