Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit Owners File Lawsuit Against Kentucky Racing Officials

Bob Baffert and Medina Spirit owner Amr Zedan filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Monday, seeking a temporary injunction of any sanctions and further testing of a urine sample.

The lawsuit says the KHRC is acting in bad faith and not giving Medina Spirit due process after the steroid betamethasone was found in the horse's bloodstream following the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

According to the lawsuit, a urine sample given to the KHRC can prove Medina Spirit was never given an injection of the steroid, which has anti-inflammatory properties.

Churchill Downs banned Baffert from racing horses at its track for two years amid a series of positive tests for the legendary trainer's horses. Medina Spirit could be stripped of the Kentucky Derby crown, becoming the second winner in history to later be disqualified.

After first denying any wrongdoing, Baffert said betamethasone got into Medina Spirit's system via an ointment for skin inflammation. According to the lawsuit, Baffert and Medina Sprit ownership say they can prove the cream was the culprit with further testing.

"The testing the plaintiff seek would provide empirical and scientific reasonable certainty that the miniscule (sic) and materially irrelevant reported positive in Medina Spirit's post-race sample was innocuously sourced from the topical Otomax," the suit said.

It's unclear whether the process of how it happened will make any difference in the outcome, given Churchill Downs bans any traces of betamethasone in a horse's system on race day.

The filing says the KHRC has been unresponsive so far in the Medina Spirit team's requests for further investigation.