Back to Hay, Oats and Water Again

The name of the drug which screwed up at least two Triple Crown races this year is Otomax.  It treats otitis in pets which is an inflammation of the ear and apparently dermatitis infections on a horse's coat.

You need a vet's prescription and the label clearly says the product contains betamethasone which can be prescribed must be completely out of the horses system on race day.

So out of an "abundance of caution" they continued to use Otomax, believing it would be out of the system by race day.  It's been reported that might take a few days.  Who knows for sure?  And in retrospect a small amount of betamethasone showed up in the post race test.

Obviously, the Baffert stable of  owners wants to win and Baffert produces winners in the biggest races.

Reviewing his behavior regarding Justify, a Triple Crown Winner, Charlatan, Gamine, and now Medina Spirit is troubling for Bob Baffert.  Sports need good stories and this is not a good story.

Some will minimize the story, some will point to the problems related to the changing of the rules and the complexity of the rules, state administration of the rules, the help, and other ways to deflect in ways I haven't thought of.

A guy who publishes a magazine about quarter horses and is hard working but "old" would like to go back to the good old days.  My horse against yours and you take your chances.  It was even more screwed up back then in the days of "bush tracks" where Bob Baffert learned the trade.  I wonder if "Casey's Shadow" is part of Baffert's DVD collection.

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