Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit drug test comes back positive

The Derby has survived two world wars, the Depression and pandemics, including COVID-19 in 2020, when it ran in virtual silence without the usual crowd of 150,000. As a record crowd cheered, American Pharoah rallied from behind and took aim at his remaining two rivals in the stretch. The bay colt and jockey Victor Espinoza surged to the lead with a furlong to go and thundered across the finish line a length ahead in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. Patrons on-track are encouraged to use their TwinSpires app to place wagers to minimize in-person contact, but mutuel tellers will still be present to take wagers, so be sure to bring cash with you if you want to bet in person for Derby. Hand sanitizer will be widely available for all interactions with mutuel tellers as well as at betting kiosks.

When was the last time a Kentucky Derby horse was disqualified for an illegal substance?

On Saturday, Essential Quality is the 5-2 favorite in the 2021 Kentucky Derby odds. Medina Spirit also will have a Hall of Famer in the saddle with https://bvs1.club/ John Velazquez, who rode Baffert’s Authentic to victory last year for the jockey’s third Kentucky Derby win. The 49-year-old from Puerto Rico has been racing in the U.S. since 1990 and has won 15 Breeders’ Cup races and has two Belmont Stakes victories. Velazquez was on board for Medina Spirit’s runner-up finish to Rock Your World in the Santa Anita Derby last month and is likely to be more aggressive this time out.

Kentucky Derby field, horses, contenders, time: Handicapping champion reveals Churchill Downs picks

There is some evidence to suggest that Foster wrote it as a tribute to the hardships of slavery. In fact, one of the most famous abolitionists in U.S. history, Fredrick Douglass, wrote about his support for Foster’s song, in terms of its ability to evoke sympathy for the plight of slaves. The sadness of the song’s narrative was what appealed to Douglass, as he envisioned it as a tool for abolitionists to garner support for their cause. Written in and about the antebellum South in 1853, the song as it was originally published by Foster had a highly offensive racial term included in the lyrics.

• The 2018 Derby was the wettest ever recorded, and rain drenched the track again in 2019.
• Last July, Baffert had another year tacked on to his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., which was set to expire in 2023.
• “I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s on their bucket list to attend and the one horse race that they watch every year,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner who has this year’s early favorite in Fierceness.
• During all racing, Churchill Downs will continue to rely on health and safety protocols and operate within the guidance of state health officials as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Bob Baffert, who won a record seventh Kentucky Derby as a trainer, was even surprised by his colt’s effort.

There are far better values among the other 2021 Kentucky Derby horses. Essential Quality brings the most impressive resume into the 1 1/4-mile Derby on Saturday. No surprise, then, that he’s the early 2-1 favorite in a full field of 20 horses. You also can wager through the racetrack’s online wagering platform, twinspires.com.

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You can transfer money from your bank account into your account and then place your bets. Baffert has been under scrutiny for his history of training horses who fail drug tests. In the case of Medina Spirit last year, he denied any wrongdoing and said the horse had never knowingly been treated with the drug betamethasone. John Velazquez rides Medina Spirit across the finish line at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in May 2021.

Cox is making his Derby debut at 41, trying to become the first Louisville-born trainer to win the race. That’s the case, in part, because Baffert’s top two candidates — Life Is Good and Concert Tour — were derailed by injury and a dull effort in a final prep, respectively. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Horse racing could be in line for another Triple Crown bid and this time the likely candidate is an undefeated horse from a barn other than Bob Baffert’s. This was Smith’s 27th Kentucky Derby, which breaks the record previously held by legendary Bill Shoemaker. There were originally 20 horses slated to run this year’s Derby, but King Fury was scratched before the race because of fever, bringing the total to 19 for the actual race.