Medical exam finds no definitive cause of 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's death

A necropsy performed on 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit showed no definitive cause of death, according to results released by the California Horse Racing Board on Friday. The colt collapsed and died after a workout on December 6 at Santa Anita.

Trainer Bob Baffert said the colt suffered a heart attack. Medina Spirit had just completed five furlongs in his second workout since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November.

The necropsy report said Medina Spirit's swollen lungs and foam in his windpipe, as well as enlarged spleen and congestions and mild hemorrhages in other tissues "are common in horses dying suddenly, and are compatible with, but not specific for a cardiac cause of death."