Last Comment: May 12, 2021 7:24 am ET | 7 Comment(s) | Jump to Comments
The Kentucky Derby has made headlines across several mainstream media outlets beyond its usual coverage in light of recent news that the winner of the 147th edition, Medina Spirit, received a post-race positive test.
News broke on Sunday (May 9) that a test sample from Medina Spirit showed heightened levels 21 picograms per milliliter of betamethasone, a corticosteroid typically used as an anti-inflammatory for conditions such as arthritis. Said drug is barred by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) under new protocols passed in 2020 which prohibits administration of any drug or medication within 24 hours of a race. However, its use is allowed under clearance by the KHRC 14 days prior to a race. Bob Baffert, trainer of Medina Spirit, also faced a betamethasone positive in 2020 when his filly Gamine finished third in the Kentucky Oaks, also at Churchill Downs.
Derby Positive Puts Spotlight on Betamethasone bloodhorse.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bloodhorse.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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This is Part 6 of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation s (TIF) series “Wagering Insecurity.”
Faced with remarkable competitive pressure from the rise of legal sports betting, horse racing is at a crossroads.
Confidence amongst horseplayers and horse owners is essential to the future sustainability of the sport. Efforts to improve the greater North American Thoroughbred industry will fall flat if its stakeholders fail to secure a foundation of integrity, along with increased transparency of the wagering business and its participants over time. Achieving this is growing increasingly difficult after the sport has neglected its core base – horseplayers – for decades.
“Wagering Insecurity” details some of that neglect, and the need to embrace serious reform. Fortunately, there are examples across the racing world to follow.
Kentucky Derby: Jockey Luis Saez gets another shot after win, disqualification in 2019
He finished first at the Kentucky Derby in 2019 while riding Maximum Security. This year – aboard early favorite Essential Quality – jockey Luis Saez hopes to actually win it.
By MATT BONSTEELThe Washington Post
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Luis Saez rides Maximum Security across the finish line during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2019. Country House was declared the winner after Maximum Security was disqualified following a review by race stewards.
Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press
Luis Saez was a Kentucky Derby champion jockey for 22 minutes in 2019. He had crossed the finish line first aboard Maximum Security in the slop at Churchill Downs, only to sit through a review of the race by the track’s stewards after the jockeys of two other horses challenged the result.
Wagering Insecurity: Tote Monitoring In Racing Falling Behind To Bingo Sponsored by:
This is Part 5 of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation s (TIF) series “Wagering Insecurity.”
Faced with remarkable competitive pressure from the rise of legal sports betting, horse racing is at a crossroads.
Confidence amongst horseplayers and horse owners is essential to the future sustainability of the sport. Efforts to improve the greater North American Thoroughbred industry will fall flat if its stakeholders fail to secure a foundation of integrity, along with increased transparency of the wagering business and its participants over time. Achieving this is growing increasingly difficult after the sport has neglected its core base – horseplayers – for decades.