Medina Spirit will race in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes despite having tested positive for the steroid betamethasone after his victory in the Kentucky Derby.
He drew post three and was made the 9-5 favorite on the morning line. Another Bob Baffert trainee, Concert Tour, drew post 10 and is the 5-2 second choice.
Official post positions for #Preakness146! pic.twitter.com/oFfcrZZKjA
— Preakness Stakes (@PreaknessStakes) May 11, 2021
The field in post position order with morning-line odds.
1. Ram 30-1
2. Keepmeinmind 15-1
3. Medina Spirit 9-5
4. Crowded Trade 10-1
5. Midnight Bourbon 5-1
6. Rombauer 12-1
7. France Go De Ina 20-1
8. Unbridled Honor 15-1
9. Risk Taking 15-1
10. Concert Tour 5-2
The controversial decision was announced in a release by track ownership on Tuesday, hours before the post-position draw, which had been delayed from Monday because of the overriding issue involving the Bob Baffert-trained horse.
The tweet:
#MedinaSpirit will be permitted to enter the 146th #PreaknessStakes with conditions > https://t.co/YtsNMySLVx#Preakness146
— Preakness Stakes (@PreaknessStakes) May 11, 2021
In a statement issued earlier Tuesday by his lawyer, Baffert said Medina Spirit was treated for dermatitis with the ointment once a day leading up to the May 1 race, and equine pharmacology experts have told him this could explain the test results. Baffert said the horse tested positive for 21 picograms of the substance, which is typically given to horses therapeutically to help their joints and is a violation even at a trace amount on race day in Kentucky.
