Other Than Medina Spirit, Oaks, Derby Day Horses Clear

While the racing world awaits split sample testing and results for Medina Spirit , all of the other horses tested from this year’s Kentucky Oaks and Derby day cards at Churchill Downs have passed preliminary testing.

According to experts, the fact that all other horses passed their post-race test reduces the likelihood that contamination factored in the post-race finding of would-be Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit. That triumph is in question, pending testing of the split sample, as trainer Bob Baffert revealed May 9 that Medina Spirit tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone in the initial post-race test.

Based on information gathered by BloodHorse from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission through an open records request, only one horse from the Oaks and Derby day cards has “pending” results following post-race testing. While the information does not identify individual horses tested, the horse with “pending” results is presumed to be Medina Spirit, based on Baffert’s comments and the post-race test status for all other horses listed as “passed.”

Looking for the best online betting site and Live betting? Visit Heritage Sports!

Based on the seven-page report acquired by BloodHorse through the open records request, 49 horses were tested after they raced on the 14-race Derby Day card. According to Industrial Laboratories, which conducted those tests, 48 of those 49 horses passed that post-race testing.

Industrial Laboratories also conducted pre-race testing on TCO2 levels of 77 horses expected to race on Derby day with all of those horses passing.

In its six-page report on the 13-race Oaks Day card, all 45 horses tested after their races passed those tests. All 56 potential Oaks day runners subjected to pre-race testing for TCO2 levels also passed.

In terms of considering contamination as a mitigating circumstance, experts note that one of the factors that can play in a trainer’s favor is if other horses test positive for the same substance. Such a situation played out with two horses trained by Baffert who tested positive for lidocaine after racing May 2, 2020 at Oaklawn Park: Charlatan in a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and eventual champion female sprinter Gamine  in an allowance-level race. The stewards initially had disqualified both horses from victory and suspended Baffert for 15 days.

But in April the Arkansas Racing Commission reinstated the wins and changed Baffert’s penalty to a fine of a total of $10,000 after arguments were made that the positives could have been caused by environmental contamination. In that appeal, documents were presented showing one other horse from Charlatan’s race tested positive for lidocaine, although at a level below the threshold.

On this year’s Oaks day and Derby day cards, no other horses tested positive for any levels of betamethasone. In the case of betamethasone, any finding of the medication is a violation, meaning it would have shown up on the KHRC-Industrial Laboratories reports.

Get all the latest Live Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets. Find us on both  Facebook and Twitter