Derby winner eligible for Preakness
Ointment to blame for failed drug test, trainer Baffert says
Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, the Bob Baffert-trained horse which failed a drug test after its May 1 triumph, is eligible to compete in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the Maryland Jockey Club said on Tuesday.
If the horse's positive test for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone is confirmed, Churchill Downs said it will strip Medina Spirit of its Kentucky Derby win and the racetrack has already banned Baffert from entering horses there.
The controversy surrounding Medina Spirit's positive test raised questions about whether the three-year-old colt would be allowed to compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
An agreement reached between Baffert and state horse racing regulators that includes “rigorous testing and monitoring” cleared the way for Tuesday's announcement.
Baffert said that an antifungal ointment to treat dermatitis could be the source of Medina Spirit's positive test for betamethasone.
Baffert said the horse developed dermatitis on his hind end after the Santa Anita Derby in April and his veterinarian recommended daily use of Otomax to prevent it from spreading.
“I have been told by equine pharmacology experts that this could explain the test results,” Baffert said. “As such, I wanted to be forthright about this fact as soon as I learned of this information.”
Medina Spirit's post-race sample after the Kentucky Derby tested positive for 21 picograms of anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone, over the legal limit in Kentucky racing, and Baffert was suspended from racing at Churchill Downs.
The racetrack also said that, if a second round of testing shows the presence of betamethasone, Medina Spirit will be disqualified and runner-up Mandaloun will be declared the winner.
The Preakness Stakes is the second jewel of U.S. thoroughbred racing 's Triple Crown.