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Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby/Preakness/Belmont)

Medina Spirit Allowed To Run In The Preakness Amid Controversy Over Failed Drug Test

Medina Spirit, the thoroughbred colt whose 2021 Kentucky Derby win is in peril due to a failed drug test, will be allowed to run in this Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown.

The colt's participation in Saturday's race had been in question since a post-race drug test after the Kentucky Derby earlier this month discovered the presence of betamethasone, a corticosteroid commonly used to treat pain and inflammation in horses but is illegal in any amount on race day in Kentucky.

After originally denying that Medina Spirit had been administered the drug, trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday he had recently learned the horse had indeed been given an anti-fungal ointment containing the offending substance.

"While we do not know definitively that this was the source of the alleged 21 picograms found in Medina Spirit's post-race blood sample, and our investigation is continuing, I have been told by equine pharmacology experts that this could explain the test results," Baffert said in a statement distributed by his lawyer.

Baffert, who had previously floated a conspiracy theory involving a groom on cough medicine urinating in Medina Spirit's stall and called the outcry over the test result "cancel culture," vigorously defended his own actions and Medina Spirit's Derby victory even as he acknowledged for the first time the possibility that the test result was legitimate.

Entire article: https://www.npr.org/2021/05/11/9959...e-preakness-amid-controversy-over-failed-drug
 
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2021 Preakness Stakes odds, contenders, picks: Legendary expert shares surprising predictions

Legendary handicapper Hammerin' Hank Goldberg goes straight to the source for his Preakness Stakes picks 2021

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Entire article: https://www.cbssports.com/general/n...gendary-expert-shares-surprising-predictions/
 
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Horseplayers Sue Baffert, Zedan Racing Over Medina Spirit Drug Test

Four horseplayers have filed a class-action lawsuit against trainer Bob Baffert and Medina Spirit's owner, Zedan Racing, over the results of the May 1 Kentucky Derby in which Medina Spirit finished first but now is in jeopardy of being disqualified after Baffert revealed the horse failed a post-race drug test.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by 2012 National Horseplayers Championship winner Michael Beychok of Louisiana; Justin Wunderler of New Jersey (known on Twitter as frequent Baffert critic @SwiftHitter); Michael Meegan of New York; and Keith Mauer of California. They allege they were denied winning bets on the Kentucky Derby in amounts ranging from $100 to as much as $100,000 because of Baffert's “multiple and repeated acts of doping and entering horses into Thoroughbred races, including the Kentucky Derby” that the complaint said constitutes “racketeering activity” under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and laws of the state of California, where Baffert and his stable are based.

Their bets were placed on Mandaloun and other horses in various wagering pools, but were deemed losers when Medina Spirit crossed the wire first and was declared the “official” winner. Eight days after the Derby, Baffert revealed that the 3-year-old Protonico colt tested positive for the corticosteroid betamethasone and Churchill Downs issued a statement immediately suspending Baffert from racing at the Louisville, Ky., track while the matter is being investigated. While only stewards representing the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission may disqualify horses, the track's statement said Medina Spirit would be disqualified from his Derby win if a split sample confirms the presence of the drug.

The suit was also filed on behalf of “all others similarly situated,” more specifically, “All Kentucky Derby bettors who would have won their bets and winnings had Medina Spirit been properly prohibited from competing in the Kentucky Derby…or competed without the aid of an illegal drug.”
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Craig Robertson, attorney for Baffert, said the lawsuit was “completely frivolous and without legal merit.”

Entire article: https://www.paulickreport.com/news/...rt-zedan-racing-over-medina-spirit-drug-test/
 
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Belmont Stakes 2021 Post Positions: Complete Listing for Every Horse

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Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer drew the No. 3 gate for the 2021 Belmont Stakes during Tuesday’s postposition draw at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Rombauer is part of an eight-horse field set to close out the year’s Triple Crown schedule Saturday. Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who’s win in the Run for the Roses remains under review pending further drug testing results, is ineligible to compete because of trainer Bob Baffert’s NYRA suspension.

Here’s a look at how the field shapes up following the post draw along with the track’s official morning-line odds:

1. Bourbonic (Kendrick Carmouche; Todd Pletcher; 15-1)
2. Essential Quality (Luis Saez; Brad Cox; 2-1)
3. Rombauer (John Velazaquez; Michael McCarthy; 3-1)
4. Hot Rod Charlie (Flavien Prat; Doug O’Neill; 7-2)
5. France Go de Ina (Ricardo Santana Jr.; Hideyuki Mori; 30-1)
6. Known Agenda (Irad Ortiz Jr.; Todd Pletcher; 6-1)
7. Rock Your World (Joel Rosario; John Sadler; 9-2)
8. Overtook (Manuel Franco; Todd Pletcher; 20-1)

Entire article: https://techiazi.com/belmont-stakes-2021-post-positions-complete-listing-for-every-horse/
 
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Wow. Churchill Dowbs was fed up. Two year ban for Baffert horses.


Medina Spirit's second Kentucky Derby postrace drug test also positive for steroid, lawyers say

Brewster, however, told The New York Times in a text message that the UC Davis lab didn't test for other compounds, "which could prove the trace positive came from an inadvertent and materially inconsequential contamination sourced from a topical ointment used to treat Medina Spirit for a skin lesion on his hip."

Brewster told The New York Times that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has agreed to send Medina Spirit's original blood and urine samples to an independent laboratory to test for the presence of other compounds.
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Even if Medina Spirit is disqualified, bettors who backed Mandaloun to win in the pari-mutuel pool will not be refunded or paid, despite potentially having the eventual winning horse.

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission regulations state that: "Payments of valid pari-mutuel tickets shall be made on the basis of the order of finish as declared 'official' by the stewards or judges. A subsequent change in the order of finish or award of purse money that may result from a subsequent ruling by the stewards, judges, or commission shall not affect the pari-mutuel payout."

Approximately $155.4 million was bet on the Kentucky Derby pari-mutuel pool. An estimated $11 million-$12 million was bet on Medina Spirit, based on his odds to win (12-1). An estimated $3 million-$4 million was staked on Mandaloun, who went off at 26-1.

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/s...ce-drug-test-positive-steroid-lawyer-confirms
 
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