Medina Spirit took the lead from the very beginning of last year’s Kentucky Derby and never gave it up, crossing the finish line first to win the race.
He probably won’t go down in history as a Derby champion.
Medina Spirit, who passed away in December, tested positive for betamethasone, a steroid that cannot be used while racing, after the Derby and was subsequently disqualified. Following a drawn-out process and a series of maneuverings by trainer Bob Baffert and the colt’s other connections, Kentucky racing stewards issued a ruling Monday upholding Medina Spirit’s disqualification.
That ruling can still be appealed, but, for now, Mandaloun will go down as the winner of the 147th Kentucky Derby.
Shortly after the stewards’ ruling was announced Monday afternoon, Churchill Downs released a statement officially recognizing Mandaloun as the 2021 race winner and extending its congratulations to the colt’s connections.
“Winning the Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting achievements in sports and we look forward to celebrating Mandaloun on a future date in a way that is fitting of this rare distinction,” the statement read.
Who is Mandaloun, and what has he done since crossing the finish line second on the first Saturday in May of last year? Here’s a look at the reigning Derby champ.
Mandaloun’s road to the Derby
A son of Into Mischief, the newly crowned Kentucky Derby champion broke his maiden in his first try at Keeneland on Oct. 24, 2020, and ultimately raced in the three Derby preps at Fair Grounds in New Orleans to prepare for last year’s run for the roses.
Mandaloun’s final start before the big race was a head-scratching sixth-place finish — as the 6-5 favorite — in the Louisiana Derby. Before that race, he was seen as one of the likely Kentucky Derby favorites.
As a result of the poor performance, Mandaloun went off at 26-1 odds on Derby Day.
He broke well in the Derby and tucked in at the rail in the early going of the race, running not far behind pace-setter Medina Spirit all the way around the track. Mandaloun drew even with the front-runner coming into the stretch but couldn’t outrun Medina Spirit to the finish line, finishing a half-length behind in second.
Mandaloun did, however, hold off Hot Rod Charlie by a half-length for second place, and it appears that finish will be good enough to make him the 147th Kentucky Derby champion.
The Louisville connection
Mandaloun is trained by Brad Cox, who was born and raised in Louisville — and grew up just blocks away from Churchill Downs — but had never had a Kentucky Derby starter until sending two contenders to the starting gate last year: Mandaloun and race favorite Essential Quality, who finished fourth.
Cox, who turns 42 years old next month, has won eight Breeders’ Cup races and has trained two Kentucky Oaks winners, winning at both events for the first time with star filly Monomoy Girl in 2018. He has earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer the past two years. Last year, he won the Belmont Stakes with Essential Quality and the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Knicks Go.
Florent Geroux was the jockey for Mandaloun. The 35-year-old from France has become one of North America’s leading jockeys in recent years. He also rode Monomoy Girl and was aboard Gun Runner for most of his illustrious career, including his Breeders’ Cup Classic victory.
Geroux’s best Derby finish in four tries prior to last year was a third-place showing on Gun Runner in 2016.
Mandaloun is a homebred for Juddmonte Farms in Lexington, the son of Into Mischief and Brooch, with Empire Maker as his damsire.
Where is Mandaloun now?
Mandaloun returned to the track six weeks after the Kentucky Derby and finished first in the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, a tuneup for his eventual victory in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes on the same track the following month. In that race, Mandaloun also crossed the finish line second but was declared the winner after Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified for actions during the race. That was his final race of 2021, with a foot sore taking him out of action for the fall.
Mandaloun returned for his 4-year-old debut last month with a victory in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds. He had an official workout there Feb. 13 and is prepping toward the Saudi Cup, which will be run Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
The winner of that race is expected to earn $10 million.
No payoff on the long shot
Mandaloun was a 26-1 shot in the Kentucky Derby, and — if he had crossed the finish line first that day — a $2 win ticket on the colt would have paid $55.80.
Alas for those who bet on Mandaloun, there will be no win payoff.
Once the race is ruled official on the track — which it was minutes after the finish — the parimutuel wagering is also official and winning tickets can be cashed in. No subsequent disqualifications or changes to the order of finish have any impact on the betting windows.
The only other off-track disqualification of a race winner in Kentucky Derby history came in 1968, when Dancer’s Image crossed the finish line first but later tested positive for an at-the-time illegal drug, phenylbutazone, and was stripped of the victory.
Forward Pass was ultimately named the 1968 Derby winner, though that ruling wasn’t finalized until 1972 following a series of appeals.
In 2019, Maximum Security crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby but — after a lengthy stewards’ review of the race — was disqualified for interference.
Long-shot Country House, who had finished second, was named the Derby winner, and the race was ruled official with the wagering payouts reflecting that result.
