The head of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium said it’s likely to be at least two weeks before a “referee analysis” of a blood and urine sample of Kentucky Derby Winner Medina Spirit can be reported. The horse tested positive for an overage amount of the anti-inflammatory steroid betamethasone.
Equine Veterinarian and Consortium Director Mary Scollay served for years as medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. She said the vast majority of medication violations it saw were mistakes and inadvertent administration. “This is not a medication that you’re going to say ‘hummm I think I’ll take a shot and see if I can get this one by the laboratory. You’re not gonna. So, you go into this saying how was the mistake made and how do we prevent that mistake from being made again,” said Scollay.
Churchill Downs has indefinitely suspended Hall of Fame Trainer Bob Baffert. The Lexington Herald Leader reports Baffert has stated his team didn’t commit the violation. Medina Spirit is scheduled to run in this Saturday’s Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown race.
Scollay said the drug at issue here is often ethically used to treat joint pain. The former medical director for the Kentucky Racing Commission noted using it in close proximity to a race can mask health concerns and that’s why it’s a banned substance at that time. “They can obscure our ability to assess the horse’s actual orthopedic health. If we can’t make an accurate assessment of the horse’s health, you know, we could be sending horses of increased risk of injury out to race,” explained Scollay.
Scollay said lab testing for horse racing is rigorous and thoroughly documented. She noted medication violations might involve the wrong horses being treated after switching stalls or a breakdown in communication between trainer and vet.
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