The embattled Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit collapsed and died on the Santa Anita racetrack Monday morning near the end of a five-furlong workout for trainer Bob Baffert. Working in company under regular exercise rider Juan Ochoa, Medina Spirit collapsed immediately after the finish and was pronounced dead soon thereafter. The 3-year-old colt may have suffered a heart attack. He is not believed to have sustained a leg injury. Cause of death will be determined at necropsy, according to Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board. “Right now, it’s sudden death,” Blea said Monday. “It’s presumed to be a cardiovascular incident, but we don’t know. That will be determined [later].” Baffert issued a statement late Monday morning. “It is with great sadness that I am reporting Medina Spirit passed away today from a heart attack at Santa Anita following a workout. My entire barn is devastated by this news. Medina Spirit was a great champion, a member of our family who was loved by all, and we are deeply mourning his loss. “I will always cherish the proud and personal memories of Medina Spirit and his tremendous spirit. Our most sincere condolences go out to Mr. Amr Zedan and the entire Zedan Racing Stables family. They are in our thoughts and prayers as we go through this difficult time.” Medina Spirit and Baffert have been under intense scrutiny since the colt tested positive for the prohibited raceday medication betamethasone after winning the Kentucky Derby. Although the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has not issued a ruling following the positive test, Churchill Downs banned Baffert from racing or training there through 2023. While the case continued to be adjudicated, Medina Spirit put together an outstanding late-season campaign on the racetrack. He scored a five-length victory in the Grade 1 Awesome Again in October at Santa Anita, followed by a runner-up finish behind Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in his most recent start on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Baffert was aiming Medina Spirit for the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, a race that was designed to be a prep for the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 26 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia. Medina Spirit is owned by Zedan Racing Stables of Amr Zedan. Medina Spirit was purchased at a 2-year-old auction for $35,000 on the recommendation of bloodstock agent Gary Young, Zedan racing manager and clocker. Young was crestfallen Monday. He said Medina Spirit “had been training and galloping unbelievably,” but in the stretch of his workout “he wasn’t working nearly as well as he normally did. I couldn’t understand it, because he had been breezing really well. “Unfortunately, I’ve seen this before when a horse has a heart attack. Their front legs get really rigid, they take a couple strides, and then they just collapse. That’s basically what happened.” Medina Spirit, a 3-year-old sired by Protonico, won five races and $3,545,200 from 10 starts. In addition to the Kentucky Derby and Awesome Again, Medina Spirit won the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, and $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar. He also finished third in the Preakness Stakes. John Velazquez was his regular rider. Santa Anita issued a release Monday that outlined the steps in necropsy. The statement read, in part: “The Santa Anita Park veterinary team, led by Senior Veterinarian Dr. Laurie Bohannon, immediately took blood, hair and urine samples from Medina Spirit. Those samples were sent to the California Horse Racing Board. A full necropsy, as per protocol in California, run by the University of California-Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine will be performed to try and ascertain the exact cause of this sudden death. The results of the necropsy and toxicology studies will be released by the California Horse Racing Board as part of their inquiry into the cause of this unfortunate event.”