Trainer: Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit treated with ointment containing banned drug

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment that contained a banned substance, the horse’s trainer said.

Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test on Sunday, testing positive for anti-inflammatory betamethasone. If a second test upholds the findings, the colt’s May 1 win would be invalidated.

Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit’s trainer, said in a statement shared with The Hill on Tuesday that the horse was prescribed the ointment Otomax for dermatitis that he developed on his hind end.

“Following the Santa Anita Derby, Medina Spirit developed dermatitis on his hind end,” Baffert’s statement said. “I had him checked out by my veterinarian who recommended the use of an anti-fungal ointment called Otomax. The veterinary recommendation was to apply this ointment daily to give the horse relief, help heal the dermatitis and prevent it from spreading.”

Medina Spirit was treated once a day with the ointment until the day before the Derby, Baffert said. On Monday, Baffert was made aware that the one of the substances in the ointment was betamethasone.

Baffert said that the drug test still has to be confirmed by a split sample, but he was told by experts that the ointment could have explained the result.

“As I have stated, my investigation is continuing and we do not know for sure if this ointment was the cause of the test results, or if the test results are even accurate, as they have yet to be confirmed by the split sample,” Baffert said. “However, again, I have been told that a finding of a small amount, such as 21 picograms, could be consistent with application of this type of ointment. I intend to continue to investigate and I will continue to be transparent.”

Baffert was suspended from entering other horses in the race following Medina Spirit’s drug test.

The trainer initially denied that the horse was treated with betamethasone, and told Fox News on Monday that his horse was the victim of a “cancel culture kind of thing.”

Even Former President Trump weighed in on the drug test, saying in a statement “this is emblematic of what is happening to our Country.”

Baffert maintained that he had no knowledge of how the betamethasone entered the colt’s system before Tuesday, and that it has never been a case of “attempting to game the system or get an unfair advantage.” 

–Updated 1:26 p.m.