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. Baffert faces unprecedented scrutiny after a positive drug test marred a win by his horse Medina Spirit at this years Kentucky Derby. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. Bob Baffert Suspended 15 Days for Drug Positives Theres one thing that I will say positive about Bob is that he is a horseman. Trump: Kentucky Derby Controversy 'Emblematic of What Is - Newsmax American Pharoah next won the 140th Preakness Stakes, making six victories in that race for Baffert, who also finished fourth with Dortmund. Attorneys argue 90-day suspension would end Bob Baffert's racing career The goal, the people familiar said, was to get Baffert to support languishing reforms in the sport. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby? - Spectrum News 1 The Kentucky Derby winner is staying ahead of . When The Post shared the data on 72 of the horse deaths with Brewster, he and Bafferts lawyer, W. Craig Robertson III, said that one of the horses listed was never in Bafferts care, though it is marked as his horse in CHRB records, and that another was a stable pony not being raced. 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. According to Arthurs report, he found that Baffert was dispensing Thyro-L, or thyroxine, a prescription thyroid hormone, to all horses in his care. Kaleem Shah, an owner who split with Baffert in 2016, defended the trainer over the horse deaths. It didnt take Baffert long to dominate Rillito Park and Prescott Downs in Arizona. When I won with [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify, it was a relief. Bob Baffert: Hall of Fame trainer suspended from participating in - CNN 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. 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. In 1997, he trained Silver Charm to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finishing second in the Belmont. 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. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? 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 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. In the past three years, there were 188 deaths involving either racing or training in California. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. Regulators taped calls without consent with Baffert - Los Angeles Times From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. But Arthurs report said Hollywood Park used a different sort of poison than that found in the necropsy. Either way, the state-appointed official probing Bafferts role in the deaths at Hollywood Park did so as his job was being threatened by the efforts of a Baffert-affiliated coalition. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. 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. In 2015, he trained American Pharoah, the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.. There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. A A Former President Donald Trump released a statement Sunday about the disputed winner of the Kentucky Derby, saying the controversy reflects the current state of the country. [35], The most notable cases prior to Medina Spirit's test was the disqualification of Gamine after a third place finish in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks, also for betamethasone,[36] and Triple Crown winner Justify, who tested positive for scopolamine after winning the 2018 Santa Anita Derby, but the results did not become public until after the horse won the Triple Crown. By then, Arthur already had a years-long, tangled history with Baffert. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. Petersen noted that in a previous case the board had exonerated the trainers of three horses who had tested positive for scopolamine, finding the flunked tests were a result of Jimson weed. [21][22] Sports Illustrated suggested that the positive drug test was a sign that Baffert's "leaking credibility" had reached "the saturation point. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. Other trainers seem to navigate just fine.. This article was published more than1 year ago. Baffert made the. 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. Arthur also presented exercise histories for the horses that showed they worked harder than average. Baffert, a La Caada Flintridge resident who is currently training his horses at Santa Anita, has not officially been charged with anything related to Medina Spirit. Shah said the two parted over disagreements that should have been resolved, without being specific. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. Bob Baffert suspended from home of Kentucky Derby after Medina - CNN Even then, he would not talk about the specifics of the cases against him. [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. [2], Baffert graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program with a Bachelor of Science degree,[3] got married, and began training quarter horses at a Prescott, Arizona farm. The Post reported this month that Arthur had previously studied a spate of sudden horse deaths in Bafferts barn. Early life and career [ edit] In an email Monday, Bafferts attorney, W. Craig Robertson III, referred to the CHRBs initial decision to dismiss the test and a hearing last year in which officials ruled they had no authority to overturn that decision. Anybody who walks with that swagger, people are going to love him or hate him, Pegram said. It wasnt long before Baffert was making pocket change riding the horses in match races. Hearing Officer Recommends 2-Year NYRA Ban for Bob Baffert Bob Baffert Family, Net Worth, Parents, Wife, Sons, Education And And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. 