Medina Spirit's Failed Kentucky Derby Drug Test Confirmed

A failed drug test is expected to disqualify the winner of the Kentucky Derby for just the second time in the race’s illustrious 147 year history.

Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test on the first Saturday in May after the colt gave trainer Bob Baffert his historic seventh Kentucky Derby victory. A split sample was re-tested and the owner’s attorney has informed the New York Times that sample did in fact contain betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory that is prohibited from use on race days.

The second positive test should not come as a surprise. Connections to Medina Spirit will continue to plead their case with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, who still plans on conducting further independent blood and urine drug tests to discover the source of the failed test. Nevertheless, Medina Spirit will likely join Dancer’s Image (1968) as the only two Derby Winners disqualified by a failed drug test.

It will still take time for KHRC to officially pull Medina Spirit off the board. Once it becomes official, the horse’s owners will forfeit $1.8 million in purse and make Mandaloun the official winner of Kentucky Derby 147. Sorry, Mandaloun bettors, you will not get your money back.

The sooner the Medina Spirit saga reaches a conclusion, the better for Baffert. He’s suspended indefinitely from racing in Kentucky or New York throughout the investigation. Until then, Baffert will run horses in California as he gains more and more notoriety.

[New York Times]