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Churchill Downs Racetrack on Wednesday suspended horse trainer Bob Baffert for two years after attorneys said Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had failed a second drug test for a banned steroid.
The suspension means that no horse trained by Baffert or by Bob Baffert Racing Stables can race at any track owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated through the conclusion of the 2023 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs.
That meet includes the Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown.
Baffert, whose seven Derby victories are the most of any trainer, on May 9 revealed that Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone, a steroid used for therapeutic purposes in horses, in a sample taken the day of its Derby win a week earlier.
Although that drug can be legally used as a therapeutic in Kentucky on a horse, any trace of it on race day is grounds for disqualification if a second test confirms it was in the blood on that day.
On Wednesday, lawyers for Medina Spirit’s owner Amr Zedan and Baffert announced that a second test of a blood sample had also found betamethasone.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.