{"id":325844,"date":"2024-07-22T08:01:47","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T13:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=325844"},"modified":"2024-07-22T09:44:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T14:44:30","slug":"bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Baffert \u2018Takes Responsibility\u2019 for Medina Spirit Drug Test, Ban Lifted"},"content":{"rendered":"

Churchill Downs Inc.<\/a> has lifted its ban<\/a> on trainer Bob Baffert from racing his horses at their tracks. That\u2019s after the Horse Racing Hall of Famer issued a statement accepting responsibility for Medina Spirit\u2019s positive drug test after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby.<\/p>\n

\"Bob
Bob Baffert with Medina Spirit in 2021. The horse won that year\u2019s Kentucky Derby but was disqualified after failing a drug test and died of a heart attack before the year\u2019s end. (Image: Paulick Report)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI am responsible for any substance found in the horses that I train, and I have paid a very steep price with a\u00a0three-year suspension\u00a0and the disqualification of Medina Spirit\u2019s performance,\u201d Baffert said in the statement.<\/p>\n

I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission took steps to enforce the rules that they believed were necessary to protect the safety and integrity of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Baffert added that he and his family wanted to put the chapter behind them and \u201cget back doing what we love to do without anymore [sic] distraction or negativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Medina Spirit Disqualified <\/strong><\/h2>\n

So ends the saga that began soon after Medina Spirit\u2019s unlikely victory at the Derby. It was an episode that saw lawsuits fly<\/a> and tarnished the name of one of racing\u2019s greatest trainers.<\/p>\n

Post-race testing showed the three-year-old colt had 21pg\/ml of the anti-inflammatory steroid betamethasone in his system. The horse was disqualified, and the 1.8 million winner\u2019s prize went to the second-place finisher, Mandaloun.<\/p>\n

\n

Baffert denied doping. He claimed Medina Spirit was being treated with a topical ointment for a rash that caused betamethasone, which is banned in Kentucky and other states, to show up in the test.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In Kentucky, the substance is classified as a Class C drug permitted for therapeutic use in horses but requires a 14-day withdrawal time.<\/p>\n

\u2018False Narrative\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Baffert sued Churchill Downs in 2022 to try to have the ban lifted but was unsuccessful. In a statement at the time, the racetrack giant accused Baffert of \u201cpeddling a false narrative\u201d about the failed drug test.<\/p>\n

Prior to that race, Mr. Baffert signed an agreement with Churchill Downs which stated that he was responsible for understanding the rules of racing in Kentucky and that he would abide by them,\u201d the company said at the time. \u201cThe results of the tests clearly show that he did not comply, and his ongoing conduct reveals his continued disregard for the rules and regulations that ensure horse and jockey safety, as well as the integrity and fairness of the races conducted at our facilities.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Six months after the Derby, <\/strong>the controversy deepened when Medina Spirit collapsed and died of a heart attack during a workout at Santa Anita Park. Veterinary officials who examined his body found no evidence of doping, but a definitive cause of death couldn’t be established. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Churchill Downs Inc. has lifted its ban on trainer Bob Baffert from racing his horses at their tracks. That\u2019s after the Horse Racing Hall of Famer issued a statement accepting responsibility for Medina Spirit\u2019s positive drug test after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby. \u201cI am responsible for any substance found in the horses that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":325845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,84511],"tags":[84771,82008,82078,91759],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBob Baffert \u2018Takes Responsibility\u2019 for Medina Spirit Drug Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Churchill Downs lift Bob Baffert ban after the trainer admits responsibility for Medina Spirit\u2019s failed drug test after 2021 Kentucky Derby.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bob Baffert \u2018Takes Responsibility\u2019 for Medina Spirit Drug Test\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Churchill Downs lift Bob Baffert ban after the trainer admits responsibility for Medina Spirit\u2019s failed drug test after 2021 Kentucky Derby.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-22T13:01:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-22T14:44:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Baff.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"532\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/\",\"name\":\"Bob Baffert \u2018Takes Responsibility\u2019 for Medina Spirit Drug Test\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Baff.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-22T13:01:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-22T14:44:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Churchill Downs lift Bob Baffert ban after the trainer admits responsibility for Medina Spirit\u2019s failed drug test after 2021 Kentucky Derby.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/bob-baffert-takes-responsibility-for-medina-spirit-drug-test\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Baff.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Baff.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":532,\"caption\":\"Bob Baffert with Medina Spirit in 2021. 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