Michael Lund | Horse Racing Free Tips

'TDN Rising Star' Gamine (Into Mischief), the reigning Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter, kicks off her 4-year-old season in Sunday's GIII Las Flores S. at Santa Anita, where she faces just three other rivals.

Not among the original nominees to the race, Michael Lund's speedster was supplemented to the six-furlong test for $2,000, and the owner of the fastest five speed figures should make light work of it. The $220,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper was devastating going one turn last season, winning those four races by a combined 38 1/4 lengths. Those included an 18 3/4-length romp in the GI Longines Acorn S. going a mile on the GI Belmont S. undercard June 20 and a seven-length thumping of Venetian Harbor (Munnings) in the GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga Aug. 8. Unable to see out the nine furlongs of the GI Kentucky Oaks–from which she was subsequently DQd from third to ninth–she was back to her best, defeating Serengeti Empress (Alternation) and Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) by a record 6 1/4 lengths in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Gamine is expected to use the Las Flores as a steppingstone to the GI Derby City Distaff May 2 and John Velazquez sticks around to ride.

Stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' Qahira (Cairo Prince) looks most likely to finish closest to Gamine. Winner of five of her nine career starts, including the Jan. 10 Kalookan Queen S., the 5-year-old exits a third to the Baffert-trained Merneith (American Pharoah) in the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 13.

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Michael Lund's Gamine (Into Mischief) has been disqualified and purse money was forfeited from her third-place effort in last year's GI Kentucky Oaks after testing positive for betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory medication that is classified as a Class C drug, and trainer Bob Baffert has been fined $1,500. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission issued the ruling last Saturday. Baffert waived his right to a formal hearing on the infraction.

Gamine's disqualification promotes Speech (Mr Speaker), originally fourth, to third in the Oaks.

The positive test was first reported publicly by The New York Times last October. The KHRC had been conducting a follow-up investigation and the finding of its official testing laboratory, Industrial Laboratories, was confirmed by UIC Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory.

Betamethasone is a permitted medication in Kentucky, but has a mandated two-week withdrawal time. Following the Times story in October, Baffert's attorney Craig Robertson said the filly had been administered the drug Aug. 17 by her veterinarian. The Oaks was held 18 days later. Robertson's statement said Gamine's test revealed 27 picograms of betamethasone and that Kentucky's threshold for the medication is 10 picograms.

Gamine was also disqualified from an allowance victory at Oaklawn Park May 2 after testing positive for lidocaine. Her stablemate Charlatan (Speightstown) was disqualified from his win in the GI Arkansas Derby the same day for the same drug. Baffert continues to appeal both disqualifications.

Gamine went on to win the GI Longines Acorn S. and GI Longines Test S. and capped 2020 year with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. She was named last year's champion female sprinter.

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