CHRB review of Medina Spirit's death finds no violations

The California Horse Racing Board has completed a review of the post-mortem report examining the sudden death of Medina Spirit without finding “any potential CHRB violations,” the CHRB said in a news release issued Thursday.

The post-mortem report was completed nearly two weeks ago but did not identify a conclusive cause of death for the 3-year-old colt, who collapsed and died on Dec. 6 at Santa Anita just after finishing a five-furlong workout. The report did say that the most likely cause of death was a heart attack or heart condition.

The report itself said that extensive toxicology tests did not identify any illegal substances in the body of the horse, although the tests did find traces of omeprazole, an anti-ulcer medication, and furosemide, the regulated diuretic that is used to treat bleeding in the lungs.

Any horse that dies at a licensed racing or training facility in California is required to be necropsied. Following the release of the report, a three-person team conducted a review of the report to determine whether any further action should be taken, the CHRB said.

“Based on the forensic examination and the postmortem review on Medina Spirit, the CHRB did not identify any potential violations that require further investigation,” the CHRB said.

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Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit won last year’s Kentucky Derby, but earlier this week, the colt was disqualified from the race and placed last by Kentucky’s stewards, citing a positive test for betamethasone, a regulated corticosteroid. Baffert also was suspended 90 days.

Attorneys for Baffert filed an appeal on the same day the ruling was issued, but a stay had not yet been granted by Thursday afternoon, according to the attorneys. By statute, the KHRC has five calendar days to issue a stay, which is typically granted in appeals involving regulated medications.