Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. Cherwa also contributes general interest stories from Florida. 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. 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. On Monday, Bell confirmed he helped with the search, adding Jimson weed has plagued California for years.. He claimed that the horse death data provided by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) was not possible.. He made the jump to Los Alamitos, where he was running against such legends as Wayne Lukas. In February, Kentucky racing officials decided against suspending Baffert, with Borden telling the Louisville Courier-Journal a lesser punishment was all in the course of being fair. And in April, Arkansas officials reversed the 15-day suspension for lidocaine positives that the trainer blamed on an assistants pain patch. Once again, the Hall of Fame. EXPLAINER: Why Is Bob Baffert Not in the Kentucky Derby? John Cherwa is a special contributor to the Los Angeles Times. The California Horse Racing Boards inner workings during the episode have remained mostly shrouded by official secrecy. There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. 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. Sports team owners make huge political donations. Where does their [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. 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. Does his love of the camera sometimes bite him? asked longtime owner and friend Mike Pegram. Baffert was granted a stay until April 4 to gain time for an appeal. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. His American Pharaoh horse won the Triple Crown in 2015. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. Baffert has also had his share of horse fatalities, the other metric to which his critics point. 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. On May 5, Justify won the Kentucky Derby, upping the stakes of the investigation. "We live in a different world now. He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. [7] Baffert became a 7-time winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2021 with Medina Spirit. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. (At least one death of a Baffert horse identified by The Post was not included in the agencys data.) Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. On July 15, 2020, Deputy Attorney General Robert Petersen sent his initial case assessment to Brodnik. He has often blamed drug positives on trace contamination from substances in a horses barn and has criticized tightening restrictions on the race-day use of bute and other drugs. . But Arthurs report said Hollywood Park used a different sort of poison than that found in the necropsy. But in 2018, Arthur was still on the job when another Baffert-trained horse tested regulators willingness to challenge him. He saddled Paynter in the Belmont Stakes later that year, but that colt, like his stablemate Bodemeister, finished second. 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. Bob Baffert has moved his way up the ladder to the extent that he has the most influential, the wealthiest owners in the industry, that he takes on the highest-quality horses possible because he wins races. How carefully the dosage was followed was not determined, Arthur wrote. 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. 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 the scuttled test result remained secret until the New York Times reported it in 2019. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. In his analysis, Petersen estimated the states chances of winning at trial to be 50 percent. The way this case was handled was out of respect for Justify., On the afternoon of April 18, 2018, Arthur learned that Justify and another Baffert horse, Hoppertunity, had tested positive for scopolamine. In 2015, the Daily Herald ran a profile on Jill Baffert, explaining that she was a former journalist and waitress from Centerville. He told reporters that he would fight the issue "tooth and nail. 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. By the April 1 ruling, Baffert had already transferred four 3-year-old colts to other trainers. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. The goal, the people familiar said, was to get Baffert to support languishing reforms in the sport. Bob Baffert - Bio, News, Photos - Washington Times A New York federal judge on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 nullified the suspension of horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky . Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. But its a lot more difficult when going against a private company, such as Churchill Downs, which can invoke its own penalties. Its more the friendship that I miss. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. Share on Facebook TWEET This Following the 2015 Belmont win, Baffert outlined several charities that he and his wife Jill supported. [2] Baffert and his family reside in California. 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. Baffert has had two fatalities in the last three years, a low number for a barn of his size. He rejoined The Times in 2009 and left his post as deputy sports editor late in 2017. Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? In 2000, for instance, another of his horses, Nautical Look, tested positive for morphine, landing Baffert a two-month suspension. It wasnt long before Baffert was making pocket change riding the horses in match races. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? At the time, she was 42-years-old. 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. Bob Baffert Suspended 15 Days for Drug Positives But Bafferts critics say his conduct after penning the article calls into question his seriousness about reform. Shortly after Petersen sent the analysis of the states chances, the CHRB agreed to settle Ruiss lawsuit. Following the publication of the report, Baffert tweeted: Im gratified that CHRB completed its investigation & found there was no wrongdoing. This article was published more than1 year ago. 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. To the newspaper, she. He's saddled. This was fun. 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. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. 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. When a horse dies in California, CHRB records often list medications the horse had been prescribed, based on its medical history. 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. 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. Monty Roberts, a trainer who has agitated for more humane treatment of racehorses throughout his six-decade career, said that Baffert has long been one of the most important voices holding the sport back from reform. [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 colt lost the Belmont Stakes after breaking poorly from the starting gate. 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 time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. Churchill Downs Draws a Hard Line With Bob Baffert 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. Arthur said the TOC was behind the effort to oust him because of his criticism of Lasix. Carson Valley was killed in a freak accident in 2019 at Del Mar when a loose horse crashed into the Baffert trainee. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Testimonies have begun in the case of horse trainer Bob Baffert against Churchill Downs. Similarly, cases against two horses who tested positive in Arkansas in 2020 for lidocaine were dismissed as being the result of accidental transfer from an assistant trainer who was using the medication on himself. Arthur is retiring at the end of June from a job often consumed by the scandals of a single trainer. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. 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. In New York, chefs are redefining it. 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. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. Only once has a Kentucky Derby winner been disqualified for a medication violation. 