Kentucky Derby ‘winner’ Medina Spirit died of an apparent heart attack after a workout this morning in Southern California. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit was a game second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic last month at Del Mar. This is not the first Bob Baffert horse to mysteriously die. Let’s look back at a San Diego newspaper report from November, 2013:
Seven of Baffert’s horses died of sudden death between Nov. 4, 2011 and March 14, 2013. Five died in training, two in racing. Five died of cardio-pulmonary failure. Arthur said the amount of deaths “is undeniably exceptional,” but the “cases were not atypical sudden deaths associated with racing and training.” He called the cluster of horse deaths in Baffert’s barn, “extremely abnormal,” and later said, “There is something wrong here.” But the investigation didn’t show what was wrong, he said.
More from the San Diego Tribune on trainer Bob Baffert’s history with unusual heart attack deaths.
Other news: Baffert horses banned from Kentucky Derby
The chairman of horse racing’s future governing body said the failed drug test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit shows the need for a uniform set of rules and penalties in place of the sport’s current patchwork system.
