Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit testes positive for banned substance

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit has tested positive for a banned substance, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday, and the horse could be stripped of its history-making victory.

Baffert told reporters at a Sunday news conference at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, that post-race testing showed Medina Spirit was positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid medication not allowed to be used within 14 days of competition.

Baffert denied treating the colt with the medication and said he will investigate the test result to determine how the substance got into the horse’s system following the race.

“I got the biggest gut punch in racing for something I didn’t do,” said Baffert, who claimed a record seventh Kentucky Derby victory with Medina Spirit but who is now again under scrutiny after this latest in a string of drug test failures.

“It’s disturbing,” Baffert said. “It’s a complete injustice to the horse.”

Churchill Downs announced Sunday it has banned Baffert from entering any horses at the racetrack while it awaits the conclusion of an investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

It would take a second positive result from a split sample for the horse to be disqualified.

But if the second sample does come back positive Medina Spirit’s results would be invalidated and runner-up Mandaloun will be declared the winner, Churchill Downs officials said.

“Failure to comply with the rules and medication protocols jeopardizes the safety of the horses and jockeys, the integrity of our sport and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby and all who participate. Churchill Downs will not tolerate it,” the racetrack said in a statement.

“Given the seriousness of the alleged offense, Churchill Downs will immediately suspend Bob Baffert, the trainer of Medina Spirit, from entering any horses at Churchill Downs Racetrack.

“We will await the conclusion of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s investigation before taking further steps.”

But critics were already piling on the three-year-old colt and his trainer, former US President Donald Trump saying, “So now even our Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, is a junky… the whole world is laughing at us.”

Baffert wasn’t laughing, however, vowing to challenge the finding as far as he could.

“I’m going to fight it tooth and nail,” Baffert said. “I owe it to the horse, I owe it to the owner and I owe it to our industry. Our industry needs to step up and we need to do a better job in racing.”

“I don’t feel embarrassed,” Baffert said. “I feel like I was wronged.

“There’s problems in racing, but it’s not Bob Baffert.”