Legendary US trainer Bob Baffert has been at the centre of a doping scandal after Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned steroid after powering to victory in last month’s Derby.

Baffert is known to be one of the most successful trainers as he has secured Triple Crown victories for horses in the 2015 and 2018 competitions.

After last month’s test of Medina Spirit, Baffert denied any wrongdoing in an attempt to clear his name from the controversy. 

However, the 68-year-old later confessed that the steroid was administered as an ointment to Medina Spirit in order to treat a skin-related ailment. He said the horse had been suffering from the issue up until the eve of the Derby.

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Mandaloun, the runner-up of the recent Derby, would be crowned as the winner in case Medina Spirit’s victory gets invalidated on grounds of the tests. However, the final call for any such decision will be taken by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs.

In the most recent update, Baffert has been banned from the Kentucky Derby for two years following confirmation of a positive drugs test against his winning horse Medina Spirit in this year’s race.

This is the fifth time in the last year that a horse trained by Baffert has failed such a drug test.