The hearing for a preliminary injunction began in federal court on Thursday afternoon, continuing a nearly two-year-long legal battle between Baffert and the racetrack following his suspension back in 2021. A three-member hearing panel has made the decision to suspend Hall of Fame horse trainer Bob Baffert for one year, effective immediately, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday. In a written decision, the stewards stated the CHRB has already ruled on this matter in its August 2018 closed hearing and had followed the law., However, the stewards suggested they would not have made the same decision as the CHRB: It is the Stewards opinion that had this Board of Stewards heard the Justify and Hoppertunity complaints prior to August 23, 2018 both horses would have been disqualified., Ruiss lawyers have since argued in court for the settlement to be rescinded because the stewards refused to make a decision on the merits., I remain convinced that justice has not yet been served, Vienna told The Post, and that hopefully the courts will resolve the matter., The rise and fall of Jorge Navarro, the alleged doping king of horse racing. Medina Spirit had a legal medication in him, ONeill said. While he allowed that the case was handled differently because of the Triple Crown ramifications, the special treatment had nothing to do with the horses trainer. 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. The goal, the people familiar said, was to get Baffert to support languishing reforms in the sport. [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. 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. His attorney, let me just say, worked very, very hard, recalled former California Deputy Attorney General Jerald L. Mosley, who represented the state in attempting to uphold the suspension. It went exactly according to the lawyers plan. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. He also dismissed complaints that doping was rampant in the sport. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. 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. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended from the home of the Kentucky Derby for two years after Medina Spirit's positive post-race drug was confirmed, the company that runs the. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. 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. 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. Brodnik presented the board with a two-page memo stating an extensive investigation was conducted and the evidence proves that this was an environmental contamination incident. Baedeker and Arthur recommended the pending matters against Baffert be dismissed, according to the states legal analysis. For every Baffert defender, you can find someone on the other side. "[10], However, over 30 horses Baffert trained have failed drug tests. CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. It was then that Baffert, one of the most accessible trainers in horse racing, stopped talking until this week. Baffert was fined $10,000. 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. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. Board member Michael E. Pegram had for decades hired Baffert to train his top horses, including the winner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby, Real Quiet. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. His graded stakes wins include nine wins in the Santa Anita Derby, nine in the Haskell Invitational Handicap, and fourteen in the Del Mar Futurity, a race he won seven straight times from 1996 to 2002, when it was a Grade II event. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. Bob is trying to put 2020 behind him and move forward in a positive manner, Robertson wrote in an e-mail to Borden. We live and work in a fishbowl, with rumors and accusations flowing constantly, Baffert said. Hes Mr. Teflon.. The Post reported this month that Arthur had previously studied a spate of sudden horse deaths in Bafferts barn. 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. This time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. But even in those cases, which were handled according to established rules, the horses were disqualified and their winning purses were forfeited. But its a lot more difficult when going against a private company, such as Churchill Downs, which can invoke its own penalties. [citation needed], According to his supporters, Baffert's style and personality, combined with his success, have made him a target for controversy. Were going to get through it.. This America's different." pic . 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 . In 1997 he won his first Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. The ARCI rules are recommendations, the associations president, Ed Martin, said in an interview. The California Horse Racing Board cleared Baffert of any wrongdoing, but with reservation, calling such a cluster of deaths a less than 1-in-1,000 occurrence. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. 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]. (At least one death of a Baffert horse identified by The Post was not included in the agencys data.) [38] This reminded the public that since 2000, at least 74 other horses had died while in Baffert's stables. He married his second wife, Jill, a former television reporter based in Louisville, in 2002. Baffert did not have another medication violation for eight years. Both trainers were fined $500. Obviously if we can get the Kentucky case resolved, Arkansas will have the benefit of knowing that result before a final decision is made in that case. The lawyers said that taking into account Bafferts estimate of how many horses he has in his care, a count that differs from the starts data, the number of deaths of horses in Bobs barn is consistent with what would normally be expected from the horse population in general. Starts are regularly used, including by the CHRB, to study the death rates of a trainer. Medina Spirit died after a training session on 6 December 2021 and an ensuing necropsy on 11 February 2022 was inconclusive. