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By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) -Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, the Bob Baffert-trained
horse which failed a drug test after its May 1 triumph, is
eligible to compete in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the Maryland
Jockey Club said on Tuesday.
If the horse's positive test for the anti-inflammatory drug
betamethasone is confirmed, Churchill Downs said it will strip
Medina Spirit of its Kentucky Derby win and the racetrack has
already banned Baffert from entering horses there.
The controversy surrounding Medina Spirit's positive test raised
questions about whether the three-year-old colt would be allowed
to compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
An agreement reached between Baffert and state horseracing
regulators that includes "rigorous testing and monitoring"
cleared the way for Tuesday's announcement.
Baffert has repeatedly denied giving the horse illegal
substances. He said on Tuesday that an anti-fungal ointment to
treat dermatitis could be the source of the positive test.
"We care deeply about the integrity of the sport, but that also
includes the integrity of due process," Alan Rifkin, counsel to
the Maryland Jockey Club, said at Tuesday's draw, where Medina
Spirit drew the third post and was the early 9-5 favorite in the
10-horse race.
"So today we reached an agreement with Mr. Baffert and his
lawyers that allows for additional testing, additional
monitoring, and essentially a watch list to ensure the integrity
of the sport leading up to the race."
Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for the Stronach
Group's 1/ST Racing, said that increased pre-race testing will
ensure that officials will know what drugs are in the horses'
bodies before they enter the gate.
"Traditionally, most of the testing will occur after the race,"
she said. "This allows us to, instead of addressing the issue
after the fact, prevent it from becoming a problem."
Test results will come back on Friday, she added.
Betamethasone, which is permitted at certain levels in some
racing jurisdictions, is not allowed at any level in Maryland so
if it is found in Medina Spirit or any other horse, regulators
will ask for the horse to be scratched.
North American horse racing has come under fire in recent years
following the death of horses due to the widespread use of drugs
in the sport.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken
Ferris)
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