At first it was believed the substance came from a pain-relief patch that Bafferts longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes was wearing because of back pain. 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. In a hearing in October, the state and attorneys for Baffert and the horses owners stipulated the scopolamine positive was the result of contamination and it would have no performance-enhancing effects. Baedeker said this week he changed his mind on not filing a complaint, which would have put the matter before CHRBs Board of Stewards, because he didnt want to pass the buck. 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. 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.
Maryland Racing Commission Officially Suspends Bob Baffert, 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. 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. Bafferts lawyer called as a defense witness Arthur, who testified that his handling of the case was the fault of Californias cumbersome regulatory process. He declared, I considered this a horse poisoning, not a horse drugging., After the hearing, Santa Anitas Board of Stewards, a three-person panel that rules on drug cases, dismissed the complaints. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Gray's . He built up his training business a step at a time and acquired some prominent owners.
With Time Running Out In Legal Wars, Bob Baffert Says Four Of His April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. A complaint is filed in every case where the split sample confirms the original laboratory finding, read an advisory on the CHRB website. Baffert won his first race as a thoroughbred trainer Jan. 28, 1979, saddling Flipper Star to a victory at Rillito in Arizona. 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. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. Its more the friendship that I miss. 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. View . Hollendorfers lawyer, Drew Couto, has claimed his client is being unfairly blamed for a high-profile spike of deaths at the track. The 5-year-old mare was the seventh seemingly healthy horse from that barn to drop dead in 16 months. 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. However, Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone.
Bob Baffert - Celebnetworth.net 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. I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. In that period, 36% of all cardiac related horse deaths in California were animals trained by Baffert. 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. ), Arthur has defended his handling of the Justify positive. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. The horse is scheduled to run Saturday in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. He followed it with six more Derbies, two of which launched Triple Crown runs, with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.
Bob Baffert: Hall of Fame trainer suspended from participating in - CNN It wasn't long after the running of the 123rd Kentucky Derby, where a grey . Kaleem Shah, an owner who split with Baffert in 2016, defended the trainer over the horse deaths. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. Closing everything and moving forward is in Bobs best interest and the best interest of horse racing. He declined to answer further questions. In 2012, Baffert saddled Bodemeister, named for the trainer's youngest son, Bode, to second-place finishes in the Derby and Preakness. The bill was introduced by California Assemblyman Adam Gray, a former aide to Cardoza who had been in office for less than three months. The New York Racing Assn. But hes a good person, no, a great person. Most were for excessive use of phenylbutazone, a commonly used anti-inflammatory known as bute. Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. [14] It was Baffert's fifth violation in 13 months. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. Does his love of the camera sometimes bite him? asked longtime owner and friend Mike Pegram. 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. After finishing last season strong, CJ Abrams is ready for more. [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. Baedeker this week acknowledged that they handled the process more slowly than usual. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. Wizards show plenty of heart early but cant find an edge late in Chicago. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Testimonies have begun in the case of horse trainer Bob Baffert against Churchill Downs. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. 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. Baffert grew up on a cattle and chicken farm in Nogales, Ariz., near the Mexico border. The trainer was fined $2,500. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. [31][32] Additional charges were added on January 3, 2022. The public backlash, including a letter written by a gay. 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.
Bob Baffert - Bio, News, Photos - Washington Times There are no secrets on the backside.. Gary Fenton, chairman of the TOC, declined to be interviewed. After winning the Santa Anita Derby in April of that year, Bafferts Justify tested positive for scopolamine, a banned substance, which normally would have disqualified the victory and made the horse ineligible to run in that years Kentucky Derby. 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. 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. He was fined $1,500. Baffert responded: Zero tolerance?, Robertson, Bafferts attorney, then tried to negotiate for Baffert to avoid potential suspensions in both Arkansas and Kentucky. Its bizarre, Baedeker said, because you have a deputy attorney general criticizing the board for following the law to the letter.. But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. 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. Other trainers seem to navigate just fine.. Baffert, however, wouldnt change the outcome. I guess I'm more of an "old school" Republican. [8] As of 1January2022[update] the question of whether the horse would join Dancer's Image by being disqualified for a drug violation in the Derby remains pending. 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. Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. 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. Last October Gamine was disqualified from third to last in the Kentucky Oaks after betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory, was discovered in the horses system. What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble.
