Medina Spirit Permitted To Enter Preakness, Maryland Jockey Club Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Despite a failed drug test after the Kentucky Derby, Medina Spirit will be able to run the Preakness in Baltimore Saturday.
The Maryland Jockey Club said that Medina Spirit can run the 146th Preakness on May 15 with "rigorous conditions to entry along with a binding commitment from Bob Baffert to full transparency of medical and testing results that will allow for all results to be released to the public."
The decision comes days after Medina Spirit failed a drug test. He was positive for betamethasone, an allowable therapeutic.
As a condition to enter, Baffert has provided the jockey club consent for rigorous testing and monitoring in addition to the tests run by state racing officials
Two of Baffert's other horses will race this weekend, Concert Tour in the Preakness and Beautiful Gift in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
if any of Baffert's horse test positive for a banned substance or at a level above the designated limit, will scratch the horse.
"Integrity, accountability and safety in our sport are principles that 1/ST RACING puts above all else. Our company has a track record of instituting process and protocols that have led to nationwide medication reforms and we are unwavering in our commitment to put horse and rider safety at the forefront," said Craig Fravel, Chief Executive Officer, 1/ST RACING. "We are well aware of the public outcry and calls for action that have been the natural outcome of a medication positive in one of the most iconic races in our sport and we share the disappointment and concern.
We are required to acknowledge in this instance that fundamental fairness compels us to respect the individual rights of participants in our sport to due process and adherence to agreed-upon and well-established rules. To this point, there has to our knowledge been no split sample testing as is required in every state in this country and no complaint or other official action has been announced by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission with regard to this incident. While the integrity of our sport is of utmost importance it is the responsibility of those in authority to follow the rules even as we seek to enforce them. We cannot make things up as we go along and we trust that the competitors, bettors and fans will understand the importance of adhering to that principle."
On Tuesday morning, Baffert released a statement saying Medina Spirit's high level of betamethasone, may have been linked to an anti-fungal ointment they were using to treat the horse.