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. [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. The 90 day ban against Baffert was set to be honored in all 38 racing states. 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. [38] This reminded the public that since 2000, at least 74 other horses had died while in Baffert's stables. In each instance, the death is investigated. 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. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. The trainer was fined $2,500. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. Judge Denies Baffert Request to Reverse Churchill Downs Ban 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. 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. 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. The. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. 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. . "[23] On June 2, 2021, Medina Spirit's split sample also tested positive and Churchill Downs suspended Baffert through the end of the 2023 Spring Meet. Nonetheless, in that case, Arkansas suspended Baffert for 15 days. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby? - Spectrum News 1 Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Churchill Downs goes after suspended trainer Bob Baffert with new policy. The average death rate for racehorses in California, according to an analysis of more than 5,000 deaths since 2000, is 7.2 per 1,000 starts. He also dismissed complaints that doping was rampant in the sport. Baffert has had more than 30 drug violations in his 44-year career, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. And Madeline Auerbach, who later became a CHRB commissioner, had partnered with Baffert in thoroughbred breeding. 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. Bob Baffert wins big in return from long suspension - Spectrum News 1 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. 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. Hearing Officer Recommends 2-Year NYRA Ban for Bob Baffert Pegram persuaded Baffert to try thoroughbreds. 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. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. I guess I'm more of an "old school" Republican. His most serious infraction was also his first. 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. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Closing everything and moving forward is in Bobs best interest and the best interest of horse racing. Mick Ruis, the owner and trainer of the second-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby, has sued the CHRB. He also won the race in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 when run as a Grade I event. Baffert sued in federal court, claiming the two months off could cost him $11 million in purses. 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. Former client Kaleem Shah said, "He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. What I can tell you definitely is this case was handled differently, and it was handled differently because of Rick Arthur, said Ruiss attorney, Darrell Vienna. "What a way to come back," said Baffert, whose punishment by the Kentucky Horse . Hes Mr. Teflon.. (A CHRB spokesman declined to comment, citing pending litigation. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. Its bizarre, Baedeker said, because you have a deputy attorney general criticizing the board for following the law to the letter.. 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. In July 2020, Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan, a drug commonly used in cough medicine. Hal Earnhardt, an Arizona car dealer and Bafferts oldest client, introduced him to Pegram, who made his money in fast-food franchising. [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. 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. This horse was going to run at the Triple Crown, Arthur said. Drop dead while galloping, read a California Horse Racing Board vets account of the first horses death in November 2011. Citrus Feed Companys Larry Bell has long supplied Baffert with feed and has previously testified in Bafferts defense, according to CHRB records. State investigators found that his staff was mixing a potentially dangerous prescription drug into the feed of every horse in his care. But hes Bob, he has to speak his mind.. Bob Baffert - Celebnetworth.net Both trainers were fined $500. 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. 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. [10] Though number of racing starts are used to calculate rates of death for all horses in the care of race trainers, not all horse deaths were animals in race training nor were they necessarily race-related fatalities. 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. All of the explanations for the positive drug tests are plausible, but collectively they raise questions. 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. Bob had the personality and he was honest. [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. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. Baffert's horses have won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. Baffert is the biggest name in horse racing, even bigger than the animals he conditions. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. Bafferts lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. Political Cartoons. In fact, Bafferts horses, at 8.3 deaths per 1,000 starts, have died at a significantly higher rate than Hollendorfers, at 6.25. 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. Time after time its not his fault. 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. 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. His white hair, tinted glasses and accessibility make him a natural to promote the sport. "[29][30] On September 10, 2021 Baffert was charged by NYRA for conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing. 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. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. He tried his hand at substitute teaching before he started training horses full time. Bob Baffert says Medina Spirit a victim of cancel culture | Lexington Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. By Marty Irby. The Post separately obtained start data dating back to 2000 from the Daily Racing Form to put the deaths into context. Garcia left California horse racing the next year, according to CHRB records; he could not be reached for comment by The Post. Hes a very unique personality, a unique sense of humor. After Arthur cleared Baffert of wrongdoing, the legislation was abandoned. Gagliano, the Jockey Club president, denied that the group had any knowledge of whom 5 Stones investigated, outside of the eventual indictments. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. The CHRB had not adopted that recommendation. I think much of the GOP political party is moving too far to the right. The quest to find Jimson weed continued. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. 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. Baffert faces unprecedented scrutiny after a positive drug test marred a win by his horse Medina Spirit at this years Kentucky Derby. Most were for excessive use of phenylbutazone, a commonly used anti-inflammatory known as bute. Bob Baffert: Hall of Fame trainer suspended from participating in - CNN If it surprised me it would be that I expected more, Roberts said. 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.. 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. As the trainer battles to protect his legacy, the records offer a new window into how those charged with running horse racings disjointed regulatory system have appeared to treat the powerful trainer with deference. [9] Point Given was nominated in 2009, but elected and inducted in 2010. 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. 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. See, I bet you didnt know I was a jockey? Baffert said. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles.