Medina Spirit just failed a second drug test as the presence of the banned steroid betamethasone was found in the horse’s blood, according to CNBC. This finding means Medina Spirit’s win at the Kentucky Derby last month will likely be overturned and Mandaloun will be declared the winner. Clark Brewster, the attorney for Medina Spirit’s owner Amr Zedan, said a third sample would be analyzed.
What the third test could do is prove that there are chemicals that would support the claim by trainer Bob Baffert, which is betamethasone may have come from an antifungal ointment to the horse instead of an injection. If the third test proves that claim, it could mean Medina Spirit could keep the win at the Kentucky Derby. However, The Churchill Downs has decided to suspended Baffert for the next two years.
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“CDI has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly,” Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement. “Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated.
“Mr. Baffert’s record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.”
Last month, Baffert spoke to Fox News and revealed he didn’t do anything wrong. “It did not happen,” he said. “That horse has never been treated with it (betamethasone). Actually, it’s a legal therapeutic medicine and the amount that was in it wouldn’t have any effect on the horse anyway. But we don’t … That horse was never treated with that and so that’s the disturbing part of it. I never thought I’d have to be fighting for my reputation and the poor horse’s reputation. Because of the new regulations the regulators have put, they’re testing these horses at contaminated levels and it’s been a horrible experience.” In his career as a horse trainer, Baffert has won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks.
