Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit has tested positive for a banned substance, trainer Bob Baffert said on Sunday, and could ultimately be disqualified from the US flat racing Triple Crown victory. Baffert told reporters at a Sunday news conference at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, that post-race testing showed Medina Spirit tested positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid medication not allowed to be used within 14 days of competition. It would take a second positive test result from the split sample for the horse to be disqualified under Kentucky Horse Racing Commission rules, according to multiple reports. "I owe it to the horse, I owe it to the owner and I owe it to our industry. Last month, Baffert won an appeal of a 15-day suspension by the Arkansas Racing Commission after two winning horses tested positive for a painkiller in May of last year.

Source: News 24 May 09, 2021 16:30 UTC