I am somewhat confused by the idea that Medina Sprits death is call to action. Isn’t the whole idea of horses dying for any reason a reason?
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they have been caught with their compliments down.
They know Baffert is dirty. They get calls from PETA groupies.
When the unknown horses break down on the backside, no problem. They can even sweep recommendations from leading engineering colleges under the rug about their shotty track base vs the surface (Was that not Santa Anita?)
But when the embattled Derby winner drops dead…
Expect a lot of talk but little meaningful change.
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It makes even less sense because of the likelihood that the poor colt died from something not directly related to racing. Had he broken down, or dropped dead whilst being pumped full of something like that poor pony at Devon some years ago, then yeah.
I suppose they’re alarmed at the public’s response, as well they ought to be. But that particular horse has not only left the barn, it’s traveled across the country by now and booked passage on the Queen Mary for a world tour.
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I’m wondering if the DQ will be elevated into a legal battle by the second and third place finishers pretty soon. If not a legal battle; legal pressure to make a call on it ASAP. The subjective winner is now dead and therefore stud deals, etc are no longer on the line. The horse’s reputation is now a miniscule point. the only one’s left suffering if he gets DQ’d is the sire’s ownership and the dam’s ownership --> they will lose that marketing of having produced a derby winner.
The second and third place finishers have been very, very quiet about all of this. I do not blame them. No one wants to be elevated to a win over a DQ. Or have their horse called a “derby winner” when he truly crossed the line second. But the purse money is lucrative and could pay a lot of bills on horse’s of that caliber and the frustration has to be mounting that this has no not been resolved.
If the KY Racing commission wipes this under the rug strictly because he’s dead; they are setting a precedent for years to come. If the horse is truly positive on all testing reviews, the rules should be enforced and that is the end of the story.
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I do not see how the horse’s death would alter the final determination on whether he is disqualified. And I do not think much in the blood stock world was riding on this- as the horse was a gelding [my bad–not a gelding] and the horse had a record beyond that of the Kentucky Derby for the relatives to market. I can also see why the 2nd/3rd etc., place finishers are sitting chill, Why get mixed up in this fight and run up attorney fees when the end result will be the end result.
Not a gelding.
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My bad --will edit to correct-status–but he has certainly otherwise proved himself beyond the Kentucky Derby…
or was it creative pharmacy?
Given the incredible scrutiny of Bob’s horses surrounding the Breeders’ Cup, with extra guards, constant observation, etc., I have no doubt that the BC Classic was a true reflection of the horse’s ability, and he validated himself and his record. No “creative pharmacy” involved with that race. He was, IMO, the best three-year-old. Don’t know if he’ll win the Eclipse, but Essential Quality, in both the BC Classic and the Derby, had every chance to get past him in the stretch and couldn’t.
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but how much when into his development.
and how much contributed to his death.
Like I said: I am looking at the greats in sport from the 80s who so unceremoniously died of heart attacks in their 40s, well before their time
Of course
there is the chance that Baffert’s stable ‘management’ had not a thing to do with it.
But too many people will never believe it.
I really think, for the sake of the reputation of the sport, they need to sit Baffert down for a while.
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Baffert has plenty of horses managed in the same manner who don’t win the Kentucky Derby. There is only so much pharmaceuticals can do; they don’t create talent from nothing. What they can do is mitigate or eliminate the natural forces that keep a horse from fully displaying that talent.
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he had a boatload of positive drug tests and as many horses break down.
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Right. We are all aware of that. I should have been clearer: you were saying we don’t know how Baffert’s cheating affected the horse’s development and death, in response to DressageTraks saying he was the top 3 y/o.
My point, which I was not clear about, is that cheating alone won’t make a horse a top 3 year old. The horse has to be talented enough to get to that level before any pharmaceutical will provide a competitive edge. I said this because I interpreted “development” to mean his training and success.
It could be a very sad coincidence Medina Spirit died. This kind of stuff does happen without rhyme or reason. However, I think most of us assume a racing career laden with pharmaceutical use probably predispositioned him for this. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely the necropsy can confirm that, even if it’s true.
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call the development ‘training and management’ I think the issue is clearer. I believe I do agree with you. It is a shame though we won’t know how good the horse would have been. He had the right stuff.
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It sounds like this is going to be one thorough necropsy.
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Honestly, if Baffert was using steroids, for instance, to try to bulk this horse up/add muscle, he needed to switch to more effective ones. Big Brown I could believe was pumped up. Justify had the look to raise the possibility. Like those ball players that you could look at and think, yeah, either they spend 27 hours a day in the gym, or they’re on something. But Medina Spirit was a scrawny little thing. That was one of the things I liked about him, a little street fighter of a colt.
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Just on the topic of Big Brown (no comment about BB and steroids) since you mentioned him and I happen to have a soft spot for him and his kids… He does at least come by his name honestly. I’ve ridden and worked with several of his kids who were beefcakes even as babies - so at least part of it is genetic. His sire Boundary was the same way, and another son of Boundary, Pomeroy (who briefly stood in NY), seemed to be the same.
Dortmund is a pretty good example of BB’s type, IMHO.
Actually, a side tangent – nothing drives me up the wall more than TB advertisements starting with “built like a warmblood” – but this is a common descriptor for the BB kids that flunk their race career. 
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There’s no possibility that BB was giving steroids to Medina Spirit. They’ve been outlawed in TB racing for 15 years or so and they are very easily testable.
Whatever Baffert is doing, his goal is obviously to keep one step ahead of the currently available tests.
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Twice positive for a corticosteroid, aka steroid, named betamethazone?
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I doubt he’s even doing anything truly nefarious. He’s using legal or at least readily available medications and procedures to his advantage and knows how to stay ahead of the current testing and push withdrawal times. And even more importantly, he knows what to say and do to get out of trouble when caught (in most instances).
It’s not okay by any means, but it’s likely not as exciting as many people want to imagine it to be.
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