Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit fails second drug test

The horse that won the 147th Kentucky Derby has failed a second drug test by split sample, trainer Bob Baffert's attorney confirmed Wednesday. The result could make Medina Spirit the second horse in the competition's history to be disqualified for drug violations and may invalidate its victory.

"The Medina Spirit split sample confirmed the finding of betamethasone at 25 picograms," Baffert's attorney W. Craig Robertson III said in a statement. "There is other testing that is being conducted, including DNA testing. We expect this additional testing to confirm that the presence of the betamethasone was from the topical ointment, Otomax, and not an injection." The attorney said that Otomax — an anti-fungal ointment containing steroids often used to treat ear infections in animals — was being used topically for a skin rash on the racehorse. Betamethasone is a corticosteroid used to suppress inflammation, which is banned in horses on race days.