Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. But the star trainers sudden support belied the fact that Baffert has for years been entangled with the very problems he blamed for his sports potential demise: drugs, dead horses and a feckless regulatory system. 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. 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. I think much of the GOP political party is moving too far to the right. was. 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. Baffert revisited the Derby the next year, sending two top colts, Real Quiet and Indian Charlie, to Louisville. 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. In a scheme typical of the high-stakes warring behind the scenes in racing, four thoroughbred owners entered talks in 2015 with a private intelligence agency to dig up drug-related dirt on Baffert, according to multiple people with direct knowledge. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. The last stand of Bob Baffert, horse racing's top trainer - Los Angeles Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. In fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said. Why would people want to be betting on horses when there are allegations and there are real positives and hes getting off on technicalities.. But even in those cases, which were handled according to established rules, the horses were disqualified and their winning purses were forfeited. 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 got his first big break in 1992 when he won his first Breeder's Cup race with Thirty Slews. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. Baffert, like many trainers, was using a thyroid drug that was cited in the CHRB investigation. 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. I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. When I won with [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify, it was a relief. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. Nonetheless, in that case, Arkansas suspended Baffert for 15 days. 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. Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. 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. Then, when American Pharoah won the 2015 Belmont Stakes, the win was the fourth attempt at a Triple Crown for Baffert, who at age 62 became the second-oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown.[6]. The bold statement appeared to put Baffert on the right side of history: By the end of the year, President Donald Trump had signed into law the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which promised to reform the sport. On Monday, Bell confirmed he helped with the search, adding Jimson weed has plagued California for years.. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Gray's . Baffert sued in federal court, claiming the two months off could cost him $11 million in purses. If they didnt adopt those rules, the rules that prevail are the ones they adopted.. [citation needed], According to his supporters, Baffert's style and personality, combined with his success, have made him a target for controversy. 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. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. 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. 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. They had a son in 2004 whom they named "Bode" (/bodi/ BOH-dee), after skier Bode Miller. May 10, 2021. Bob Baffert: Judge denies his request to lift two-year Churchill Downs Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. But they dont usually die in a cluster from a single barn for no clear reason. The veterinarian chalked up Bafferts response to ignorance. 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. Sports team owners make huge political donations. Where does their 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. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. In 1997, he trained Silver Charm to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, finishing second in the Belmont. "[16][17] Nonetheless, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of an investigation. The testing levels have become ridiculous, Baffert told a conference of racehorse veterinarians during his keynote speech in 2000, according to a trade publication. The bottom line, he said, is if youre a horse in Bob Bafferts barn, youre there to work.. Bob Bafferts horses have incurred numerous drug violations over the course of his 44 years as a thoroughbred trainer. 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. 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.). 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. Attorneys argue 90-day suspension would end Bob Baffert's racing career Like Baffert, Hollendorfer is in the thoroughbred Hall of Fame. 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. But a top veterinary official cleared Baffert, finding that the spate of deaths remains unexplained following a probe that demonstrated the hazards of going after Baffert. [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. Hollendorfers lawyer, Drew Couto, has claimed his client is being unfairly blamed for a high-profile spike of deaths at the track. 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 . 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. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. 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.. But Californias adoption of ARCI guidelines is not a given. 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. 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. In 2012, Baffert saddled Bodemeister, named for the trainer's youngest son, Bode, to second-place finishes in the Derby and Preakness. Ruis horse, Bolt dOro, finished second. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. The suspension was scheduled to run March 8 through June 5. He followed it with six more Derbies, two of which launched Triple Crown runs, with American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Garcia left California horse racing the next year, according to CHRB records; he could not be reached for comment by The Post. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. Baffert, however, became the first trainer in history to win the Derby and Preakness in back-to-back years. Baffert grew up on a ranch in Nogales, Arizona, where his family raised cattle and chickens. 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. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. 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. After Uncle Sam, a 4-year-old colt, died during a workout at the track the following January, a vet wrote: This is the 3rd for this owner/trainer in about as many months collapsed and died.. But the scuttled test result remained secret until the New York Times reported it in 2019. 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. Time after time its not his fault. 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. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. [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. 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. 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. Mick Ruis, the owner and trainer of the second-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby, has sued the CHRB. Fellow trainer D. Wayne Lukas attributed Baffert's success to his "extraordinary eye for a good horse" and his management ability in finding the right opportunities for his charges.[5]. 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. It then changed the classification of scopolamine so that its detection in a horse would trigger only a fine and not disqualification and loss of the races purse. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. Bob survived a heart attack in late March 2012 while in Dubai for a world-class race at Meydan. See, I bet you didnt know I was a jockey? Baffert said. Celebrities Who Are Republicans/Conservatives - HubPages Despite the cautious approach of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which five months later still has not acted on the drug positive, or disqualified, Medina Spirit, Churchill Downs suspended the trainer for two years. 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. But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. 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. The deadliest period came between 2000 and 2005, when 34 of Bafferts horses in California died. After Arthur cleared Baffert of wrongdoing, the legislation was abandoned. When asked about that plan, attorney Brewster said that in fact 5 Stones did investigate Baffert at the direction of the Jockey Club. April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. 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. [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. This America's different." pic . 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. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. Bob Baffert blamed "cancel culture" after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. As he did so, a political group with Baffert on its board was involved in legislation that would result in Arthur losing his job. "[29][30] On September 10, 2021 Baffert was charged by NYRA for conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing. [39] California's equine medical director found that Baffert's horses were routinely given Thyro-L, or thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, that could cause heart problems during exercise, but concluded the medication, which Baffert said he had been using routinely for the previous five years, did not cause the heart attacks. Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. In April, after Arkansas reversed its decision on two Baffert horses and overturned his suspension, trainer Richard Baltas was bad-mouthing Baffert at Clockers Corner, the place where trainers and fans watch horses work in the morning at Santa Anita. Baffert made the. Arthur B. Hancock III, a prominent thoroughbred owner, has for three decades been a leading proponent for eradicating drugs from the sport. Hearings begin for Bob Baffert's case against Churchill Downs ban Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. 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. Hospital food is a punchline. When Did threshold change and what were they before?, No amount of betamethasone is permitted in Kentucky races now, Borden wrote. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. [2] Baffert and his family reside in California. Hes good.. 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. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. To the newspaper, she. In July 2020, Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan, a drug commonly used in cough medicine. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. It will all be settled by lawyers and judges and that takes time. 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. 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. But in 2019, he was banned from Santa Anita Park and affiliated tracks after four of his horses died there in six months. Theres a recognition that certain substances are normal in equine care, Martin said, but if that horse still requires that, then maybe you shouldnt run the horse., Martin made a distinction between doping horses with banned substances and running them with too much medication. It sounds like hes deflecting, Gagliano said of Baffert. Settlement reached over unauthorized Bob Baffert bourbon - The 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. I believe there is some precedent in criminal law when a law is changed from a felony to a misdemeanor how they should be prosecuted even before the new law becomes effective, wrote Arthur, whose job before medical equine director was as a racetrack veterinarian. 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. Baffert said the horse was off the drug for 18 days before the race. 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. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. In the 1980s, Baffert moved to California and worked at Los Alamitos Race Course, where he switched to training Thoroughbreds full-time in 1991. Drop dead while galloping, read a California Horse Racing Board vets account of the first horses death in November 2011. Instead of promptly filing a public complaint against Baffert, the CHRB kept the positive result secret while Arthur conducted a lengthy investigation.

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