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. He also can be found at the Olympics, having just finished the Tokyo and Beijing double, marking his 11th Olympics. The veterinarian chalked up Bafferts response to ignorance. In correspondence with the agencys lawyer, Baedeker wrote that because our staff failed to act in a timely manner, the horses, trainer, owner and others could be harmed unjustly if they didnt use the more lenient classification. 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. By Marty Irby. It subsequently said any horses running for a suspended trainer (Baffert) would not be eligible for Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points. Baffert sued in federal court, claiming the two months off could cost him $11 million in purses. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. Yes, I'm a registered Republican, although I've voted for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. 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. Baffert was granted a stay until April 4 to gain time for an appeal. His last day as medical equine director is Wednesday. 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.. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. [2][4], Baffert established his early reputation with less expensive horses like Silver Charm and Real Quiet, bought for $16,500 and $17,000 respectively. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? I dont see somebody who is doping horses, Martin said after reviewing Bafferts drug-related history. ), Among the TOCs central crusades was countering the movement against Lasix. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. By then, Justify had won the Triple Crown, one of the rarest achievements in sports. Baffert is America's pre-eminent active trainer. Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. The CHRB provided The Post with death data dating back to late 1990 showing that at least 87 of Bafferts horses have died in California since then. When I won with [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify, it was a relief. Once the golden boy of horse racing, Bob Baffert now the face of its disgrace. followed up and ruled Baffert would not be allowed to run in New York. This in turn led to a ban from all California Horse Racing Board facilities beginning April 4 due to a rule removing any trainer under a 60 day or higher ban from all CHRB facilities. Arthur B. Hancock III, a prominent thoroughbred owner, has for three decades been a leading proponent for eradicating drugs from the sport. Please answer some questions in this short survey about professional soccer and the 2022 Men's FIFA World Cup. Earlier data was unreliable, the racing publication said. Bob survived a heart attack in late March 2012 while in Dubai for a world-class race at Meydan. According to data provided by the California Horse Racing Board and supplemented by The Times research, the trainer has had 75 horses die since 2000 either racing, training, or by illness or non-exercise accidents. It will all be settled by lawyers and judges and that takes time. Ive heard the rumors on Bobby since we got in the business after winning some Cal Cup races. Rick Baedeker, who was executive director of the CHRB before retiring last year, said the boards decisions were carefully considered to avoid treating Baffert differently than any other trainer. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. 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 article was published more than1 year ago, LOS ANGELES In March 2020, horse racings most recognizable figure, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, declared that his sport was in crisis.. 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. 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. Baffert, however, became the first trainer in history to win the Derby and Preakness in back-to-back years. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. Baffert has been married twice and has five children: four with his first wife, Sherry: Taylor, Canyon, Forest, and Savannah. According to Arthurs report, he found that Baffert was dispensing Thyro-L, or thyroxine, a prescription thyroid hormone, to all horses in his care. 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. His white hair, tinted glasses and accessibility make him a natural to promote the sport. Horse-racing deaths, like much of the sport, are shrouded by a disjointed bureaucracy. 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.. What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. During a hearing, records show, Baffert argued the positive test could have been a result of his stable hands eating poppy seed bagels and muffins around the horse. 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. Every investigation over the past 20 years has reached the same conclusion: no rules or regulations have been violated nor has there been any improper activity on Bobs part., Brewster also said that the vast majority of Bafferts drug-related violations, as tracked by ARCI, shouldnt be counted because they were too old or related to overages of otherwise-allowed drugs in a horse, which he dismissed as like coming to work with too much Advil in your system., Robertson said in an e-mail that [n]o one has done more for horse racing and is better for the sport than Bob Baffert, and he listed various awards the trainer has received, including being inducted into four separate Hall of Fames.