BALTIMORE – Even though Bob Baffert isn't at Pimlico Race Course this week, his shadow hangs over the Preakness, the Triple Crown and horse racing.
This should have been another celebration of Baffert, the face of the sport with two Triple Crown triumphs on his resume, coming off an upset win at the Kentucky Derby and looking for a record eighth Preakness victory.
Instead, Derby winner Medina Spirit failing a postrace drug test for the steroid betamethasone has put Baffert and the sport in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. “The whole atmosphere here has changed,” rival trainer and friend D.
Wayne Lukas said Wednesday. “The enthusiasm, the feel of excitement is not here. That’s what’s bad for the industry right there.” Lukas tried to