Kentucky Derby Winner Medina Spirit Cleared To Participate In Preakness After Trainer Says He Was Unknowingly Treated With Steroid

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit has been cleared to run in the Preakness Stakes after failing a drug test.

Medina Spirit became the winner of the Kentucky Derby on May 1. However, betamethasone, a steroid cream used to treat skin infections and inflammatory chemicals your body makes, showed up in the horse’s system after his win. Baffert says officials may have confused a skin ointment he used to treat the horse’s skin issues with an enhancement medication.

After Baffert disclosed the information to the Maryland Jockey Club, the club announced that Medina Spirit would be allowed to run in the Preakness on Saturday. According to the news outlet, the Preakness is held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore; it is the middle jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

“As a condition of acceptance of the entry, Baffert has provided his consent to the Maryland Jockey Club to allow for rigorous testing and monitoring in addition to that conducted by the Maryland Racing Commission,” the club said in a statement.

Baffert said he would allow race administrators to take blood samples on Tuesday, and he agreed to allow them to take samples at any point moving forward. Other horses could also be subject to give blood samples. “Mr. Baffert has given these consents to further the interests of horse racing and the public,” his attorney, W. Craig Robertson, wrote in a letter to the Maryland Jockey Club. “The integrity of the sport is of the utmost importance to Mr. Baffert, and by consenting to this testing regimen and monitoring, he reaffirms his commitment and dedication to the sport.”