Winning Kentucky Derby Horse Fails Drug Test
takyon writes:
Kentucky Derby Winner Fails Drug Test, Renewing Scrutiny For Trainer Bob Baffert
Medina Spirit, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby earlier this month, has failed a drug test. It is the latest of a long line of drug test failures by trainer Bob Baffert's horses.
Baffert, who had celebrated a record seventh Derby victory, disclosed the positive test at a press conference Sunday at the Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Ky. He denied any wrongdoing and indicated that the horse had never knowingly been treated with betamethasone, the steroid for which it tested positive.
"I got the biggest gut-punch in racing, for something I didn't do," Baffert said.
If Medina Spirit fails a second test on a second sample, also collected at the time of the race, the horse will be disqualified from the Derby and its $1.86 million in winnings forfeited. Baffert will have a chance to appeal the case, which could take months to adjudicate.
Following the news, Churchill Downs - the site of the Kentucky Derby - has banned Baffert from entering horses in any event at the racetrack.
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