Trainer Bob Baffert stands outside his barn at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Medina . 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. And the Breeders Cup, which will be held Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar, has indicated it will soon make a decision on Bafferts eligibility to run in those championship races. Its more the friendship that I miss. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. The winner's share of the $600 purse was $330. Drop dead while galloping, read a California Horse Racing Board vets account of the first horses death in November 2011.
Judge Denies Baffert Request to Reverse Churchill Downs Ban When Did threshold change and what were they before?, No amount of betamethasone is permitted in Kentucky races now, Borden wrote. After Baffert was notified a week following this years Kentucky Derby that the colts blood and urine sample contained 21 picograms, a trillionth of a gram, of betamethasone, he held a hastily called news conference outside his barn at Churchill Downs saying he had no idea how it could have gotten into the horses system.
Officials worked to clear Bob Baffert's Justify after Triple Crown run 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. Baffert grew up on a cattle and chicken farm in Nogales, Ariz., near the Mexico border. Horse owner and racing reform advocate Barry Irwin has stated, "He's Mr. Gray said at the time that the bill also would increase the institutional knowledge of Californias central horse drug-testing lab. Baffert has trained horses that won fifteen American Classic Races, fifteen Breeders' Cup races, four Dubai World Cups and the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. Federal prosecutors had just indicted more than two dozen trainers, veterinarians and others on charges related to doping horses, a seismic event in a sport already reeling from a well-publicized spate of horse deaths and perpetually dwindling revenue. Nine died in 2000, all but one from breakdowns. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. The cluster of sudden deaths remains unexplained and there was no evidence whatsoever CHRB rules or regulations have been violated or any illicit activity played a part in the deaths, Arthurs report concluded. We have a real conundrum to sort out, Arthur wrote in an email to top CHRB officials, explaining he believed a disqualification would be terribly unfair. More than a year earlier, the Association of Racing Commissioners International, which creates model rules for the sports various state bodies, had reclassified scopolamine from a 3/B to a 4/C drug. In 1997, he trained Silver Charm to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finishing second in the Belmont. Justify tested positive for scopolamine, an anti-nausea medication said to have potential performance-enhancing effects in horses, after winning the Santa Anita Derby in April 2018. 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. 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. Shortly after Petersen sent the analysis of the states chances, the CHRB agreed to settle Ruiss lawsuit. And Madeline Auerbach, who later became a CHRB commissioner, had partnered with Baffert in thoroughbred breeding. 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. [38] This reminded the public that since 2000, at least 74 other horses had died while in Baffert's stables. The Post reported this month that Arthur had previously studied a spate of sudden horse deaths in Bafferts barn. 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. It was then that Baffert, one of the most accessible trainers in horse racing, stopped talking until this week. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. 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. In 2000, for instance, another of his horses, Nautical Look, tested positive for morphine, landing Baffert a two-month suspension.
EXPLAINER: Why Is Bob Baffert Not in the Kentucky Derby? Less than two weeks later, Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby. Baffert has had two fatalities in the last three years, a low number for a barn of his size. 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. Like Baffert, Hollendorfer is in the thoroughbred Hall of Fame. Biography Bob Baffert is best known as a horse rider. That investigation led to the indictments that Baffert said spurred him to embrace more oversight, so the cheaters would be quickly caught and punished.. Once the golden boy of horse racing, Bob Baffert now the face of its disgrace. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. He also won the race in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 when run as a Grade I event.
Bob Baffert - Wikipedia The first two infractions occurred in May 2020, when the horses Charlatan and Gamine tested positive in Arkansas for lidocaine, a numbing agent. Yeah, but thats what drives him. 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. Political Cartoons. Its not often that a sport turns against its biggest star, but Churchill Downs has taken that stand.
Trump: Kentucky Derby Controversy 'Emblematic of What Is - Newsmax Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. 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. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. 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. The rise and fall of Jorge Navarro, the alleged doping king of horse racing. Usually, regulatory agencies do not have the guts to do whats fair and right, Arthur testified during a CHRB hearing in October, and this board made that decision appropriately., He conceded that the lack of transparency was unusual. 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. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Testimonies have begun in the case of horse trainer Bob Baffert against Churchill Downs.
