Medina Spirit, who finished first in last year's Kentucky Derby, was disqualified Monday and his victory rescinded following a second sample testing positive for a banned drug.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced the stewards' decision in a letter to trainer Bob Baffert.
"After a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards Robert A. Baffert is hereby suspended 90 days, March 8, 2022 through June 5, 2022 (inclusive) and fined seven thousand five hundred ($7,500) dollars," the commission wrote. "Medina Spirit is disqualified and all purse money forfeited."
Second-place finisher Mandaloun, trained by Brad Cox, was elevated to Derby winner.
Baffert can appeal the commission's ruling and receive a hearing in front of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which he is expected to do, WDRB reported. The trainer also could challenge any commission decision in court in Franklin County, Kentucky.
In a separate ruling against Medina Spirit owner Amr F. Zedan, stewards ordered the purse be redistributed, with the winner's share going to Mandaloun.
Medina Spirit, who collapsed and died at Santa Anita Park in December, crossed the finish line first on May 1, 2021. The colt later tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid banned on race days in Kentucky.
Baffert confirmed that Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone and vowed that the drug was not administered by anyone in his barn.
Churchill Downs Inc., announced it would ban Baffert's horses from its races, including the Kentucky Derby, for two years.
Baffert is suing the New York Racing Association, which also suspended him from running horses at state racetracks.
Although the initial cause of Medina Spirit's death was a heart attack, a necropsy performed on the thoroughbred showed no definitive cause of death, according to results released by the California Horse Racing Board.
It was the second time in the 147-year history of the Kentucky Derby that a winner was disqualified for a drug infraction. Derby winner Dancer's Image was disqualified in 1968 after traces of the drug phenylbutazone were found in a post-race urinalysis, and Forward Pass was declared the winner.
In 2019, Maximum Security was disqualified after winning the Kentucky Derby for making a wide blocking move that interfered with the path of several horses.
Cox's Essential Quality won the Belmont Stakes in June, giving the trainer two jewels of the 2021 Triple Crown.
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