Latest Bob Baffert positive undermines confidence yet again

On Sunday, Bob Baffert addressed the media outside his barn at Churchill Downs and revealed his Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, had tested positive for the Class C drug betamethasone.

The anti-inflammatory substance is permitted in Kentucky, but at least a 14-day withdrawal time is mandated. The raceday threshold was previously ten picograms per millilitre but is now zero, with Medina Spirit testing positive for 21 picograms. Baffert insists the horse has never been administered with betamethasone.

Medina Spirit: tested positive for betamethasoneCredit: Rob Carr

It was the trainer's 29th brush with such matters. Gamine tested positive for the same substance and was subsequently disqualified from third place in last year's Kentucky Oaks and Baffert fined just $1,500. The trainer was successful in overturning a 15-day ban and disqualification of the same horse and Charlatan after they tested positive for lidocaine last May, which was attributed to cross-contamination.

Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan after finishing fourth in a race at Del Mar last July, which was again put down to cross- contamination of medication his groom was taking to treat the effects of Covid-19.

Justify tested positive for another banned substance, scopolamine, after the 2018 Santa Anita Derby, while Hoppertunity also had the substance present in his system after winning the Tokyo City Cup Stakes a day later. The California Horse Racing Board believed jimson weed in hay was the result of the multiple findings.

So, are Baffert's explanations satisfactory? Either way, it is becoming less and less relevant.

He is the pre-eminent trainer in the United States who has just won the country's greatest race for a record-breaking seventh time.

He also has a growing list of positive tests, news which comes hot on the heels of the indictments of trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro for doping and the 18-month jail sentence of Scott Robinson. The judicial process for many of the 27 indicted individuals in the case is still in an exhaustive pre-trial phase.

Baffert, a trainer whose strike-rate in the last four years is easily the highest of his entire career, is continuing to roll with the punches, but this is the latest in a series of blows to customer confidence – and they just keep on coming.

It is true that with great power comes responsibility, and therefore it is Baffert's duty to ensure his stable is run in a way that does not jeopardise the integrity of the sport. The regularity and frequency of these positive tests, however, is doing just that.

While his yard is his responsibility, it is also up to the regulators to be able to discover misdemeanors and punish them appropriately. As well as at Baffert, fingers must be pointed in their direction.

Whether it be installing cameras in barns, ramping up pre- and post-race testing or serving harsher punishments, more must be done to stop this embarrassing series of events.

Justify: the 2018 Triple Crown winner was another of Bob Baffert's stars to return a positive sampleCredit: Al Bello (Getty Images)

Questions must also be asked about how confirmation of the positive test came out. Baffert, along with his attorney, addressed it first and was therefore able to seize and control the narrative. This does not reflect well on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, even if this is standard practice in the States, where regulators do not comment until after secondary samples are tested.

There must be greater transparency at every stage when dealing with stories such as this in order to foster public confidence. That trust is currently non-existent.

There must also be a more collaborative approach. Due to the structure of American racing, different states operate independently and regulations differ, although the sport is due to be incorporated under the auspices of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, due to launch in mid-2022 after it was created, by law, in late 2020.

Churchill Downs took action to ban Baffert or any of his associates from making entries at the track following the initial sample, whereas the Stronach Group, which owns Pimlico as well as Santa Anita, where Baffert predominantly runs his horses, has yet to make an announcement. This comes just a few days before the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, in which Medina Spirit is favourite and stablemate Concert Tour is also engaged.

Let's hope a bad situation isn't permitted to get even worse and the Stronach Group makes the correct decision. Let's also hope this is the last positive test for a long time, because there will become a point when another hit is just too much for the game to absorb.

Keep your trust in Varian as Molatham drops in trip

Molatham
2.40 York, Wednesday
1pt each-way at 8-1, four places with Sky Bet

As mentioned in last week's column, this year's sprinting division doesn't look to have much depth.

With that in mind, I've been eyeing up the Duke Of York Clipper Logistics Stakes (2.40) for a bet on the opening day of the Dante meeting.

Oxted was disappointing when beaten by Summerghand in the Abernant on his return when he should have been match fit, so I wouldn't be surprised if Art Power went off favourite.

He looked like a superstar at the beginning of last season but didn't quite reach the heights I thought he might in Group 1 company afterwards. The similarly progressive Starman also has questions to answer after disappointing in the Champions Sprint.

My eye was drawn to Molatham, who hasn't raced over this trip since his debut when he was a huge drifter before running well to be second.

Molatham: Jersey Stakes winner is well worth a try over six furlongsCredit: Megan Ridgwell (Getty Images)

His Jersey Stakes win and third to Witchita in the Park Stakes over seven furlongs – he was on the bridle long after the two horses who beat him came under pressure – is among the best form in this field (Racing Post Rating of 113), and it is interesting connections are trying this trip given the way he finished out some of his races last season.

A strong traveller who is adept on soft ground, Molatham has also been given an entry in the Diamond Jubilee, so some consideration has clearly been given to this plan.

His sire Night Of Thunder has a 44 per cent winners-to-runners record with horses over five to six furlongs, higher than any other bracket of distance, and he is also responsible for the speedy Keep Busy.

On his only previous run at the track Molatham won the Convivial Maiden, while his trainer Roger Varian has begun the season with a flourish, boasting a 28 per cent strike-rate at the time of writing.

Connections have always thought a lot of him and admired his pace, so the drop in trip looks well worth a try. Given his strong physique I'd also expect him to prove a better four-year-old, and I think a price of 8-1 gravely underestimates him.

Read more from Maddy Playle:

A great match? British owners deserve a better raceday experience

How Rachael has helped repair racing's image and what it means for the future

How racing can learn from Formula One when it comes to showcasing our sport

£250 fine or a ban? Lack of consistency for transgressions is concerning

He's among the best in the world – so where is the love for Golden Sixty?

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