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LEXINGTON – A second post-race drug test for Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit confirmed a prohibited substance was present, a lawyer for the horse’s trainer said on Wednesday, raising the possibility the dark bay colt might be disqualified.
While a decision on whether to disqualify Medina Spirit will depend on the outcome of a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission investigation, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) moved swiftly by banning the colt’s Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert for two years.
In making the ruling, CDI said it could no longer overlook Baffert’s history of drug testing failures.
In just over a year, five Baffert trained horses have failed drug tests.
Caleb Clifford May 26, 2021
International Game Technology PLC [NYSE: IGT] closed the trading session at $25.73 on 06/02/21. The day’s price range saw the stock hit a low of $25.19, while the highest price level was $26.14. The company report on May 25, 2021 that IGT Unveils Wheel of Fortune-Themed Games at Churchill Downs Incorporated Historical Horse Racing Facilities in Kentucky.
International Game Technology PLC (“IGT”) (NYSE:IGT) announced that it has extended its historical horse racing (HHR) portfolio to include performance-driving Wheel of Fortune®-themed games. The highly anticipated games debuted at Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) HHR facilities throughout Kentucky, marking the first licensed theme IGT has introduced into the HHR market.
A split-sample test done on 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who showed excess levels of a corticosteroid in his post-race test, came back at levels confirming the initial test results.
The post-race drug test on Medina Spirit showed the presence of betamethasone, typically used as an anti-inflammatory agent, at levels of 21 picograms per milliliter. Betamethasone is not a prohibited substance by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), however it restricts administration of said drug within two weeks of a race. When news initially broke of the positive test, trainer Bob Baffert spoke to press with zero knowledge of any drugs being administered before later releasing a statement that he learned Medina Spirit had been treated with Otomax, a topical ointment used to treat fungal infections, for a lesion on the horse s hip.
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