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 horse's. Between November 2011 and March 2013, however, Baffert had seven of his horses die of sudden death, not on the race track. His white hair, tinted glasses and accessibility make him a natural to promote the sport. Medina Spirit died after a training session on 6 December 2021 and an ensuing necropsy on 11 February 2022 was inconclusive. Once again, the Hall of Fame. CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. The New York Racing Assn. Trainer Bob Baffert has heart attack in Dubai - CBS News In winning the 141st Kentucky Derby, bringing his total number of victories in the race to four; Baffert also ran the third-place finisher, the previously undefeated colt Dortmund. Bob Baffert: Judge denies his request to lift two-year Churchill Downs The testing levels have become ridiculous, Baffert told a conference of racehorse veterinarians during his keynote speech in 2000, according to a trade publication. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. But the scuttled test result remained secret until the New York Times reported it in 2019. Cherwa also contributes general interest stories from Florida. 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. Its just disheartening. "What a way to come back," said Baffert, whose punishment by the Kentucky Horse . Racing lacks a central clearinghouse for data on deaths nationally, and regulators in many states do not track deaths by trainer. 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 . followed up and ruled Baffert would not be allowed to run in New York. California keeps track of horse deaths by trainer, but there are errors and limits to the data. The CHRB had not adopted that recommendation. It sounds like hes deflecting, Gagliano said of Baffert. 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. "[29][30] On September 10, 2021 Baffert was charged by NYRA for conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing. The Post separately obtained start data dating back to 2000 from the Daily Racing Form to put the deaths into context. 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. Why would people want to be betting on horses when there are allegations and there are real positives and hes getting off on technicalities.. In fact, Bafferts horses, at 8.3 deaths per 1,000 starts, have died at a significantly higher rate than Hollendorfers, at 6.25. [19][20] On May 11, Baffert stated Medina Spirit had dermatitis, for which an ointment containing betamethasone was used. A CHRB investigator, searching for Jimson weed, had found a leafy substance at Santa Anita Park, the records show, and following the Derby, Arthur and the CHRBs lawyer agreed to have it tested. Bob Baffert Family, Parents [42][44] A friend of Baffert's and an inductee into the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame, Adair died on Preakness Day, May 16, 2015, at 71. It was an easy suspension to serve as Baffert was in school and not doing much training. Finding a new director every two to four years would cost $300,000 each time, a committee that analyzed the bill found. When the CHRB also decided to run DNA tests on the horses blood samples, the records show Arthur said the request would be a big deal and asked if they could wait until after the Preakness, which was 10 days away. April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. With Time Running Out In Legal Wars, Bob Baffert Says Four Of His But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. It wasn't long after the running of the 123rd Kentucky Derby, where a grey . [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. Trainer Bob Baffert celebrates after his horse, Authentic, won the Kentucky Derby in September 2020. The longest his suspension from Kentucky would be is 30 days, which would be honored by all racing jurisdictions. Share on Facebook TWEET This Instead of promptly filing a public complaint against Baffert, the CHRB kept the positive result secret while Arthur conducted a lengthy investigation. Baffert often speaks of his life as if its a Shakespearean play, humankinds tragedies mingling with his own existential crises. 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 they show is contamination, and they have really put the trainers heads on the chopping blocks. Bafferts lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. Trainer Bob Baffert stands outside his barn at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Medina . Most were for excessive use of phenylbutazone, a commonly used anti-inflammatory known as bute. He tried his hand at substitute teaching before he started training horses full time. In 1997 he won his first Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. 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. Baffert, however, wouldnt change the outcome. In the settlement, which records show did not include monetary damages, CHRB agreed to file a complaint against Justify. The scheme involved digging up drug-related dirt on Baffert and then telling him that the evidence could disappear tomorrow if he were to endorse the federal reforms of the sport, one of the people said. [18] Baffert responded by saying the situation "was like a cancel culture kind of a thing," a remark which earned him noticeable criticism from the press. Judge Denies Baffert Request to Reverse Churchill Downs Ban He rejoined The Times in 2009 and left his post as deputy sports editor late in 2017. . To the newspaper, she. Baffert grew up on a cattle and chicken farm in Nogales, Ariz., near the Mexico border. If it surprised me it would be that I expected more, Roberts said. 