KHRC upholds Bob Baffert suspension, denies appeal of Medina Spirit's 2021 Kentucky Derby DQ

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday issued a final order regarding trainer Bob Baffert, denying his appeal of Medina Spirit’s disqualification from the 2021 Kentucky Derby and the penalties that followed.

Stewards disqualified Medina Spirit from his victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby after a blood sample contained 21 picograms of betamethasone, a Class C drug that’s prohibited in any amount after a race.

Baffert was fined $7,500 and suspended for 90 days, a suspension he served from April-June of 2022.

After several hearings and filings were made earlier this year, the KHRC issued its final ruling Tuesday and accepted the hearing officer’s report “in its entirety.”

The ruling exhausts Baffert’s efforts to appeal through the KHRC. But Amr Zedan, owner of Medina Spirit, indicated an appeal could be coming through the court process.

“Today’s decision by the KHRC finding the use of a commonly used topical ointment to be a medication rule violation relating to Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was expected,” Zedan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We now look forward to a court’s review and legal analysis of the express rules and the basic Constitutional principles involved.

“We genuinely believe that the wisdom and guidance that a court can provide will bring clarity benefitting all industry partners and particularly trainers and veterinarians.”

Mandaloun, trained by Louisville native Brad Cox, was declared the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby following Medina Spirit’s disqualification.

Medina Spirit died Dec. 6, 2021, following a workout at Santa Anita Park. Following a necropsy, “a definitive cause of death was not established despite extensive testing,” the California Horse Racing Board said in a statement.

Baffert has been suspended from racing at Churchill Downs since the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The track announced last month an extension of Baffert’s suspension through the end of the 2024 calendar year, meaning he will miss the 150^th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Baffert, 70, has won the Kentucky Derby six times, tied with Ben Jones for the most by any trainer in history,

.Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @KentuckyDerbyCJ

More horse racing: Churchill Downs reverses one safety initiative implemented following deaths at Spring Meet

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bob Baffert suspension upheld: Kentucky Horse Racing Commission latest