The CHRB ruled it was caused by feed contamination, citing six other horses across four barns who also tested positive. I believe there is some precedent in criminal law when a law is changed from a felony to a misdemeanor how they should be prosecuted even before the new law becomes effective, wrote Arthur, whose job before medical equine director was as a racetrack veterinarian. Horse trainer Bob Baffert on Monday argued that Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had been a victim of "cancel culture" after the horse failed a postrace drug test . Its not often that a sport turns against its biggest star, but Churchill Downs has taken that stand. Despite the cautious approach of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which five months later still has not acted on the drug positive, or disqualified, Medina Spirit, Churchill Downs suspended the trainer for two years. "We live in a different world now. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. "[23] On June 2, 2021, Medina Spirit's split sample also tested positive and Churchill Downs suspended Baffert through the end of the 2023 Spring Meet. "[16][17] Nonetheless, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of an investigation. This America's different." pic . Pegram persuaded Baffert to try thoroughbreds. Gary Fenton, chairman of the TOC, declined to be interviewed. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. He acknowledged there was no way to determine if that bale was part of the delivery to Baffert, according to the records, but the CHRB investigator nonetheless submitted the sample for testing. The 90 day ban against Baffert was set to be honored in all 38 racing states. Gray declined to be interviewed for this story, instead issuing a statement declaring that the personal vendettas of others, perceived or otherwise, play no roll [sic] in the legislation I carry. His spokesman added that campaign contributions do not affect Grays policy proposals. Real Quiet won the Preakness as well, but, like Silver Charm, the horse was denied a Triple Crown win and finished second in the Belmont Stakes by a nose. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. It subsequently said any horses running for a suspended trainer (Baffert) would not be eligible for Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points. Trainer Bob Baffert's ban from racing in New York is over - Associated Press Baffert barred from participating in Preakness Stakes by Maryland commission By Jacob Calvin Meyer - The. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. Churchill Downs announced that any points earned in the leadup to the Kentucky Derby by horses associated with a suspended trainer would not be counted a move that seemingly targets Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. After the test result was revealed, Mick Ruis, the trainer and owner of the Santa Anita Derbys runner-up, sued the CHRB, claiming Justifys win should have been erased. Bob Baffert Family, Parents Hal Earnhardt, an Arizona car dealer and Bafferts oldest client, introduced him to Pegram, who made his money in fast-food franchising. Like Baffert, Hollendorfer is in the thoroughbred Hall of Fame. In July 2020, Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan, a drug commonly used in cough medicine. And in the 13 months following his essay in The Post, Bafferts horses tested positive for prohibited or excessive substances five times in three states. [42] He had been paid $200,000 to allow the Burger King to stand behind him in the grandstand during the televised broadcast of the Belmont, after having turned down $150,000 to allow the mascot to appear with him at the Preakness. Without that win, Justify would not have qualified to run in the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, a month later. In February 2013, with Bafferts Hollywood Park sudden-death toll at six and Californias equine medical director, Rick Arthur, probing his barns operations, state legislation was introduced that would place term limits on Arthurs position, eventually forcing him out of a $309,000-a-year job. The Kentucky Derby winner is staying ahead of . Nonetheless, in that case, Arkansas suspended Baffert for 15 days. Fellow trainer D. Wayne Lukas attributed Baffert's success to his "extraordinary eye for a good horse" and his management ability in finding the right opportunities for his charges.[5]. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? 10, 2022. I guess I'm more of an "old school" Republican. Why would people want to be betting on horses when there are allegations and there are real positives and hes getting off on technicalities.. Baffert's history in the American classic races began in 1996 when he trained a three-year-old colt named Cavonnier, who ran second in the Kentucky Derby. You could trust him and that never changed.. In the past three years, there were 188 deaths involving either racing or training in California. [15], At a news conference on May 9, Baffert initially said that Medina Spirit was never administered betamethasone. Thats the only time I ever had to deal with somebody who tried to go to federal court to stop a state administrative action., Finally, in 2005, after the matter had returned to state court, the CHRB dismissed the suspension after an administrative law judge concluded Baffert had nothing to gain and a great deal to lose by the use of a banned substance on this horse., Baffert further solidified his influence in the ensuing years. Unlike a normal day at the races, Bafferts fate will not be decided by a photo-finish camera or the actions of a jockey aboard a 1,000-pound animal. A CHRB spokesman said the agency could not comment or make any employees available for an interview, citing the pending litigation. