Pursuant to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Rule 1846.6, a Postmortem Examination Review (PER) was completed on the sudden death of Medina Spirit.

This process takes place for every fatality occurring at a CHRB regulated facility and is performed by a team consisting of an Official Veterinarian, a safety steward, and a member of the Board of Stewards – in this case, Dr. Alina Vale, David Neusch (safety steward), and Kim Sawyer (steward).

In all cases, the PER panel strives to learn the circumstances surrounding the fatality, which involves reviewing the necropsy report, medical records, and training records in an effort to identify any at-risk factors in preparation for interviews with the trainers, attending veterinarians, and any other licensees deemed appropriate. A more detailed description is provided in Rule 1846.6.

Based on the forensic examination and the postmortem review on Medina Spirit, the CHRB did not identify any potential CHRB violations that require further investigation. 

Click here to view a copy of the Postmortem Examination Review.

(CHRB)