by Natalie Voss | 01.27.2022 | 5:47pm
Medina Spirit (Protonico) wins the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. John Velazquez up, Bob Baffert trainer, Zedan Racing owner.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert confirmed in a Jan. 27 hearing proceeding that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 7 in the case of a positive drug test from Medina Spirit after last year’s Kentucky Derby.
The Jan. 27 hearing was part of the ongoing proceeding held by the New York Racing Association before a hearing officer to determine whether NYRA can suspend the trainer on a private property basis.
Baffert did not specify whether the Feb. 7 date was a stewards’ hearing or a hearing before the full commission. Stewards’ hearings in Kentucky are not open to the public.
Eight days after the Kentucky Derby, Baffert held a press conference to announce that he had been informed Medina Spirit had tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone. A split sample test later confirmed the presence of the drug. For many months afterwards, Baffert’s legal team worked with drug testing experts to do further examinations of the remainder of the split sample to establish whether the betamethasone came from an injected treatment or a topical administration of Otomax. Attorneys have recently indicated that testing has provided results consistent with exposure to Otomax.
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