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. But Bafferts critics say his conduct after penning the article calls into question his seriousness about reform. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. Once the golden boy of horse racing, Bob Baffert now the face of its disgrace. Hes good.. Currently, his major coverage area is horse racing, where he can be found at big races at Santa Anita, the Triple Crown series and Breeders Cup. 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. Hal Earnhardt, an Arizona car dealer and Bafferts oldest client, introduced him to Pegram, who made his money in fast-food franchising. 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. Hearings begin for Bob Baffert's case against Churchill Downs ban Baffert, like many trainers, was using a thyroid drug that was cited in the CHRB investigation. 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. Its more the friendship that I miss. After Arthur cleared Baffert of wrongdoing, the legislation was abandoned. He was fined $1,500. This included Baffert's home track at Santa Anita, although Baffert horse Shaaz won the sixth race on April 2. (A CHRB spokesman declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Baffert told investigators he used the drug for about five years to build up his horses, which Arthur noted was unusual because it was typically used to slim them down. The month after Gray introduced his legislation, Bafferts seventh sudden death made the deaths at Hollywood Park a national news story. 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. 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. "We live in a different world now. The deadliest period came between 2000 and 2005, when 34 of Bafferts horses in California died. 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. Baffert revisited the Derby the next year, sending two top colts, Real Quiet and Indian Charlie, to Louisville. 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. But until now, those violations, some of which Baffert has succeeded in getting overturned or reduced, have resulted in roughly $20,000 in fines against $321 million in career earnings. 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 . This horse was going to run at the Triple Crown, Arthur said. Real Quiet won the race that year, and Baffert also finished third with Indian Charlie. 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. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. But by August, the plan had changed. It bothers me when hes not considered the Kentucky Derby winner.. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. Baffert's horses have won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks. I felt that we wouldve been dumping this in their lap, that we wouldve been putting them in an unfair position, and that we needed to go ahead and do the difficult thing, quite frankly, which is take responsibility for the decision, Baedeker said. At one point, the regulators effort included searching for exonerating evidence in a literal haystack. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. In more than four decades in the sport, Baffert has faced significant regulatory scrutiny because of a high death rate only once, after seven of his horses collapsed in a short period of time at the same California track. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. The 74 total deaths since 2000 put Baffert third among trainers. The veterinarian chalked up Bafferts response to ignorance. In his claustrophobic and cluttered office at Santa Anita Barn 5, Bob Baffert, the hall of fame trainer, was pushing papers and moving stacks, hunting for a faded photo of his 17-year-old self aboard a long-forgotten quarter horse from a small racing circuit in Arizona. Robertson blamed the frequency of Bafferts drug-related violations on how often his horses are tested after winning races and said, Horse racings regulations need to catch up with the sensitivity of modern day testing., Jockey Club President James L. Gagliano dismissed that frequent complaint from Baffert. He declined to answer further questions. None of them are considered performance-enhancing in the traditional sense, such as amphetamines or speedballs. 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. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. Citrus Feed Companys Larry Bell has long supplied Baffert with feed and has previously testified in Bafferts defense, according to CHRB records. It seems the biggest problem trainer Bob Baffert had during the running of the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday was keeping his face covering over his nose. The majority of the deaths in Bafferts care are attributed to breakdowns, though others have died suddenly without explanation and some of the horses suffered illness including his most recent death, Noodles, in May where pneumonia was the suspected cause. Without that win, Justify would not have qualified to run in the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, a month later. Bob Baffert wakes up most every day with one thing in mind, winning another Kentucky Derby. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. [14] It was Baffert's fifth violation in 13 months. Hospital food is a punchline. The first two infractions occurred in May 2020, when the horses Charlatan and Gamine tested positive in Arkansas for lidocaine, a numbing agent. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. [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.