THE 146th running of the second leg of the US Triple Crown in Pimlico tonight has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the failed drug test of the Bob Baffert-trained Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.

Medina Spirit’s positive test for a banned substance was made known on Sunday but he and his stablemate Concert Tour were already being vanned to Maryland. Despite the controversy, Medina Spirit is the short-priced favourite ahead of Concert Tour in what does not appear to be a strong classic field of 10.

Medina Spirit drew stall three and should again go to the lead over this shorter distance though Concert Tour is also a prominent runner. That Gary West-owned colt had looked one of Baffert’s leading Churchill Downs contenders before connections decided to pass the race for this. He won the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in Oaklawn before he was a bit disappointing when only third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby when he found little in the latter stages.

Midnight Bourbon and Keepmeinmind both come on from the Kentucky Derby where they finished sixth and seventh.

Steve Asmussen seems confident of a better run from Midnight Bourbon. The Tiznow colt won the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes in January and ran third to Derby second Mandaloun in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and was second to Hot Rod Charlie in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.

Chad Brown scratched Risk Taking from the Peter Pan last week to come here and he had seemed a decent colt when winning the Grade 3 Withers in Aqueduct before disappointing in seventh in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial where Brown’s other runner Crowded Trade took third, though none of the colts from the Wood figured well in the Kentucky Derby.

Japanese challenger France Go De Ina finished sixth in the UAE Derby back in March.

Concert Tour has been targeted at this and while Medina Spirit held strong through the closing stages of the Derby, Gary West’s colt might halt any talk of a Triple Crown for Medina Spirit, which may not be a bad thing this week.

SELECTION: CONCERT TOUR

Next best: Midnight Bourbon