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. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. In New York, chefs are redefining it. 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.. 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. 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. 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. This time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. The 90 day ban against Baffert was set to be honored in all 38 racing states. [31][32] Additional charges were added on January 3, 2022. But Clark Brewster, the attorney representing Medina Spirits owner, Amr Zedan, then contacted The Post and described Baffert as being unfairly maligned. All of the drugs were legal, just not in the amounts found on race day. The timing of the legislation was coincidental, he added: I understand where youre going and why, but there were no connections, from my perspective., Brewster, attorney for Medina Spirits owner, also said that Bafferts issue with Arthur was about Lasix and that the timing was irrelevant.. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. Baffert did not have a horse hit the board again in any of the Triple Crown races until 2009, when he trained Pioneerof The Nile to a second-place finish in the Derby. There is nothing new here, he wrote. His reasoning was that Baffert also administered thyroxine to horses outside of Hollywood Park, where his horses did not suffer sudden deaths. Baffert did not have another medication violation for eight years. The positive test only emerged when the New York Times reported it more than a year later. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. By then, Bafferts encounters with regulators dated back decades, to 1977, when he served a yearlong suspension for racing a horse on morphine. Baffert faces unprecedented scrutiny after a positive drug test marred a win by his horse Medina Spirit at this years Kentucky Derby. Wizards show plenty of heart early but cant find an edge late in Chicago. 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. [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. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. Baffert also has wielded unmatched clout when regulators have discovered banned or excessive substances in his horses. "We live in a different world now. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. 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. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. Closing everything and moving forward is in Bobs best interest and the best interest of horse racing. 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. In the 1980s, Baffert moved to California and worked at Los Alamitos Race Course, where he switched to training Thoroughbreds full-time in 1991. But Californias adoption of ARCI guidelines is not a given. The colt went on to win the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his third shot at winning the Triple Crown. 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. 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. Some of the earlier violations do give you pause. 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.). 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. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. Arthur and CHRB investigators inspected Bafferts barn, reviewed veterinary records and interviewed Baffert, who was flanked by an attorney. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has successfully appealed his 15-day suspension to the Arkansas Racing Commission, allowing the six-time Kentucky Derby winner to resume preparations to run Medina . Board member Michael E. Pegram had for decades hired Baffert to train his top horses, including the winner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby, Real Quiet. Its just disheartening. Bob Baffert wakes up most every day with one thing in mind, winning another Kentucky Derby. 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. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. was. 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. Cardoza, who now works for a law firm, denied in an interview last month that the TOC was involved: Not at all. But he then said, TOCs involvement in that bill had nothing to do with Bob Baffert., Instead, Cardoza said, the drive to oust Arthur was over his opposition to Lasix. 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. 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. 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. California counts all fatalities of horses in a trainers care, including breakdowns during training, not just racing deaths. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. The CHRB had not adopted that recommendation. The legal records, which draw from dozens of emails, memorandums and other materials that have not previously been made public, show how officials delayed action, contradicted their own plans and rewrote existing rules to Bafferts advantage. Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. Bob Baffert | National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Baffert has also had his share of horse fatalities, the other metric to which his critics point. Citrus Feed Companys Larry Bell has long supplied Baffert with feed and has previously testified in Bafferts defense, according to CHRB records. Medina Spirit had a legal medication in him, ONeill said. In September, Baffert learned via a text message from Barbara Borden, chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, that his horse Gamine had tested positive for the anti-inflammatory betamethasone at the Kentucky Oaks. Theres one thing that I will say positive about Bob is that he is a horseman. In correspondence with the agencys lawyer, Baedeker wrote that because our staff failed to act in a timely manner, the horses, trainer, owner and others could be harmed unjustly if they didnt use the more lenient classification. 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. He also dismissed complaints that doping was rampant in the sport. 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. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. 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. [11], Prior to Medina Spirit's death, Baffert had last been under intense scrutiny a decade earlier when seven horses in his stables at Hollywood Park died between November 2, 2011 and March 14, 2013, all from sudden and later unexplained heart attacks. But hes a good person, no, a great person. You could trust him and that never changed.. 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. 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. Bob Baffert blamed "cancel culture" after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. Former client Kaleem Shah said, "He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. Baffert was granted a stay until April 4 to gain time for an appeal. They had a son in 2004 whom they named "Bode" (/bodi/ BOH-dee), after skier Bode Miller. I think much of the GOP political party is moving too far to the right. However, Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone. 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.. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. [10], Controversy deepened when on December 6, 2021, Medina Spirit died of an apparent heart attack after a workout at Santa Anita Park. Mr. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. It elicited little notice; racehorses die by the hundreds per year in California alone. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. If it surprised me it would be that I expected more, Roberts said. In 2015, he trained American Pharoah, the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.. Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. Racing does not have a historical database for violations, with most of the information kept on the state level. The 74 total deaths since 2000 put Baffert third among trainers. We might have gone to the board sooner, but obviously because of the high-profile nature of this thing we were making sure we had everything buttoned up, he said. 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. [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. The attorney generals office referred all questions to the CHRB. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. 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. 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. The Judge made her ruling based on the NYRA having not allowed Baffert a forum to refute their claims and stated that (they the NYRA).."had held no hearing let alone a prompt one. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension. Baffert, a La Caada Flintridge resident who is currently training his horses at Santa Anita, has not officially been charged with anything related to Medina Spirit. His graded stakes wins include nine wins in the Santa Anita Derby, nine in the Haskell Invitational Handicap, and fourteen in the Del Mar Futurity, a race he won seven straight times from 1996 to 2002, when it was a Grade II event. He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. The TOC, of which Baffert is still a board member, did not respond to requests for comment. This was fun. Among them, according to interviews and records obtained by The Post: a push to have the veterinary official removed from office, supported by a trade group with Baffert among its directors. 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. Baffert has been married twice and has five children: four with his first wife, Sherry: Taylor, Canyon, Forest, and Savannah. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. It basically said something under his control is associated with these fatalities, Arthur said, but regulators couldnt act without evidence of a rules violation. Baffert's horses have won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks. This America's different." pic . Bob Baffert: Judge denies his request to lift two-year Churchill Downs "We live in a different world now. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. Tinsley declined to comment. The trainer was Baffert. His most serious infraction was also his first. Hes Mr. Teflon.. The colt skipped the Belmont Stakes but became the champion three-year-old colt that year. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. A recent conversation about the tragedy of horse deaths wended its way back to the defense of his reputation. 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. [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 first two infractions occurred in May 2020, when the horses Charlatan and Gamine tested positive in Arkansas for lidocaine, a numbing agent. 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. "So now even our Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, is a junky," Trump's statement read. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Baffert is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, and has several top prospects for the May 5 race. Attorneys argue 90-day suspension would end Bob Baffert's racing career 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. Another day passed before it was discovered the colt was administered a topical ointment for a rash that contained betamethasone. The trainer was fined $2,500. Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. 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 2012, Baffert saddled Bodemeister, named for the trainer's youngest son, Bode, to second-place finishes in the Derby and Preakness. 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. And Madeline Auerbach, who later became a CHRB commissioner, had partnered with Baffert in thoroughbred breeding.
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