It was then that Baffert, one of the most accessible trainers in horse racing, stopped talking until this week. But Baffert and his lawyers had since established a reputation for pugnaciousness when regulators attempted to discipline him. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. 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. By Marty Irby. Two months after Arthur cleared Baffert, the legislation to limit his term died. He's saddled. But the overall record indicates that he may not be running as tight a ship as he should.. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. [31][32] Additional charges were added on January 3, 2022. Bob Baffert says Derby horse Medina Spirit was 'cancelled.' Here's what If they didnt adopt those rules, the rules that prevail are the ones they adopted.. EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby? - Spectrum News 1 But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. In 2007, he joined the 15-member board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), a nonprofit that represents the roughly 9,000 CHRB-licensed owners in the state. Baffert's disgrace could help turn racing to better future | Lexington Justify faced disqualification from his victory in the Santa Anita Derby that would cost his owners a partnership of wealthy interests their share of the $600,000 first-place purse. I went under the radar. 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.. [24], On May 17, 2021, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) banned Baffert from entering Medina Spirit or any of his other horses in the 2021 Belmont Stakes or any other race at Belmont Park. 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. Gray said at the time that the bill also would increase the institutional knowledge of Californias central horse drug-testing lab. The colt lost the Belmont Stakes after breaking poorly from the starting gate. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. [38] This reminded the public that since 2000, at least 74 other horses had died while in Baffert's stables. In a recent interview, Arthur described his findings as damning for Baffert, in particular analysis in his report showing that, over a six-year period, Bafferts horses were nine times more likely to die of sudden death than the average trainers. Those who have known Baffert the longest, including a core group of owners, recognize his flaws but generally remain steadfast in their support of him. In fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said. Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. There were at least 39 trainers with more fatalities to their name than Baffert during that period. He followed it with six more Derbies, two of which launched Triple Crown runs, with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Arkansas racing officials vote not to suspend Bob Baffert - ESPN.com He married his second wife, Jill, a former television reporter based in Louisville, in 2002. Hes a very unique personality, a unique sense of humor. By age 20, he had developed a reputation as a trainer and was hired by other trainers to run their stables. The Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Trainer in 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2015, Baffert has won 18 Breeders' Cup races, including four editions of the Classic with . Baffert did not win another classic race until 2001, when he won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes with eventual Hall of Fame member Point Given. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. Trump: Kentucky Derby Controversy 'Emblematic of What Is - Newsmax Baffert has trained horses that won fifteen American Classic Races, fifteen Breeders' Cup races, four Dubai World Cups and the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. Medina Spirit departed Churchill Downs in a van before dawn on Monday, bound for Baltimore (a horse van, not Jeff Spicoli's VW bus ). The way this case was handled was out of respect for Justify., On the afternoon of April 18, 2018, Arthur learned that Justify and another Baffert horse, Hoppertunity, had tested positive for scopolamine. Bob had the personality and he was honest. When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. His last day as medical equine director is Wednesday. Baffert was recently suspended for 90 days by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, California Horse Racing Board, and the New York State Gaming Commission for drug violations in the 2021 Kentucky . That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. 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. But after learning that Justify and another Baffert horse had tested positive for the same drug, Arthur announced in an e-mail to CHRB officials: The scopolamine cases will be handled differently than usual. Arthur said in a recent interview that he was referring to the logistics of what was clearly going to be a high-profile case that needed to be handled carefully.. Its just disheartening. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. But Californias adoption of ARCI guidelines is not a given. A complaint is filed in every case where the split sample confirms the original laboratory finding, read an advisory on the CHRB website. Bob Baffert blamed "cancel culture" after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. Its not often that a sport turns against its biggest star, but Churchill Downs has taken that stand. "We live in a different world now. On at least 14 occasions, Baffert has been caught racing a horse with more than the allowable amount of bute in its system, according to a review of ARCI data, making it his most common offense. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. He also dismissed complaints that doping was rampant in the sport. It was obvious long before Miners Daughter collapsed in a blood-tinged froth in March 2013 that there was something amiss in Barn 61 at Hollywood Park, the Los Angeles-area racetrack. It didnt take Baffert long to dominate Rillito Park and Prescott Downs in Arizona. The owner was Kaleem Shah. California keeps track of horse deaths by trainer, but there are errors and limits to the data. 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. 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. Bafferts record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby, said Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of Churchill Downs Inc. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. 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 claimed that the horse death data provided by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) was not possible.. Finding a new director every two to four years would cost $300,000 each time, a committee that analyzed the bill found. Bob Baffert blamed "cancel culture" after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. The lawyer wrote there is evidence suggesting that this matter was handled differently.. In February, Kentucky racing officials decided against suspending Baffert, with Borden telling the Louisville Courier-Journal a lesser punishment was all in the course of being fair. And in April, Arkansas officials reversed the 15-day suspension for lidocaine positives that the trainer blamed on an assistants pain patch. 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. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. We might have gone to the board sooner, but obviously because of the high-profile nature of this thing we were making sure we had everything buttoned up, he said. Baffert made the. We live and work in a fishbowl, with rumors and accusations flowing constantly, Baffert said. Its all because of his success.. "[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. Arthur indicated in his report that thyroxine was suspected to cause heart problems for horses during exercise, and at least four of the sudden deaths involved confirmed or suspected cardiac failure. 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. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension. The positive test only emerged when the New York Times reported it more than a year later. On June 2, with the Belmont Stakes a week away, the owner of a feed operation showed up at the CHRB office carrying plant samples he said he found more than a month earlier, the records show. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. All of the explanations for the positive drug tests are plausible, but collectively they raise questions. Thats much higher than the Jockey Clubs widely cited national rates, which never exceed two deaths per 1,000 starts. Following the 2015 Belmont win, Baffert outlined several charities that he and his wife Jill supported. 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.