Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone in a post-race test.
June 2, 2021, 8:36 PM
• 4 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleHall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended from racing horses at the Kentucky Derby for two years after a positive drug test for this year's winner, Medina Spirit, was confirmed.
Following the race on May 1, the colt tested positive for betamethasone, a joint injection/anti-inflammatory medication, Baffert announced on May 9. The horse was found to have 21 picograms of the steroid in his system, twice the legal limit.
It is unclear whether Medina Spirit will be stripped of his victory. Baffert's suspension is effective immediately and prohibits him, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by him, from entering horses in races or applying for stall occupancy at all Churchill Downs-owned racetracks, according to a statement from the racing complex.
John Velazquez guides Medina Spirit to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, May 1 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, confirmed in a statement to ABC News Wednesday that a split sample confirmed 25 picograms of betamethasone, but emphasized that the presence of the steroid was likely due to the topical ointment, Otomax, and not an injection. Additional testing is being conducted, Robertson said.
"At the end of the day, we anticipate this case to be about the treatment of Medina Spirit’s skin rash with Otomax," Robertson said. "We will have nothing further to say until the additional testing is complete."
On May 1, Medina Spirit beat Mandaloun by a half-length to win the Derby. The victory was Baffert's seventh, making him the winningest trainer in the Derby's 147-year history.
Medina Spirit was not immediately disqualified following the positive drug test, but Churchill Downs announced that the win would be invalidated if the findings of the investigation were upheld.
Bob Baffert, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, stands near the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, April 28, 2021.
ABC News' Henderson Hewes, Joshua Hoyos, ESPN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
