LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, USA, May 9, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Medina Spirit, the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner crowned last Saturday and trained by Bob Baffert, has allegedly tested positive for betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug that can be used to mask pain according to the Associated Press. In response to the news, Animal Wellness Action's Executive Director Marty Irby released the following statement today on the Medina Spirit case:

“The latest doping scandal in U.S. horse racing underscores the need for swift implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that will address inconsistencies in drug testing and create a uniform national standard of rules and regulations in the sport," said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action who was recently honored by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, II for his work to protect horses.

“If further investigation finds Medina Spirit legitimately tested positive for illegal drugs at the Kentucky Derby, then racing authorities should throw the book at those found guilty of violating the rules and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. American horse racing will be held to a higher standard – there’s no excuse for rigging the ‘fastest two minutes in sports,’ especially at the expense of the horse’s well-being.”

Animal Wellness Action worked diligently in leading the charge in the animal protection space on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that was signed into law in December and banned doping in the sport. But the new law doesn’t take effect until 2022. And despite the Kentucky Racing Commission’s ban on Lasix that saw this year’s Derby entries running Lasix-free, yet another scandal appears to plague the sport.

Animal Wellness Action (Action) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission of helping animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We champion causes that alleviate the suffering of companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife. We advocate for policies to stop dogfighting and cockfighting and other forms of malicious cruelty and to confront factory farming and other systemic forms of animal exploitation. To prevent cruelty, we promote enacting good public policies and we work to enforce those policies. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that’s why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones don’t. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Marty Irby
Animal Wellness Action
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Marty Irby speaks about the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act before the U.S. House of Representatives in a hearing on Tuesday, January 28, 2020