Cancel culture was not responsible for the Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s positive drug test. No, his trainer, Bob Baffert, said Tuesday, the colt was being treated for dermatitis with an ointment that he was unaware contained the drug in question. But Medina Spirit will still run in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course after a tense 48 hours of negotiation between track management and Baffert’s lawyer, during which Baffert declined to scratch Medina Spirit himself. Instead, Baffert, the embattled Hall of Fame trainer, vowed to seek a temporary restraining order if the Derby winner was barred from running the race. On Tuesday afternoon, Baffert’s lawyer, W. Craig Robertson III, said his client agreed to expanded testing, monitoring and medical review on Medina Spirit and two other Baffert horses racing in Baltimore.

Source: New York Times May 11, 2021 16:12 UTC