Medina Spirit failed a drug test after winning the Kentucky Derby last weekend. If a second sample comes back positive, Medina Spirit's victory will be invalidated, and Mandaloun will be declared the winner.
The horse's Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, said that Medina Spirit tested positive for 21 picograms of betamethasone, which is an anti-inflammatory drug. The legal limit in Kentucky for the drug is 11 picograms.
This is the fifth horse trained by Baffert that has failed a drug test in the past year. After news of the Medina Spirit's failed test, Baffert was indefinitely suspended by officials at Churchhill Downs.
"Failure to comply with the rules and medication protocols jeopardizes the safety of the horses and jockeys, the integrity of our sport, and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby and all who participate. Churchill Downs will not tolerate it," the organization said in a statement.
Baffert called the results of the drug test "disturbing" and claimed he had no idea how Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone.
"Yesterday, I got the biggest gut punch in racing for something I didn't do," Baffert told WLEX. "It's disturbing. It's an injustice for the horse."
He vowed to fight the results of the test and said he expects Medina Spirit to race in the Preakness Stakes on May 15.
"How do I move forward from this knowing that something like this can happen?" Baffert said. "It's a complete injustice."
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