In fact, the matter appeared to have been resolved as early as June.

A B-sample had confirmed that Medina Spirit, who was the first to cross the finish line in this year's Kentucky Derby, had a prohibited substance in his body.

A few days later even his trainer admitted that the stallion had been treated with the anti-inflammatory steroid hormone betamethasone before the race.

But since then Bob Baffert has been trying to shift responsibility for this from himself with the help of numerous lawyers at several locations.

The two-year ban imposed by the owner of Churchill Downs, the venue of the traditional race, for this reason is still in force. On other fronts, however, the 68-year-old is fighting with some success against further sanctions. In June, for example, an ordinary court in New York lifted a ban imposed on him by the New York supervisory bodies. The reason: Before the sentence was imposed, he was not given the opportunity to present his view of the cause.

The officials in the organizational labyrinth of American horse riding, where each state has its own rules, but no central institution at the federal level, do not want to give up anytime soon.

Your fight against the famous, successful and well-connected trainer continues.

Be it in court in Kentucky, where it is now about dealing with those milliliters that are left over from the doping samples.

Or in New York, where regulations have been revised to arm yourself against future legal disputes.

"Increasingly more unusual explanations"

Those responsible for the Breeders Cup, the prestigious autumn meeting that will be held this year on November 5th and 6th in Del Mar, California, see themselves forced to deal with the matter. A decision is still pending. The main problem: Officially, Medina Spirit has not yet been disqualified for the doping offense by the race control in Kentucky because Baffert is litigating it and thus delaying a decision.

After all, Kentucky Derby host Churchill Downs added a few days ago with a view to the coming season. In addition to the house ban for Baffert, horses that he looks after and that collect enough qualification points in advance will no longer be admitted. Those responsible apparently see their measure as the only way to protect the reputation of the traditional race, which was held for the first time in 1875. In the past, Baffert had not only been fined again and again for doping, but had also provided "increasingly unusual explanations" for the positive tests, as had been found in Louisville, where the winner received a premium of 1.8 million dollars.

The lock has additional effects.

Three-year-olds who cannot start at Churchill Downs are blocked from winning the Triple Crown.

Victories in the three races held in quick succession determine a horse's reputation and commercial value each spring.

Baffert last looked after an exceptional horse with American Pharoah in 2015.

The stallion had grossed an impressive $ 8.6 million in just one season.

An amount that is nothing compared to the income he has been generating since then.

His breeding rights were sold a short time later for a flat rate of around $ 20 million.

The stud premiums he's earned since then have been $ 200,000 per jump.

Easy money.

The most popular stallions manage more than 150 assignments a year.