This pattern has bred frustration among some horsemen. He also dismissed complaints that doping was rampant in the sport. Baffert won the Derby a third time in 2002 with War Emblem. But the sports new governing authority will not take over until mid-2022. Baffert said the horse ingested hay after a groom, who was taking cough medicine, had urinated in the horses stall. Baffert is America's pre-eminent active trainer. [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. [7] Baffert became a 7-time winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2021 with Medina Spirit. Please answer some questions in this short survey about professional soccer and the 2022 Men's FIFA World Cup. It takes only a minute or so to walk from the racetrack at Santa Anita Park to the barns in back. When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. Baffert has had two fatalities in the last three years, a low number for a barn of his size. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Gray's . The California Horse Racing Boards inner workings during the episode have remained mostly shrouded by official secrecy. . Baffert said the horse was off the drug for 18 days before the race. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. It hurts racing., In the same speech, Baffert agitated for the continued use of Lasix, which is popular with trainers but increasingly criticized as a potential performance-enhancer and masking agent for other drugs. Citrus Feed Companys Larry Bell has long supplied Baffert with feed and has previously testified in Bafferts defense, according to CHRB records. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. 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. When I won with [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify, it was a relief. 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. But hes a good person, no, a great person. 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. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. When Arthur delivered his report in November 2013, the bill to remove him from office was still pending. At least 74 horses have died in Bafferts care in his home state of California since 2000, more than all but two of hundreds of trainers in the state, according to a Post analysis of data and public records. 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 . Gray said at the time that the bill also would increase the institutional knowledge of Californias central horse drug-testing lab. Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. 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. 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. 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. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks . I thought wed get fourth. 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. 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. 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. Arthur also presented exercise histories for the horses that showed they worked harder than average. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. In 2000, for instance, another of his horses, Nautical Look, tested positive for morphine, landing Baffert a two-month suspension. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. 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. 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. 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. Theres one thing that I will say positive about Bob is that he is a horseman. 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. Churchill Downs announced that any points earned in the leadup to the Kentucky Derby by horses associated with a suspended trainer would not be counted a move that seemingly targets Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. The colt went on to win the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his third shot at winning the Triple Crown. But Arthurs report said Hollywood Park used a different sort of poison than that found in the necropsy. to move forward. Petersen did not respond to an interview request. Baffert has trained horses that won fifteen American Classic Races, fifteen Breeders' Cup races, four Dubai World Cups and the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. He made the jump to Los Alamitos, where he was running against such legends as Wayne Lukas. We had some thoroughbreds with another trainer and Im thinking how can we make money with Bobby running for $4,000 at night when we could be running for $40,000 during the day, Pegram said. The CHRB had not adopted that recommendation. 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. They had a son in 2004 whom they named "Bode" (/bodi/ BOH-dee), after skier Bode Miller. Between November 2011 and March 2013, however, Baffert had seven of his horses die of sudden death, not on the race track. 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. Nine died in 2000, all but one from breakdowns. The New York Racing Assn. Yes, I'm a registered Republican, although I've voted for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. 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. 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. The 90 day ban against Baffert was set to be honored in all 38 racing states. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. It bothers me when hes not considered the Kentucky Derby winner.. Its not often that a sport turns against its biggest star, but Churchill Downs has taken that stand. [15], At a news conference on May 9, Baffert initially said that Medina Spirit was never administered betamethasone. 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.. By Marty Irby. Baffert also trained the 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify and the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic. 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. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. The week after Justify won the Preakness, bringing him to the cusp of the Triple Crown, test results came back showing the plant they had tested was milkweed. In 1997, he trained Silver Charm to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finishing second in the Belmont. Has his success made people hate him more? In his analysis, Petersen estimated the states chances of winning at trial to be 50 percent. He told reporters that he would fight the issue "tooth and nail. 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. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. Several members of the Breeders Cup board have used Baffert as their trainer. 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. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. 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. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. He claimed that the horse death data provided by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) was not possible.. But even in those cases, which were handled according to established rules, the horses were disqualified and their winning purses were forfeited. It was later discovered that horses from separate barns had also tested positive. Mr. Once again, the Hall of Fame. As the Kentucky Derby approached, officials began discussing the possibility of contamination that the positive test had been triggered by something Justify ingested. His most serious infraction was also his first. The Baffert who snubbed me on April 29, 2010, that is the real Bob Baffert, not the glib, seemingly affable chap heretofore seen in TV interviews. followed up and ruled Baffert would not be allowed to run in New York. