The white-haired Baffert, the face of American horse racing, usually makes the national media rounds after signature victories, like his record-breaking seven Derbys. For nearly 25 years, his California cool and quick-with-a-quip personality have charmed morning show hosts and the public alike. On Monday, however, Baffert was sober and defiant about his colt’s positive drug test for betamethasone, a corticosteroid injected into joints to reduce pain and swelling. “We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby,” said Baffert in an interview on “Fox & Friends.”Baffert said neither he nor anyone else on his team had administered the drug to Medina Spirit. He insisted the colt had never been treated with it and, in a series of network and radio interviews, floated scenarios ranging from contamination to vague conspiracies to “cancel culture” to explain the controversy.

Source: New York Times May 10, 2021 20:48 UTC