Drug tests for Kentucky Derby, Oaks winners have come back clean

Unlike last year’s controversial finish, there will be no winner stripped of their title this time around.

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced that it has received laboratory results produced from the post-race drug samples that were taken following the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. All of the samples came back clean from the races that took place on May 6 and May 7. As a result, this year’s Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, along with the Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath, will both keep their first-place finishes.

“All samples for both days were cleared,” the KHRC’s report reads. “This includes the post-race samples from the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.”

Rich Strike won the Kentucky Debry as an incredible 81-1 longshot. Jockey Sonny Leon rode a near-perfect race down the stretch, as he guided Rich Strike past several horses and through plenty of traffic to sneak ahead at the last second for the massive upset victory.

Both Rich Strike and Secret Oath are likely to race against each other at the upcoming Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, which is scheduled for May 21.

This year’s post-race samples are a breath of fresh air compared to the controversy-filled Kentucky Derby of 2021, which saw the winner, Medina Spirit, eventually disqualified following a nearly year-long debate surrounding a positive test for betamethasone. The horse’s now-infamous trainer, Bob Baffert, has been barred from Churchill Downs through next year’s Kentucky Debry as a result and could potentially be suspended from horse racing for two years. He has since filed a lawsuit to reverse the decision.