Trainer Bob Baffert suspended 2 years after Kentucky Derby winner fails second drug test

The organizers of the Kentucky Derby have suspended trainer Bob Baffert for 2 years after Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a second drug test.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that the suspension for Baffert will take effect immediately and run through the end of the 2023 Spring Meet.

Neither Baffert nor any trainer directly or indirectly employed by him will be allowed to enter horses in races or apply for stall occupancy at tracks owned by the organizer.

The suspension could be extended if there are additional violations in any racing jurisdiction, the organizer said.

Baffert announced on May 9, about a week after the Kentucky Derby, that Medina Spirit had tested positive for the steroid betamethasone.

The trainer said days later that the colt was treated with Otomax, an ointment for dermatitis that contains the substance.

Baffert’s attorney, W. Craig Robertson, confirmed earlier on Wednesday that a split sample confirmed that Medina Spirit tested positive for 25 picograms of the drug.

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement that the positive test “threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby.”

“Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility,” Carstanjen said.

Baffert’s suspension doesn’t disqualify Medina Spirit as the winner of the Kentucky Derby since that decision is left to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Churchill Downs said it is their understanding that the commission is “pursuing the completion of its investigation of this matter in accordance with its rules and regulations.”

Baffert had previously been suspended from The New York Racing Association because of the drug test.