LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Disqualified 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit will be buried at a retirement farm for thoroughbred horses in Kentucky.
Old Friends said in late February that Medina Spirit’s ashes will be interred in a memorial garden alongside 1999 Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic and 2002 Derby winner War Emblem.
The farm will host an open house this Tuesday, April 5 for fans to visit the grave from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky.
Medina Spirit collapsed and died after a workout on Dec. 6 at Santa Anita in California. He was trained by Bob Baffert, who also trained War Emblem. A necropsy on Medina Spirit showed no definitive cause of death, according to the California Horse Racing Board, which released the results of the examination earlier this month. Medina Spirit's body was then cremated.
“Medina Spirit was loved deeply by us and everyone at the barn,” Baffert and his wife Jill said in a statement. “From his first race to his last, he was a confident and competitive thoroughbred who always gave his best. We were lucky and blessed to have known him.”
On Feb. 21, Medina Spirit was stripped of his victory in last year’s Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. According to the KHRC, the 3-year-old colt had tested positive after the race in May for a steroid, betamethasone, which is legal in Kentucky but banned on race day.
Baffert was also banned for two years by Churchill Downs, but his attorney said an appeal is planned.
Amr Zedan, whose Zedan Racing owned Medina Spirit, said, "He brought us great joy during his time, and we will forever cherish his spectacular win in the Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit truly had the heart of a champion, and it is very comforting to know that he will be laid to rest with many of racing’s greats and the wonderful people at Old Friends Farm.”
Mandaloun, the second-place finisher, was promoted to first place, replacing Medina Spirit's name as the Derby winner on the wall overlooking the paddock.
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