The last stand of Bob Baffert, horse racing's top trainer - Los Angeles CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. Mr. Yeah, but thats what drives him. To the newspaper, she. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. But the overall record indicates that he may not be running as tight a ship as he should.. CHRB regulations state that its foreign substances guidelines are based on ARCI recommendations as modified by the state board. 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. Again, we can most likely agree to most anything in Kentucky except a suspension.. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. 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 . When Arthur delivered his report in November 2013, the bill to remove him from office was still pending. The CHRB ruled it was caused by feed contamination, citing six other horses across four barns who also tested positive. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. Asked whether he was surprised by the finding that Bafferts barn was the deadliest in California, Roberts laughed. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. Baffert trained Lookin At Lucky, co-owned by Mike Pegram, to win the Preakness Stakes in 2010. 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.. Bob survived a heart attack in late March 2012 while in Dubai for a world-class race at Meydan. In 2013 the group hosted a Lasix-focused event at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills at which one owner reportedly said running a race without the drug was like waterboarding your horse in their own blood.. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. The bottom line, he said, is if youre a horse in Bob Bafferts barn, youre there to work.. When Did threshold change and what were they before?, No amount of betamethasone is permitted in Kentucky races now, Borden wrote. [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. Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. 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 fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Churchill Downs goes after suspended trainer Bob Baffert with new policy. His American Pharaoh horse won the Triple Crown in 2015. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. Horse owner and racing reform advocate Barry Irwin has stated, "He's Mr. Medina Spirit departed Churchill Downs in a van before dawn on Monday, bound for Baltimore (a horse van, not Jeff Spicoli's VW bus ). Political Cartoons. Between November 2011 and March 2013, however, Baffert had seven of his horses die of sudden death, not on the race track. . Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. Another person who came to Bafferts defense was his former assistant Tim Yakteen, who now runs his own stable. Petersen opined it would have been unfair to punish Baffert for what he called an oversight by CHRB staff and said there is no evidence to suggest a nefarious motive by the board. 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. Baffert revisited the Derby the next year, sending two top colts, Real Quiet and Indian Charlie, to Louisville. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. He was born on January 13, 1953, in Nogales, AZ. By then, Justify had won the Triple Crown, one of the rarest achievements in sports. In July 2020, Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan, a drug commonly used in cough medicine. When asked about that plan, attorney Brewster said that in fact 5 Stones did investigate Baffert at the direction of the Jockey Club. [25][26] On June 14, 2021, Baffert sued the NYRA alleging the association had no authority to suspend his license and that suspension "without prior notice" was a violation of the law. ), The records show Arthurs early decisions led to the CHRB veering off its usual course in its handling of the Justify case, beginning with his email to a testing coordinator that read, The scopolamine cases will be handled differently than usual., By the CHRBs own guidelines, the way forward was clear: If a second sample came back positive, the CHRB would file a complaint. Bob Baffert Family, Parents In 2015, a loose group of prominent thoroughbred owners hatched a plan according to people with direct knowledge of it to sic private eyes, from a firm called 5 Stones that helped bring down Russian dopers, on their sports most famous trainer. And Noodles died May 22 of a non-exercise induced respiratory issue. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc . Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. The board followed their recommendation. 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. In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Baffert wrote that reforming racing was not just necessary to the sports survival but the only moral path forward. This included Baffert's home track at Santa Anita, although Baffert horse Shaaz won the sixth race on April 2. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. Baffert's horses have won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks. Ive heard the rumors on Bobby since we got in the business after winning some Cal Cup races. 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. 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. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks . 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. 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. 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. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. But Arthurs report said Hollywood Park used a different sort of poison than that found in the necropsy. 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.
