OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On May 13, 2021, a group of horseplayers who placed bets on the 2021 Kentucky Derby filed a purported class action lawsuit against Robert Baffert, the trainer of the horse who finished first in the race, Medina Spirit, and against the owner of the horse, Zedan Racing Stables. The lawsuit is currently pending in the Central District of California.
It was announced on May 8th at a Sunday press conference (via Lexington, KY., WLEX Television Station) that Medina Spirit tested positive in a post-race test for the banned drug, betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid. This post-race positive drug test has now officially been confirmed by a second sample requested by Robert Baffert, setting the stage for Medina Spirit’s likely disqualification from the Kentucky Derby.
If Medina Spirit is disqualified, then the 2nd place horse in the race, Mandaloun, will be placed 1st and the 3rd place finisher will be placed 2nd, and so on and so forth, with each horse moving up in the final race results. The owners of those horses, as well as the trainers and jockeys, will be given the appropriate shares of the purse. Unfortunately, the bettors who wagered on the actual winning horses that did not dope will once again be left with nothing.
This lawsuit has been filed with the intent to help clean up the sport of racing, protect the horses, and to represent the horseplayers and fans who are completely ignored. Without the horseplayers, the sport of horseracing would not exist.
If you would like to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action lawsuit, contact us and reference Case Number: 2:21-cv-04045.