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A15
sports Saturday 24 OctOber 2020

Bennett
sprints to win

Vuelta’s 4th

stage, Roglic

keeps lead

EJEA DE LOS CABALLE-
ROS, Spain (AP) — Irish
cyclist Sam Bennett
won a sprint finish on
the fourth stage of the
Czech Republic's Josef Cerny celebrates winning the 19th stage In this Sept. 4, 2020 file photo, trainer Bob Baffert watches at
of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Morbegno to Asti, Italy, Spanish Vuelta on Fri- horses workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. day, and defending Associated Press
Associated Press champion Primoz Ro-
Kelderman stays in glic kept the red lead- Another horse in Baffert's
er's jersey.
Giro pink; Černý win After being put into stable draws a positive test
position by his Deceun-
eclipsed by protests inck-Quick Step team- By BETH HARRIS
mates, Bennett stayed
AP Racing Writer
close to Jasper Phil-
ASTI, Italy (AP) — Dutch someone to start saying ipsen at the front and A filly trained by two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert
has tested positive in a postrace drug test for the second
rider Wilco Kelderman re- something," Vegni said. shot forward at the fin- time this year, making it the third positive test by a horse
mained the overall leader "Some people are saying ish line to claim his third in Baffert's stable in the last six months.
of the Giro d'Italia head- that the request was made career victory at the Craig Robertson, Baffert's attorney, issued a statement
ing to the final two days yesterday but I only knew grand tour. confirming Gamine's test results after her third-place fin-
but Josef Černý's stage today. "I really didn't think I was ish as the 7-10 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill
win was overshadowed by "You can't have discussions going to catch him, but Downs on Sept. 4. The two-time Grade 1 winner tested
rider protests at the start on 15 minutes before the start. I got more and more positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid, which Rob-
Friday, and race director Or you have to stop the speed and acceler- ertson said is "a legal, commonly used anti-inflammatory
Mauro Vegni hinted at le- race or just a few would ated until the end," medication."
gal action. have set off and it would Bennett said. "My team The New York Times reported the post-race positive for
The route was slashed in have been a further em- did their job perfectly. Gamine on Thursday, citing two unidentified sources.
half shortly before the start barrassment. But the story They all came together Robertson suggested the newspaper's description of be-
in Morbegno. won't end here, we'll get just when we needed tamethasone as a "banned substance" is inaccurate.
It was meant to be the lon- to Milan and someone will them." The Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, which regulates
gest stage of the race, at pay." Roglic maintained his horse racing, first tweeted Thursday that one of the pri-
258 kilometers (160 miles), Černý, a Czech rider with five-second lead over mary samples from a horse that ran on Sept. 4 indicated
but riders were upset at CCC Team, soloed to his Dan Martin in the gen- a Class C medication violation. Baffert's attorney later
having to endure such first victory in a Grand Tour eral classification. Rich- identified the horse as Gamine.
a lengthy stage in poor at the end of the 124-kilo- ard Carapaz stayed Betamethasone is a Class C drug that is allowed in Ken-
weather conditions in the meter (77-mile) route to third, 13 seconds be- tucky as a therapeutic. However, state rules require at
third week of the Giro and Asti. hind, with Enric Mas least a 14-day withdrawal time and any level of detec-
sandwiched between diffi- He launched his attack next 32 seconds be- tion on race day is a violation. The penalty for a first of-
cult mountain stages. from a breakaway group hind. fense for a trainer is a fine of at least $1,000, without miti-
"It's a decision that we put about 20 kilometers (12 "The last 20 kilometers gating circumstances.
up with, we didn't accept miles) from the finish to were really fast, with a A split sample for Gamine will be tested to confirm the
it," Vegni said. "We'll finish beat Victor Campenaerts back wind, and a bit initial positive. Baffert is training Gamine for the Breeders'
the Giro and then when by 18 seconds. Jacopo scary," Roglic said. "But Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland in Kentucky in early
the dust settles someone Mosca won a sprint for my team did a really November.
will pay. third, 26 seconds behind. good job protecting Baffert's attorney said the drug was administered to Ga-
"Today, as a sport, we were Kelderman remained 12 me." mine on Aug. 17 — 18 days before the Kentucky Oaks
an embarrassment, after seconds ahead of Team A small breakaway — and the veterinarian followed medical and regulatory
having done so much work Sunweb teammate Jai group opened up guidelines.
to successfully carry out a Hindley. Tao Geoghegan a gap before its last "Trainers and veterinarians must be able to rely on guide-
difficult Giro." Hart was third overall, 15 member was swal- lines given them by racing officials," Robertson said. "If
Ineos Grenadiers was one seconds behind. lowed by the peloton they are told by regulators that a medication will clear
of the teams reportedly "I've enjoyed every minute near the end of the a horse's system in 14 days, they must be able to rely on
keen to set off but others wearing the Maglia Rosa 191.7-kilometer (119.1- that information."
pressed for the route to (pink jersey) today," Kelder- mile) flat ride from Nu- Robertson said Gamine's test revealed 27 picograms of
be altered and organiz- man said. "I'm quite confi- mancia to Ejea de los betamethasone. The current threshold in Kentucky is zero
ers eventually agreed. The dent I can retain it tomor- Caballeros. after the state lowered the allowable threshold from 10
peloton rolled out from row as well. This year's Vuelta was picograms in August.
Morbegno in a downpour "This morning the weather reduced from 21 to "The thresholds for many lawful medications such as be-
but stopped after eight ki- was bad, it was very cold. 18 stages after being tamethasone are way too low," Robertson said. "A pico-
lometers (five miles) to wait This week has been tough rescheduled from Au- gram is a trillionth of a gram — 27 picograms is a minus-
for team buses to transfer and it's risky for our immune gust and September cule amount that would not affect a thousand pound
them to the new start in systems. I am grateful to because of the coro- animal. The regulations governing racing must be ones
Abbiategrasso. (the organizers) for listening navirus pandemic. It is that are related to pharmacology in a horse as opposed
"A lot of the riders didn't to us and for having short- being held entirely in to how sensitive labs can test."
agree, but it only needs ened the stage."q northern Spain.q It was Gamine's second positive this year.q