Churchill Downs Draws a Hard Line With Bob Baffert [45], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 14:09, American Pharoah Stakes / FrontRunner Stakes / Norfolk Stakes, Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes / Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap, Los Alamitos Futurity / Hollywood Futurity, Starlet Stakes / Hollywood Starlet Stakes, United States Champion Trainer by earnings, American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, American Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse, "Bob Baffert Has Come a Long Way in Horse Racing", "Baffert nears $300M mark with an all-star stable", "American Pharoah claims first Triple Crown since 1978", "Bob Baffert no stranger to failed drug tests by his horses", "Press Release Racing Museum April 20, 2009", "The last stand of Bob Baffert, horse racing's most successful and embattled trainer", "Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby win in doubt after postrace drug test", "Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Withdrawal Guidelines Thoroughbred; Standardbred; Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, and Arabian", "Baffert: Meds applied to Derby winner had steroid", "Medina Spirit Tests Positive for Betamethasone", "Baffert says Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive", "Churchill Downs' Statement in Response to Medina Spirit's Post-Race Test Result Allegations", "Trainer: Kentucky Derby winner faces disqualification due to 'cancel culture', "Bob Baffert asserts Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby win was valid, invokes 'cancel culture', "Bob Baffert says Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was treated with ointment that contained steroid", "Baffert Has Turned Medina Spirit Controversy Into a Circus", "Baffert's Leaking Credibility Reaches Saturation Point", "Churchill Downs Inc. suspends Baffert for 2 years", "Trainer Bob Baffert suspended from entering Medina Spirit, other horses at Belmont Park", "New York Racing Officials Suspend Baffert From Belmont Stakes", "Trainer Bob Baffert sues to get New York suspension lifted", "Horse trainer Bob Baffert sues New York racing officials over suspension", "Baffert sues to overturn New York racing ban", "Judge nullifies horse trainer Bob Baffert's NY suspension", "Baffert charged by New York Racing, scheduled for hearing", "Legendary horse trainer charged again following Kentucky Derby scandal", "NYRA Amends Charges Against Baffert to Include Bute Overages", "The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest", "Bob Baffert fined $1,500, Gamine disqualified from third-place finish in Kentucky Oaks", "Here's what we know following Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's positive drug test", "Medina Spirit Dies of Apparent Heart Attack at Santa Anita", "Baffert Horses Big Part of Sudden Death Spike", "Report on the investigation and review of the seven sudden deaths on the Hollywood Park main track of horses trained by Bob Baffert and stabled in Barn 61", "Cardiac Failure Fatalities Spike in California, Baffert Barn", "Bafferts Make Whopper Of A Donation To Equine Charities", "Bafferts, Espinoza donate Belmont winnings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Baffert&oldid=1138770123, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 14:09. Between 1997 and 1999, he won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer three years running and was voted the 1997 Big Sport of Turfdom Award. 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. By age 20, he had developed a reputation as a trainer and was hired by other trainers to run their stables. "We live in a different world now. It takes only a minute or so to walk from the racetrack at Santa Anita Park to the barns in back. FILE - Trainer Bob Baffert walks out to the winner's circle after the Brooklyn Invitational Stakes horse race at Belmont Park, Saturday, June 9, 2018, in Elmont, N.Y. . Less than two weeks later, Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby. 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. Baffert has paid out over $20,000 in fines, but compared against over $321 million in career earnings. Arthur said the TOC was behind the effort to oust him because of his criticism of Lasix. By then, Arthur already had a years-long, tangled history with Baffert. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. Baffert made the. We live and work in a fishbowl, with rumors and accusations flowing constantly, Baffert said. 10, 2022. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. "We live in a different world now. 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. Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? Once again, the Hall of Fame. On June 1, Baedeker had asked the agencys top lawyer and investigator how close they were to filing the Scopolamine complaints., On July 9, a month after Justifys Belmont triumph, the agencys chief counsel, Robert Brodnik, wrote to the CHRB investigator that they would like to officially file by Monday.. A CHRB spokesman said the agency could not comment or make any employees available for an interview, citing the pending litigation. Trainer Bob Baffert stands outside his barn at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Medina . 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. 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. A 23-page analysis of that case, sent to the CHRB by a California deputy attorney general in July and obtained by The Post, suggests the states lawyers were concerned about the way the agency responded to the failed drug test. 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. In 2015, Baffert trained the 2014 champion two-year-old colt American Pharoah to win the Triple Crown, the first to do so in 37 years. Shah said the two parted over disagreements that should have been resolved, without being specific. Baffert, like many trainers, was using a thyroid drug that was cited in the CHRB investigation. 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 . 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.