Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit cleared for Preakness in spite of drug test

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit on Tuesday was permitted to go into the upcoming Preakness Stakes race, with conditions, in spite of stopping working a drug test for the steroid betamethasone after its Derby success.

The conditions consist of “a binding commitment” from Medina Spirit’s fitness instructor, Bob Baffert, for “full transparency of medical and testing results that will allow for all results to be released to the public,” Maryland Jockey Club and 1/St Racing stated in a declaration.

The declaration stated there will be “rigorous testing and monitoring” of Medina Spirit and another Baffert-trained horse, Concert Tour, which likewise is set to run in the Preakness.

The 146th running of the Preakness, which is the 2nd gem of pure-blooded racing’s Triple Crown, is set for Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Baffert’s legal representative earlier had actually threatened to look for a court injunction if Medina Spirit was disallowed from Preakness Stakes, as the fitness instructor waits for a 2nd drug test from the Derby that would end with the horse’s success there being voided if it is favorable.

Another Baffert horse, the filly Beautiful Gift, is gone into to run in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico on Friday, and will go through the exact same conditions, according to Tuesday’s declaration.

“If any of the 3 Baffert horses test favorable for a prohibited compound, or at a level for an allowed healing compound that is above the designated limitation, or if after medical evaluation, sensible conditions call for, Baffert or [Maryland Jockey Club] on his behalf, will scratch the horse in concern,” the declaration stated.

Baffert on Sunday divulged that Medina Spirit evaluated favorable for 21 picograms of betamethasone, 11 picograms above the legal limitation, on the day of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Baffert, who was suspended forever from Churchill Downs as an outcome of the stopped working very first test, stated at the time that he did not understand how the steroid, which is typically utilized to deal with a horse’s joints, gone into Medina Spirit’s system.

“I got the biggest gut-punch in racing, for something I didn’t do,” Baffert stated Sunday. His now-threatened success with Medina Spirit was his seventh Kentucky Derby win.

So far this year, 5 Baffert-trained horses have actually stopped working drug tests.

On Tuesday, hours prior to the Preakness Stakes accepted enable his horses to run, Baffert provided a declaration through his legal representative stating that Medina Spirit had actually been treated with an antifungal lotion including betamethasone once a day leading up to the Kentucky Derby, which was operated on May 1.

“My investigation is continuing, and we do not know for sure if this ointment was the cause of the test results, or if the test results are even accurate, as they have yet to be confirmed by the split sample,” Baffert stated.

“I have been told that a finding of a small amount, such as 21 picograms, could be consistent with application of this type of ointment.”

Mary Scollay, executive director and chief running officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, informed NBC News that it was tough to think that Baffert and his vet did not understand that betamethasone remained in the medication Otomax.

“It’s on the tube,” Scollay stated.

“It’s almost an aggravating circumstance at this point.”

Just 2 other horses in the 147-year history of the Kentucky Derby have actually been disqualified, according to The Associated Press.

Disclosure: CNBC moms and dad NBCUniversal owns NBC and NBC Sports, which transmitted the Triple Crown races.