As a horseracing fan and scientist who has spent a career studying steroid metabolism in farm animals, I’d like to share my thoughts on the current discussion. Full disclosure, I do have a dog in this fight since in addition to a win bet on Mandaloun I had boxed the exacta of Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and Essential Quality in the third futures pool back in February. The Mandaloun-Hot Rod Charlie exacta was paying $2162. I thought I was sitting pretty as the horses entered the stretch. I had tossed Medina Spirit and chalked up this loss to Baffert’s training acumen. Now that there is a possible drug issue, I question whether it was a legitimate beat and have looked into it more deeply.
First, betamethasone is indeed a component of a topical anti-fungal gel (Otomax) that could have been used to treat Medina Spirit. After a quick search through medical literature for studies of betamethasone pharmacokinetics, I did not find any which examined betamethasone metabolism after topical administration in horses. One study in humans showed that topical administration can in fact produce measurable levels in the blood of comparable magnitude as that found in Medina Spirit 72 hours after administration (Kubota K, Lo ES, Huttinot G, Andersen PH, Maibach HI. Plasma concentrations of betamethasone after topical application of betamethasone 17-valerate: comparison with oral administration. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1994 Jan;37(1):86-8).
However, the fact that Baffert suggested several laughable scenarios (transdermally from a stable worker wearing a skin patch, ingestion of hay contaminated by urine from a stable worker) before disclosing that it could have been from a legitimate anti-fungal gel leads one to seriously question his veracity, since he certainly would have been aware of any medications being administered to one of the top horses in his stable. Even moreso given his history of drug positives.
Another common use of betamethasone is to treat joint inflammation. This is commonly done in racehorses, and betamethasone metabolism has been well-studied. (Knych HK, Stanley SD, Harrison LM, Mckemie DS. Pharmacokinetics of betamethasone in plasma, urine, and synovial fluid following intra-articular administration to exercised thoroughbred horses. Drug Test Anal. 2017 Sep;9(9):1385-1391). Based on the known half-life of betamethasone in plasma of racehorses, 21 picograms per ml would be in the range expected at 72-96 hours post injection. It is thought to be non-detectable in plasma after 96 hours, but sensitivities of these tests are always increasing. Interestingly this study also demonstrated measurable levels of betamethasone within the fetlock joint at 14-21 days post-injection despite inability to find measurable concentrations in plasma. In addition, there is always variability between animals as far as drug metabolism, and there are many legitimate medications and feedstuffs that can affect drug metabolism, which could inhibit breakdown and prolong the presence of detectable levels of the drugs being investigated.
In my opinion the anti-fungal gel excuse is unlikely, given Baffert’s fumbling over the explanation. I believe it is more likely to be a result of normal variation of metabolism following legal administration of an injection to treat joint inflammation. I am not aware, however, of information that this horse may or may not have received such treatment, and so I can only speculate here.
Given the above, I cannot conclude that Baffert behaved in a manner to illegally boost a horse’s performance. But clearly administration of anti-inflammatory medications directly into a joint would allow a horse to race closer to his best ability without feeling the pain of any existing inflammation.
So my question is this- if indeed he had been administered such medication, was the horse treated in the same manner prior to his losing effort in the Santa Anita Derby? Did he only receive this treatment after that loss, and just prior to the Kentucky Derby? Shouldn’t the betting public have all the information concerning medications that horses are receiving in order to make informed wagering decisions? Isn’t that the reason why Lasix information is made public?
The questions raised are important and go directly to the perceived honesty and legitimacy of the sport. Unless and until information concerning medications given to racehorses are shared publicly, as with Lasix, I for one have decided to take a long break to reconsider my continued interest and support of horse racing.
