BOZICH | Baffert controlling Kentucky Derby narrative — for now | Derby 147

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Bob Baffert dominated the cameras and microphones Monday. He controlled the narrative.

That will not always be the situation.

Not for the entire unfolding of the potential disqualification of Medina Spirit, the colt Baffert trained from a 12-1 outsider to winner of Kentucky Derby 147.

Not even for the entire length of this column.

But Monday, Baffert made himself available to set the story:

He did not cause trouble for racing and the Derby. It caused trouble for him.

He appeared on Fox News. He visited with Dan Patrick. His name percolated on Twitter.

I know about that. I caused a minor stir when I tweeted about one story that Baffert told Patrick. One of his horses failed a drug test because the horse munched hay soiled by urine from a groom who was taking NyQuil to combat the novel corona virus.

As one my Twitter followers responded: Never eat yellow hay. Or yellow snow, for that matter. Let me make this perfectly clear: The horse was Merneith, and the incident happened in California.

Soiled hay was not the reason Medina Spirit’s victory in Kentucky Derby 147 has been questioned. This positive test isn’t as flip as that one. The most likely scenario for betamethasone to register in a test sample from Medina Spirit would be for the drug to be injected in one of the horse’s joints.

According to the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, the drug is a steroidal anti-inflammatory used to treat “osteoarthritis or other musculoskeletal conditions," like for a horse who looks sore after robust training.

Baffert said betamethasone was never prescribed or administered to Medina Spirit.

Baffert said the amount of betamethasone that registered in the sample would not have had any effect on the race anyway.

Baffert said the amount that registered should not have caused a positive.

Baffert said this was all baloney — or actually another phrase some people translate as baloney.

Baffert said — to Fox and to Patrick — that the decision by Churchill Downs to suspend him from racing here was the latest example of America’s cancel culture.

Baffert said there are people who are jealous of his success.

Baffert said that he does not cheat.

As I said, Baffert dominated the cameras and microphones Monday.

He will not always be able to do that. There will be pushback. There was some pushback Monday.

Trainer Bob Baffert speaks with reporters on May 9, 2021, after learning that his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had tested positive for a banned substance and faces possible disqualification.
Eric Crawford

I talked to a racing official (who asked to not to be named) who said that he has been involved in roughly 500 cases that involved positive test results. He said of those 500, only once has the second sample failed to confirm the results from the first test.

“Historically, I’m comfortable saying that happens less than 1% of the time,” he said.

He said the split sample was likely shipped to a “referee” lab chosen by Medina Spirit’s connections Monday. The sample includes blood as well as urine that was taken from the hors after the Derby and then frozen.

He said results from the second sample, which he said were likely to be analyzed at the University of California-Davis or Texas A&M labs, would probably be available in three weeks.

Why one week for the first sample result and three for the second?

“Because they take their time to make sure they’re right,” he said.

He said if the second test is also positive, it will be followed by a steward’s hearing. He said that if Medina Spirit is disqualified, the case will move to the Kentucky Racing Commission. From there, it could then go to civil court and then wind its way to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

“I need to remind you the last time there was a disqualification like this, it took years for it to be resolved,” he said.

Dancer’s Image won the Derby on May 4, 1968. Three days later, he was disqualified for a medication violation. Forward Pass was declared the Derby winner. But that victory was not confirmed by the Kentucky Supreme Court until April 1972.

It was a different medication (phenylbutazone) intended to relieve the same condition (sore joints).

And about the talk that Medina Spirit’s test level of 21 picograms was merely a “contaminant” level that would not affect the race, the racing official said this:

“The people who set those levels are the most intelligent, knowledgeable and experienced people in racing. They set those levels for a reason.”

Baffert controlled the narrative Monday. But a race that took two minutes to run could take years to declare a winner.

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