Sports team owners make huge political donations. Where does their Bob Baffert has supporters and detractors in how he deals with jockeys By John Cherwa Special Contributor Nov. 2, 2016 4:28 PM PT Bob Baffert, still fresh and snappy after hours of morning. 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. 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.
Bob Baffert Sues New York Racing Association, You've Got No Basis To Were going to get through it.. But they dont usually die in a cluster from a single barn for no clear reason. The 5-year-old mare was the seventh seemingly healthy horse from that barn to drop dead in 16 months. A complaint is filed in every case where the split sample confirms the original laboratory finding, read an advisory on the CHRB website. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. Earlier data was unreliable, the racing publication said. Baffert parlayed a hobby as a 5-foot-9 jockey into a job as a quarter-horse conditioner into a career as a thoroughbred trainer before jumping onto the highest pedestal of horse racing and becoming the most recognizable name in the sport.
Hearing Officer Recommends 2-Year NYRA Ban for Bob Baffert Rick Arthur, Californias medical equine director, who the documents show played a central role in the scuttling of the Justify matter, said the only part of the CHRBs handling of the case that disappointed him was the secrecy. 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. LOS ANGELES In 2018, as star trainer Bob Baffert led his thoroughbred Justify to the Triple Crown, California regulators embarked on a secret effort to exonerate Baffert after the horses positive test for a banned substance, according to confidential records obtained by The Washington Post that fully detail the saga for the first time.
Churchill Downs Draws a Hard Line With Bob Baffert The CHRB officially opened an investigation.
Medina Spirit: Bob Baffert again playing victim in drug controversy What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. Share on Facebook TWEET This At the time, she was 42-years-old. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. The Jockey Club has a database of thoroughbred breakdowns meaning deaths stemming from track injuries but said it is barred from sharing its data because of its contracts with racetracks.
EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby? - Spectrum News 1 Its just disheartening. 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. In the past three years, there were 188 deaths involving either racing or training in California. Some of the horses that have died have been my horses, and on each and every instance, I have spoken to Bob and Ive been more than satisfied with the explanation, Shah said. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. Kentucky regulators taped calls without consent with Baffert after Medina Spirit test. I think much of the GOP political party is moving too far to the right. Finding a new director every two to four years would cost $300,000 each time, a committee that analyzed the bill found. 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. In 2015, the Daily Herald ran a profile on Jill Baffert, explaining that she was a former journalist and waitress from Centerville. 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. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. followed up and ruled Baffert would not be allowed to run in New York. American Pharoah next won the 140th Preakness Stakes, making six victories in that race for Baffert, who also finished fourth with Dortmund. 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. My focus will always be on the best care for my horses. Shah, the owner of at least three of the horses, told The Post he had fully trusted Baffert as a trainer and had no reason to suspect that he would harm the horses he loves the horses. Brewster, the attorney, said that Baffert believed the horses had ingested rat poison, traces of which were found in one of them. He has won the Kentucky Derby five times.
Bob Baffert's Life Is Good gallops to win in San Felipe Stakes at Santa Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. 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.
The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign - Washington Post He tried his hand at substitute teaching before he started training horses full time. After the Times broke the news of the positive drug test, Ruis sued the CHRB in January 2020. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. Decorated racehorse trainer who won multiple Kentucky Derbies, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. Has his success made people hate him more? 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. Former client Kaleem Shah said, "He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. 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. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. 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 . The colt skipped the Belmont Stakes but became the champion three-year-old colt that year. 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. But hes a good person, no, a great person. Nothing is held back.. 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. May 10, 2021. John Cherwa is a special contributor to the Los Angeles Times. [43] At the post-Belmont press conference, Baffert announced he and his wife would be making donations of $50,000 each to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), and Old Friends Equine, all programs for retired race horses; and to the Permanently Disabled Jockey's Fund in memory of a Quarter Horse Jockey named Robert Z. It sounds like hes deflecting, Gagliano said of Baffert. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks.
"[16][17] Nonetheless, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of an investigation. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. Ruis horse, Bolt dOro, finished second. This included Baffert's home track at Santa Anita, although Baffert horse Shaaz won the sixth race on April 2. All of the explanations for the positive drug tests are plausible, but collectively they raise questions. This article was published more than1 year ago. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out.