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. Were going to get through it.. Bob Bafferts horses have incurred numerous drug violations over the course of his 44 years as a thoroughbred trainer. Hal Earnhardt, an Arizona car dealer and Bafferts oldest client, introduced him to Pegram, who made his money in fast-food franchising. 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. Following the publication of the report, Baffert tweeted: Im gratified that CHRB completed its investigation & found there was no wrongdoing. The horse is scheduled to run Saturday in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. 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. FILE - In this Monday July 12, 2021 file photo, horse trainer Bob Baffert leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Yeah, but thats what drives him. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. [42] He had been paid $200,000 to allow the Burger King to stand behind him in the grandstand during the televised broadcast of the Belmont, after having turned down $150,000 to allow the mascot to appear with him at the Preakness. ), Arthur has defended his handling of the Justify positive. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. [2] Baffert and his family reside in California. 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. And Bafferts veterinarians were prescribing it at his request without conducting laboratory tests to see whether the horses needed the drug, according to Arthurs later report. [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. With private eyes and political muscle, horse racings elite pushed to punish dopers, Throughout the months-long process, CHRB officials had indicated they planned on filing a complaint against Baffert, which would have exposed the failed drug test. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. 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. 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. 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. Ruis is suing the CHRB for absolving Baffert of a positive for scopolamine, a byproduct of jimsonweed, after Justify tested for the drug after winning the 2018 Santa Anita Derby. At the time, she was 42-years-old. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. 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. Tinsley declined to comment. 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.. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. . 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. Garcia left California horse racing the next year, according to CHRB records; he could not be reached for comment by The Post. Another day passed before it was discovered the colt was administered a topical ointment for a rash that contained betamethasone. 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. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. He built up his training business a step at a time and acquired some prominent owners. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. Cherwa also contributes general interest stories from Florida. Baffert made the. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks. If the complaint was ruled on quickly enough, it would have made Justify ineligible for the Kentucky Derby. That investigation led to the indictments that Baffert said spurred him to embrace more oversight, so the cheaters would be quickly caught and punished.. But hes Bob, he has to speak his mind.. Shah said the two parted over disagreements that should have been resolved, without being specific. 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. Ruis horse, Bolt dOro, finished second. A CHRB spokesman said the agency could not comment or make any employees available for an interview, citing the pending litigation. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. [14] It was Baffert's fifth violation in 13 months. Shortly after Petersen sent the analysis of the states chances, the CHRB agreed to settle Ruiss lawsuit. Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. Baffert, one of the most legendary trainers in American horse racing, has faced criticism and suspensions after his 2021 Kentucky Derby champion, Medina . By then, Arthur already had a years-long, tangled history with Baffert. He declined to answer further questions. After the Times broke the news of the positive drug test, Ruis sued the CHRB in January 2020. As The Post reported in April, the Jockey Club, an industry group of top thoroughbred owners, then hired the same private agency, 5 Stones Intelligence, to probe suspected dopers. Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. You could trust him and that never changed.. There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. 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. In 1997 he won his first Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. Asked whether he was surprised by the finding that Bafferts barn was the deadliest in California, Roberts laughed. But Californias adoption of ARCI guidelines is not a given. His last day as medical equine director is Wednesday. 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.. The suspension was scheduled to run March 8 through June 5. ), Among the TOCs central crusades was countering the movement against Lasix. [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. Arthur B. Hancock III, a prominent thoroughbred owner, has for three decades been a leading proponent for eradicating drugs from the sport. And promote he does, chatting with people he met one minute ago as if they were long-lost friends. He was born on January 13, 1953, in Nogales, AZ. On a recent afternoon, Baffert appeared largely unperturbed by the firestorm surrounding him when he answered his door in Arcadia, Calif. This is the first Ive learned of it, Baffert responded when told of The Posts finding that he had the highest rate of horse deaths among other top trainers in the state. 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. [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. 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. The colt skipped the Belmont Stakes but became the champion three-year-old colt that year. [8][37] That case was eventually dismissed as the regulators concluded the facts supported an instance of feed contamination. 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. 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. 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. But that number may drop to six if the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission disqualifies this years winner, Medina Spirit, for a medication violation, the trainers fifth since May 2020. . Drop dead while galloping, read a California Horse Racing Board vets account of the first horses death in November 2011.