- Medina Spirit died in Santa Anita following a workout on Monday.
- He recently won the Kentucky Derby but was disputed due to the positive test of a banned substance.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The reigning Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, died on Monday following a workout.
Medina Spirit’s Career
Medina Spirit’s racing career had the highest of the highs in winning the Kentucky Derby and the lowest of the lows, getting banned from tracks around the country for testing positive for a banned substance following the win in Churchill Downs.
While winning the Kentucky Derby, online gambling sites had Medina Spirit listed at +1200, making it the second-longest odds a winner has had since 2012.
However, what the horse will likely be known for are the positive tests following the race that will forever make him one of the most disputed Kentucky Derby winners of all time.
Aside from the Derby, Medina Spirit had also won the Awesome Again Stakes, Shared Belief Stakes, and ran second at races like the Santa Anita Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Prior to his passing, his trainer, Bob Baffert, was allegedly aiming to enter Medina Spirit into the San Antonio Stakes as a tune-up race before entering the Saudi Cup, a $20 million race.
Considering the horse’s recent finishes at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic, horse racing betting sites would’ve likely found Medina Spirit as one of the two or three favorites to win the race.
The horse won a total of $3,545,200 from its 10 starts, not bad for a horse who was bought for $35,000 just two years ago. It’s still unsettled whether Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby victory will be allowed to stand, but his name will be in the record books for the rest of time, for better or for worse.