To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. [8] His first suspension was in 1977 for misuse of morphene, but thereafter he had no violations for the next eight years. 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. 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. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. It sounds like hes deflecting, Gagliano said of Baffert. 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. If the complaint was ruled on quickly enough, it would have made Justify ineligible for the Kentucky Derby. The colt went on to win the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his third shot at winning the Triple Crown. 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. Bob Baffert suspended from home of Kentucky Derby after Medina - CNN He claimed the boards cover up cost him damages including the $400,000 difference between the first-place and second-place purses in the Santa Anita Derby. This America's different." pic . He's saddled. 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. 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. 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. 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. It bothers me when hes not considered the Kentucky Derby winner.. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. It basically said something under his control is associated with these fatalities, Arthur said, but regulators couldnt act without evidence of a rules violation. He makes it clear that he believes in same-day medication and he believes in his whips, said Roberts, who has long pushed to remove whipping horses from racing. He won the aforementioned first race at a sanctioned track in 1970, but his mother insisted he attend college and he enrolled in the University of Arizonas Race Track Industry Program. Its just disheartening. 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 . Baffert faces unprecedented scrutiny after a positive drug test marred a win by his horse Medina Spirit at this years Kentucky Derby. Bob survived a heart attack in late March 2012 while in Dubai for a world-class race at Meydan. He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. 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. The 74 total deaths since 2000 put Baffert third among trainers. 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. But Californias adoption of ARCI guidelines is not a given. Regardless, the indictments appeared to sway Baffert, whose opinion piece in The Post supported drastic action to fix a broken system. Among the provisions in the federal legislation that Baffert supported is a phaseout of Lasix on race day a reform Baffert had opposed for years. And Ive warned them that this was not going to stay a secret at the time, he testified of the CHRB, but that was their decision, not mine. (Baedeker, who retired last year, told The Post they couldnt legally disclose the test results because CHRB did not file a complaint.). Two Triple Crown winners and a signature shock of white hair will do that for a man. Bob Baffert wins big in return from long suspension - Spectrum News 1 The month after that, Grays bill to limit Arthurs term was passed out of a committee. It wasnt long before Baffert was making pocket change riding the horses in match races. The board followed their recommendation. Being a horse trainer is tough enough because its such an up-and-down, emotional roller coaster, Baffert said. "We live in a different world now. The timing of the legislation was coincidental, he added: I understand where youre going and why, but there were no connections, from my perspective., Brewster, attorney for Medina Spirits owner, also said that Bafferts issue with Arthur was about Lasix and that the timing was irrelevant.. was. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. was unconstitutional after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test. Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. Arthur and CHRB investigators inspected Bafferts barn, reviewed veterinary records and interviewed Baffert, who was flanked by an attorney. I told him there would be nothing from CHRB before the KY Derby, unlikely before the Preakness and possibly not until after the Belmont, Arthur wrote. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. [10], Controversy deepened when on December 6, 2021, Medina Spirit died of an apparent heart attack after a workout at Santa Anita Park. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. But its a lot more difficult when going against a private company, such as Churchill Downs, which can invoke its own penalties. 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. Bafferts breakthrough thoroughbred was Thirty Slews, who won the Breeders Cup Sprint in 1992. Baffert has been married twice and has five children: four with his first wife, Sherry: Taylor, Canyon, Forest, and Savannah. Last October Gamine was disqualified from third to last in the Kentucky Oaks after betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory, was discovered in the horses system. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. But the overall record indicates that he may not be running as tight a ship as he should.. "[10], However, over 30 horses Baffert trained have failed drug tests. Baedeker this week acknowledged that they handled the process more slowly than usual. Bob Baffert's Life Is Good gallops to win in San Felipe Stakes at Santa We live and work in a fishbowl, with rumors and accusations flowing constantly, Baffert said. Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. Shortly after Petersen sent the analysis of the states chances, the CHRB agreed to settle Ruiss lawsuit. Closing everything and moving forward is in Bobs best interest and the best interest of horse racing. But by August, the plan had changed. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Testimonies have begun in the case of horse trainer Bob Baffert against Churchill Downs. In the next six months, three of his horses tested positive for banned or excessive substances four times in California, Arkansas and Kentucky. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. Robert A. Baffert is an American Racehorse Trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Sports team owners make huge political donations. Where does their I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOCs political action committee, California records show. In response to public records requests in Maryland, New Jersey and Kentucky, officials told The Post that they did not maintain digital records of horse deaths by trainer, instead keeping reams of copies of reports. He was 10 when his father, Bill, bought a couple of quarter horses, plowed some land for a track and Bob started riding them before school each morning. . [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. 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. All they show is contamination, and they have really put the trainers heads on the chopping blocks. They had discussions with David Tinsley, the former DEA supervisor who runs 5 Stones, the people said, but the thoroughbred owners involved scrapped the plan. 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 . Gagliano, the Jockey Club president, denied that the group had any knowledge of whom 5 Stones investigated, outside of the eventual indictments. Mr. 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. The suspension was scheduled to run March 8 through June 5. There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. He saddled Paynter in the Belmont Stakes later that year, but that colt, like his stablemate Bodemeister, finished second. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. Its truly painful when you know what the truth is, Baffert told The Times earlier this week in his first interview on the subject since May. Settlement reached over unauthorized Bob Baffert bourbon - The Hes won seven, more than anyone else in the 147-year history of the race. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. 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. Officials worked to clear Bob Baffert's Justify after Triple Crown run Medina Spirit departed Churchill Downs in a van before dawn on Monday, bound for Baltimore (a horse van, not Jeff Spicoli's VW bus ). Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? Baffert did not have a horse hit the board again in any of the Triple Crown races until 2009, when he trained Pioneerof The Nile to a second-place finish in the Derby. CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. In 1977, as a part-time trainer, he was suspended for a year when one of his horses tested positive for morphine. None of them are considered performance-enhancing in the traditional sense, such as amphetamines or speedballs. Bob Baffert says Medina Spirit a victim of cancel culture | Lexington 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. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. 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. One of his grooms, Clemintino Abrego Garcia, testified that Baffert called him three or four times attempting to get him to admit that he had eaten baked goods near the horse. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Tinsley declined to comment. Were going to get through it.. He followed it with six more Derbies, two of which launched Triple Crown runs, with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert has had more than 30 drug violations in his 44-year career, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Wizards show plenty of heart early but cant find an edge late in Chicago. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. Baffert said the horse was off the drug for 18 days before the race. If they didnt adopt those rules, the rules that prevail are the ones they adopted.. FILE - In this Monday July 12, 2021 file photo, horse trainer Bob Baffert leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. [33], In February 2022, Baffert was suspended 90 days and fined $7,500 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Bafferts attorney argued in court that the trainers May suspension by the New York Racing Assn.