Of course, all eyes are on Medina Spirit after he was flagged for a positive drug test following the Kentucky Derby. The 21 picograms of betamethasone were well above the level allowed by Kentucky racing officials.
Trainer Bob Baffert said Monday on Fox News the situation is like a cancel culture kind of a thing. He also claimed Medina Spirit s test may have resulted from a groom urinating on some hay in the stall. The hay was then contaminated with betamethasone from a cold medicine the groom had taken.
Baffert then released a statement Tuesday to say he thinks the positive test was due to ointment the three-year-old received for dermatitis:
05/11/2021
The last few days have seen quite the horse-racing story developing around Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. The horse failed a post-race drug test after its win Saturday, which could lead to a disqualification barring the results of a second test, but that disqualification hasn’t formally happened yet. Meanwhile, trainer Bob Baffert (who has previously had quite a history of horses failing drug tests) went on Fox News Monday to call this potential disqualification “cancel culture” (as seen above), and also spread a story that the positive test here for betamethasone (at 21 picograms, more than twice the amount considered allowable) possibly came from a groom urinating in the horse’s stall after taking cough syrup:
What Medina Spirit’s Failed Drug Test Means For The Derby Winner At The 2021 Preakness Stakes
05/10/21 AT 10:30 AM
Medina Spirit’s chances of becoming the next Triple Crown winner have taken a significant hit since the horse finished in first place at this year’s Kentucky Derby.
The victory at Churchill Downs could be erased because of a failed drug test, and it’s unknown if the Derby winner will even be allowed to compete in Saturday s 146th running of the Preakness Stakes.
The official winner of the Kentucky Derby will be determined by the results of Medina Spirit’s second drug test, which could also affect the horse’s eligibility for the second jewel of the Triple Crown.