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. But they dont usually die in a cluster from a single barn for no clear reason. It wasn't long after the running of the 123rd Kentucky Derby, where a grey . Among them, according to interviews and records obtained by The Post: a push to have the veterinary official removed from office, supported by a trade group with Baffert among its directors. The rise and fall of Jorge Navarro, the alleged doping king of horse racing. Until this summer, Baffert was the longest-serving member on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, having been elected in 2007. Bob Baffert has moved his way up the ladder to the extent that he has the most influential, the wealthiest owners in the industry, that he takes on the highest-quality horses possible because he wins races. Baffert also trained the 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify and the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic. The bold statement appeared to put Baffert on the right side of history: By the end of the year, President Donald Trump had signed into law the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which promised to reform the sport. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. In the settlement, which records show did not include monetary damages, CHRB agreed to file a complaint against Justify. Baffert claims the defendants have "unlawfully deprived and will continue to deprive Baffert of his right to due process of law guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment and of his right to. Baffert's attorney argued in court that the trainer's May suspension by the New York Racing Assn. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. In the court of public opinion, hes a big loser, said Barry Irwin, owner of racing group Team Valor and an outspoken critic of race-day medication and Baffert. They had a son in 2004 whom they named "Bode" (/bodi/ BOH-dee), after skier Bode Miller. In the case of Bafferts recent horse deaths, the records list a typical blend of drugs that have been allowed under certain thresholds, most frequently the anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone (or bute to horsemen) and furosemide (also known as Lasix), which is said to decrease bleeding from a horses lungs. Baffert revisited the Derby the next year, sending two top colts, Real Quiet and Indian Charlie, to Louisville. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc . He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. We had some thoroughbreds with another trainer and Im thinking how can we make money with Bobby running for $4,000 at night when we could be running for $40,000 during the day, Pegram said. Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. Horse trainer Bob Baffert before the 2020 Breeders Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Trainer Bob Baffert pets an outriders horse while watching workouts at Churchill Downs in April. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Baffert said the horse was off the drug for 18 days before the race. The owners ultimately abandoned the plan after Bafferts horse, American Pharoah, won the Triple Crown that year, fearing their effort could damage the sport, one of those people said. "So now even our Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, is a junky," Trump's statement read. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Baffert wrote that reforming racing was not just necessary to the sports survival but the only moral path forward. No horse loving person like Bob or his entire team accepts the reality of a horse death with anything other than sadness and despair, the lawyers said in their statement. Theres one thing that I will say positive about Bob is that he is a horseman. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. (The trainer and jockey usually get 10 percent each.) Bafferts breakthrough thoroughbred was Thirty Slews, who won the Breeders Cup Sprint in 1992. The week after Justify won the Preakness, bringing him to the cusp of the Triple Crown, test results came back showing the plant they had tested was milkweed. I dont see somebody who is doping horses, Martin said after reviewing Bafferts drug-related history. In the 1980s, Baffert moved to California and worked at Los Alamitos Race Course, where he switched to training Thoroughbreds full-time in 1991. All of the explanations for the positive drug tests are plausible, but collectively they raise questions. [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. He has not been in alliance with us, said Hancock, mentioning Bafferts many positive tests and then listing top trainers who have had one or zero positives in their career. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks. Arthur is the CHRBs primary advisor on drug testing, according to state code; the role of determining penalties in individual cases falls to its stewards and commissioners. After Uncle Sam, a 4-year-old colt, died during a workout at the track the following January, a vet wrote: This is the 3rd for this owner/trainer in about as many months collapsed and died.. This included Baffert's home track at Santa Anita, although Baffert horse Shaaz won the sixth race on April 2. May 10, 2021. Baedeker said that before they made their recommendation to the board, they consulted with the states Office of the Attorney General, for which Petersen works, and received concurrence . A New York federal judge on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 nullified the suspension of horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky . Two months after Arthur cleared Baffert, the legislation to limit his term died. He also can be found at the Olympics, having just finished the Tokyo and Beijing double, marking his 11th Olympics. With private eyes and political muscle, horse racings elite pushed to punish dopers, Bob Baffert, long horse racings irreverent king, sits on a precarious throne, Bob Baffert, banned from racing horses in New York, sues states racing association. Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. Santa Anitas 16-day fall season begins Friday with 14 stakes races over three days as trainers and owners take aim at the Breeders Cup at Del Mar. Another person who came to Bafferts defense was his former assistant Tim Yakteen, who now runs his own stable. [33], In February 2022, Baffert was suspended 90 days and fined $7,500 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Both trainers were fined $500. