Horse racing-Medina Spirit's failed drug test caused by ointment - owner's attorney

FILE PHOTO: Nov 2, 2021; Del Mar, CA, USA; Medina Spirit, trained by Bob Baffert, during workouts at Del Mar Race Track. / Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

(Reuters) - A split sample test for Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit confirmed that the presence of a prohibited substance was from a topical ointment and not an injection, an attorney for the horse's owner said.

Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, a banned substance, in May and was banned from running in the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the triple crown.