Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby and showed at the Preakness Stakes, but the Bob Baffert-trained horse might have no place at the third leg of the Triple Crown.
The New York Racing Association announced Monday it was temporarily suspending Baffert from entering horses in races or using stall space at any of its major tracks, including Belmont Park, which will host the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes on June 5.
After Medina Spirit’s triumph at Churchill Downs, which gave Baffert a record seven Kentucky Derby titles, he revealed that the horse tested positive for a steroid, betamethasone, not allowed within 14 days of a race. That could cost Medina Spirit his win, but only if further testing confirms that result. In the meantime, Medina Spirit was allowed to race in Saturday’s Preakness, where he came in third behind Rombauer and Midnight Bourbon. The length and terms of Baffert’s suspension, the NYRA said, will depend on the results of an investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission that will include the next batch of test results.