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has successfully appealed his 15-day suspension to the Arkansas Racing Commission, allowing the six-time Kentucky Derby winner to resume preparations to run Medina . Trainer Bob Baffert celebrates after his horse, Authentic, won the Kentucky Derby in September 2020. [39] California's equine medical director found that Baffert's horses were routinely given Thyro-L, or thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, that could cause heart problems during exercise, but concluded the medication, which Baffert said he had been using routinely for the previous five years, did not cause the heart attacks. Great Read: Bob Baffert has come a long way in horse racing, Santa Anita opens Friday as prelude to Breeders Cup at Del Mar, Surging Crespi receives another strong performance from sophomore Diego Velazquez, High school baseball and softball: Fridays scores, With Marcus Morris sidelined, Clippers look to stabilize lineup and rotations, With their playoff lives at stake, Darvin Ham challenges Lakers effort and urgency. He started at The Times in 1980 and left in 1995 to be sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Co. sports coordinator in 2002. Theres 10,000 other trainers who understand the absolute insurer rule and dont seem to run afoul of it, Gagliano said, referring to the edict that any substances in the horse are the trainers responsibility. He was fined $1,500. Baffert made the. He still has a responsibility as the face of the game but I dont think hell overcome [this] because his personality wont allow him to do it.. [27][28] On July 14 the suspension was reversed by U. S. Federal District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon sitting in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. Between 1997 and 1999, he won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer three years running and was voted the 1997 Big Sport of Turfdom Award. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. In 2015, he trained American Pharoah, the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.. But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. Baffert, however, became the first trainer in history to win the Derby and Preakness in back-to-back years. April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. [8] As of 1January2022[update] the question of whether the horse would join Dancer's Image by being disqualified for a drug violation in the Derby remains pending. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension. American Pharoah next won the 140th Preakness Stakes, making six victories in that race for Baffert, who also finished fourth with Dortmund. It then changed the classification of scopolamine so that its detection in a horse would trigger only a fine and not disqualification and loss of the races purse. And Bafferts veterinarians were prescribing it at his request without conducting laboratory tests to see whether the horses needed the drug, according to Arthurs later report. The testing levels have become ridiculous, Baffert told a conference of racehorse veterinarians during his keynote speech in 2000, according to a trade publication. The positive test only emerged when the New York Times reported it more than a year later. By then, Arthur already had a years-long, tangled history with Baffert. He declined to answer further questions. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOC's political action committee, California records show. Finding a new director every two to four years would cost $300,000 each time, a committee that analyzed the bill found. Four months later, during a confidential executive session, Arthur and CHRB Director Rick Baedeker recommended that the commissioners not move forward with the disqualification of Justify, arguing that the scopolamine positive was probably the result of contamination from jimson weed. He has also won the Preakness Stakes five times and the Belmont Stakes once. The Judge made her ruling based on the NYRA having not allowed Baffert a forum to refute their claims and stated that (they the NYRA).."had held no hearing let alone a prompt one. My heart tells me one thing, but my head tells me something else, said veteran racing journalist Ron Flatter, the managing editor of the website Horse Racing Nation. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. At first it was believed the substance came from a pain-relief patch that Bafferts longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes was wearing because of back pain. In 1997 he won his first Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. When I won with [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify, it was a relief. He has won the Kentucky Oaks three times: first in 1999 with Silverbulletday, who was later selected for the Hall of Fame, then with Plum Pretty in 2011 and with Abel Tasman in 2017. "[10], However, over 30 horses Baffert trained have failed drug tests. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. The lawyer wrote there is evidence suggesting that this matter was handled differently.. Baffert has trained horses that won fifteen American Classic Races, fifteen Breeders' Cup races, four Dubai World Cups and the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. FILE - Trainer Bob Baffert walks out to the winner's circle after the Brooklyn Invitational Stakes horse race at Belmont Park, Saturday, June 9, 2018, in Elmont, N.Y. . But Bafferts critics say his conduct after penning the article calls into question his seriousness about reform. