I may have to give up my 38 dollars in Kentucky Derby winnings! My horse got caught juicing!
Medina Spirit’s win over Mandaloun still stands for the moment, but that might change after the winning horse failed a drug test. He tested positive for the steroid beta-methasone, a drug that can be used to treat pain and inflammation.
Medina Spirit's trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended, but denies he committed any violations. In fact, he now says a groom who was taking cough medicine peed in the horse's stall, and then the horse ate the hay thus causing the positive test. Riiiiight.
So if Medina Spirit is disqualified, does that mean I'll have to give up my winnings? Not so fast. When asked if those who bet on runner up Mandaloun would be able to cash in on the win, a Churchill Downs official said payment of tickets is made “on the basis of the order of finish as declared ‘official’ by the stewards or judges” and that if any change were made, including the disqualification of the winner, payouts to gamblers would not be affected. Yikes!
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Andy Lyons