Otomax may also be used for other purposes. Otomax is an antimicrobial, corticosteroid and antifungal combination used on dogs for the treatment of acute and chronic otitis externa associated with yeast and/or bacteria susceptible to gentamicin. Neither ignorance nor carelessness make for much of an excuse, but they sure beat denying what turns out to be true.Otomax is used to treat bacterial infections of the outer ear in dogs. Still, should Medina Spirit’s split sample confirm the findings of the first test - as nearly all split samples do - Baffert’s best strategy might be to claim mitigating circumstances. More: Bob Baffert's lawyer says Medina Spirit, Concert Tour will be allowed to enter Preakness Robertson found enough procedural flaws in the handling of samples drawn from Baffert’s horses to convince the Arkansas Racing Commission last month to rescind a suspension for a pair of drug violations detected at Oaklawn in 2020. To rewrite the rules for Baffert’s benefit would only invite more litigation and deserved derision.Īttorney Craig Robertson can be counted on to turn over every conceivable rock on behalf of his famous client, and the Lexington lawyer should not be underestimated. If it were to eventually soften its stance on betamethasone, though, it would surely not do so retroactively. Not until 1974 did the Kentucky commission drop its ban on phenylbutazone. That case was litigated for nearly four years before the Kentucky Supreme Court validated the victory of Forward Pass. The Derby’s previous drug disqualification took place in 1968, when Dancer’s Image finished first but tested positive for phenylbutazone. If he expects the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to amend its regulations to accommodate Medina Spirit’s Run for the Roses, he should consider its precedent and its potential liability. If he seeks leniency, a record that includes five drug violations since May, 2020 argues against it. If he didn’t know Otomax contains betamethasone, that’s on him. More: What does 21 picograms of betamethasone mean? Doctor discusses Medina Spirit drug test (By Baffert’s own admission, Medina Spirit was treated with Otomax until the day before the Derby.) All that matters to racing regulators is that the trainer was sufficiently sloppy to allow a Class C drug to be administered close enough to competition that it could not clear the horse’s system. It doesn’t matter whether it was enough to enhance performance or mask pain. It doesn’t matter if the amount is infinitesimal. Kentucky regulations call for a mandatory disqualification and loss of purse if any verifiable amount of betamethasone is found in post-race testing and confirmed by a split sample. Whether the 21 picograms of betamethasone detected in Medina Spirit’s blood sample could have made any difference in the outcome of the Derby is an interesting question, but ultimately irrelevant to the disqualification decision. “.They’re going to have to argue that the concentration that resulted from the topical exposure was irrelevant to the horse’s performance and should therefore be dismissed.’’
Mary Scollay, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. “Now they’re going to have to go after the rule,” said Dr.
“Medina Spirit earned his Kentucky Derby win and my pharmacologists have told me that 21 picograms of betamethasone would have no effect on the outcome of the race.” “Horse racing must address its regulatory problem when it comes to substances which can innocuously find their way into a horse’s system at the picogram (which is a trillionth of a gram) level,” Baffert said in a prepared statement. But instead of apologizing for his unfounded insinuations and unearned martyr complex, Baffert has chosen to resume his attack on testing thresholds he regards as unreasonable. More: Bob Baffert acknowledges using ointment on Medina Spirit that includes betamethasone The medication Baffert insisted had never been administered to Medina Spirit turned out to have been part of the colt’s daily treatment through an ointment called Otomax. Thus Baffert’s self-pitying suspicions of skulduggery and his misappropriated claims of “cancel culture” now look just as silly as they sounded upon escaping his lips.
The Hall of Fame trainer’s efforts to explain away the positive drug test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit hit a significant snag Tuesday when he was forced to start backpedaling about betamethasone. Watch Video: Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tests positive for anti-inflammatory drugįirst, Bob Baffert said it didn’t happen.