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. But a top veterinary official cleared Baffert, finding that the spate of deaths remains unexplained following a probe that demonstrated the hazards of going after Baffert. We went there with expectations not very high. He saddled Paynter in the Belmont Stakes later that year, but that colt, like his stablemate Bodemeister, finished second. Following the publication of the report, Baffert tweeted: Im gratified that CHRB completed its investigation & found there was no wrongdoing. In a scheme typical of the high-stakes warring behind the scenes in racing, four thoroughbred owners entered talks in 2015 with a private intelligence agency to dig up drug-related dirt on Baffert, according to multiple people with direct knowledge. Political Cartoons. Similarly, cases against two horses who tested positive in Arkansas in 2020 for lidocaine were dismissed as being the result of accidental transfer from an assistant trainer who was using the medication on himself. If you lose 75% of the time, youre considered really, really good. Hes Mr. Teflon.. [9] Point Given was nominated in 2009, but elected and inducted in 2010. But its a lot more difficult when going against a private company, such as Churchill Downs, which can invoke its own penalties. In a hearing in October, the state and attorneys for Baffert and the horses owners stipulated the scopolamine positive was the result of contamination and it would have no performance-enhancing effects. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. The month after Gray introduced his legislation, Bafferts seventh sudden death made the deaths at Hollywood Park a national news story. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOCs political action committee, California records show. By Marty Irby. That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. Former Democratic congressman Dennis Cardoza, also on the board, was co-owner with Pegram of Shakin It Up, a successful thoroughbred trained by Baffert. Baffert wants a preliminary injunction that would keep Churchill Downs from denying his horses entry into races there and at Turfway Park, in Florence, Ky., and from "prohibiting him from earning. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. Baffert was suspended by the NYRA on May 17 -- a big deal as it barred the legendary horse trainer from entering into the prestigious June 5 Belmont Stakes race. Its all right there in black and white; thats all I can say., ARCI President Ed Martin said the rules limiting race-day medications have been tightened not out of concern for performance enhancement but to prevent breakdowns. Baffert has had more than 30 drug violations in his 44-year career, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Baffert was inducted into Lone Star Park's Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2009, he was nominated and inducted to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame, the same year as a filly he trained, Silverbulletday. The trainer was fined $2,500. When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. His primary attorney is Craig Robertson, who represents him in all regulatory matters, but he has recused himself from any action against Churchill Downs because his law firm does business with the company, creating a conflict of interest. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Gray's . If they didnt adopt those rules, the rules that prevail are the ones they adopted.. Citrus Feed Companys Larry Bell has long supplied Baffert with feed and has previously testified in Bafferts defense, according to CHRB records. It basically said something under his control is associated with these fatalities, Arthur said, but regulators couldnt act without evidence of a rules violation. Has his success made people hate him more? Baedeker this week acknowledged that they handled the process more slowly than usual. Arthur called Bafferts blanket use of thyroxine troublesome and said at the meeting, I havent found an example of a barn that uses it in all their horses like Baffert does. Yet he determined that the drug wasnt to blame for the deaths. View . Teflon."[11]. He's a cheat and an asshole, and I hope Medina Spirit gets taken down and his connections are denied the $1.8 million first-place check. A court, the states lawyer wrote, could find that the CHRB abused its discretion and acted in a manner that was arbitrary, capricious, or entirely lacking in evidentiary support.. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. Its so obvious. Bob Baffert has taken up more of my time than I ever should have had to deal with, Arthur said, before again coming to the defense of Bafferts treatment of his horses: He certainly puts the pedal to the metal, but he doesnt close his eyes. Last October Gamine was disqualified from third to last in the Kentucky Oaks after betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory, was discovered in the horses system. "[29][30] On September 10, 2021 Baffert was charged by NYRA for conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) A federal judge denied Bob Baffert's request to lift his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., ruling Friday that the Hall of Fame trainer did not prove its. When asked about that plan, attorney Brewster said that in fact 5 Stones did investigate Baffert at the direction of the Jockey Club. Baffert dedicated American Pharoah's win to Bobby. Less than two weeks later, Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby. Racing does not have a historical database for violations, with most of the information kept on the state level. At one point, the regulators effort included searching for exonerating evidence in a literal haystack. Attorneys for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert argued in a Kentucky court Thursday that a 90-day suspension imposed by the state's racing commission would essentially end his career. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. In 2021, the post-race test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit showed 21pg/mL of betamethasone. By then, Justify had won the Triple Crown, one of the rarest achievements in sports. Baffert was fined $10,000. What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. A week after that, Baffert learned of the positive test. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. The colt skipped the Belmont Stakes but became the champion three-year-old colt that year.