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 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. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. But hes a good person, no, a great person. There are no secrets on the backside.. The public backlash, including a letter written by a gay. This America's different." pic . Baffert's horses have won seven Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Oaks. By then, Bafferts encounters with regulators dated back decades, to 1977, when he served a yearlong suspension for racing a horse on morphine. He was born on January 13, 1953, in Nogales, AZ. 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. Most were for excessive use of phenylbutazone, a commonly used anti-inflammatory known as bute. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. 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. The colt lost the Belmont Stakes after breaking poorly from the starting gate. The board followed their recommendation. 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. Time after time its not his fault. His primary attorney is Craig Robertson, who represents him in all regulatory matters, but he has recused himself from any action against Churchill Downs because his law firm does business with the company, creating a conflict of interest. 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. Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. Gagliano, the Jockey Club president, denied that the group had any knowledge of whom 5 Stones investigated, outside of the eventual indictments. Baffert, however, became the first trainer in history to win the Derby and Preakness in back-to-back years. [8][37] That case was eventually dismissed as the regulators concluded the facts supported an instance of feed contamination. Justify faced disqualification from his victory in the Santa Anita Derby that would cost his owners a partnership of wealthy interests their share of the $600,000 first-place purse. ), Arthur has defended his handling of the Justify positive. 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. 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. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. 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. Baffert has trained horses that won fifteen American Classic Races, fifteen Breeders' Cup races, four Dubai World Cups and the inaugural Pegasus World Cup. 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 . The veterinarian chalked up Bafferts response to ignorance. 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. 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. At one point, the regulators effort included searching for exonerating evidence in a literal haystack. 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. . There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. Decorated racehorse trainer who won multiple Kentucky Derbies, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. There were at least 39 trainers with more fatalities to their name than Baffert during that period. Former Democratic congressman Dennis Cardoza, also on the board, was co-owner with Pegram of Shakin It Up, a successful thoroughbred trained by Baffert. The first two infractions occurred in May 2020, when the horses Charlatan and Gamine tested positive in Arkansas for lidocaine, a numbing agent. Hal Earnhardt, an Arizona car dealer and Bafferts oldest client, introduced him to Pegram, who made his money in fast-food franchising. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. He told reporters that he would fight the issue "tooth and nail. 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. Were going to get through it.. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. In fact, Bafferts horses, at 8.3 deaths per 1,000 starts, have died at a significantly higher rate than Hollendorfers, at 6.25. [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. The new classification simply makes more sense pharmacologically, Arthur wrote. 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. Trainer Bob Baffert celebrates after his horse, Authentic, won the Kentucky Derby in September 2020. State investigators found that his staff was mixing a potentially dangerous prescription drug into the feed of every horse in his care. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. Jerry Hollendorfer has the most deaths with 122. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious. 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.. 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. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. In fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said. 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. [2] Baffert and his family reside in California. Hes a very unique personality, a unique sense of humor. Wizards show plenty of heart early but cant find an edge late in Chicago. In the court of public opinion, hes a big loser, said Barry Irwin, owner of racing group Team Valor and an outspoken critic of race-day medication and Baffert. The Kentucky Derby winner is staying ahead of . After Arthur cleared Baffert of wrongdoing, the legislation was abandoned. Only once has a Kentucky Derby winner been disqualified for a medication violation. Bafferts attorney argued in court that the trainers May suspension by the New York Racing Assn. Baffert also trained the 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify and the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic. 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.. 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. Hes good.. 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. The goal, the people familiar said, was to get Baffert to support languishing reforms in the sport. He tried his hand at substitute teaching before he started training horses full time. He's a cheat and an asshole, and I hope Medina Spirit gets taken down and his connections are denied the $1.8 million first-place check. 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.. By then, Justify had won the Triple Crown, one of the rarest achievements in sports. California counts all fatalities of horses in a trainers care, including breakdowns during training, not just racing deaths. Baffert dedicated American Pharoah's win to Bobby. 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. 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. Being a horse trainer is tough enough because its such an up-and-down, emotional roller coaster, Baffert said. Baffert also has wielded unmatched clout when regulators have discovered banned or excessive substances in his horses. It subsequently said any horses running for a suspended trainer (Baffert) would not be eligible for Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points. Trainer Bob Baffert stands outside his barn at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Medina . What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. The California Horse Racing Boards inner workings during the episode have remained mostly shrouded by official secrecy. Baffert's attorney argued in court that the trainer's May suspension by the New York Racing Assn. 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. But the overall record indicates that he may not be running as tight a ship as he should.. CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. It was then that Baffert, one of the most accessible trainers in horse racing, stopped talking until this week. ), 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. 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. This horse was going to run at the Triple Crown, Arthur said. 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. The bottom line, he said, is if youre a horse in Bob Bafferts barn, youre there to work.. But when factoring in the number of races run, Bafferts horses have died at the highest rate of the 10 trainers who have had the most horse deaths. Bob had the personality and he was honest. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. Brodnik presented the board with a two-page memo stating an extensive investigation was conducted and the evidence proves that this was an environmental contamination incident. Baedeker and Arthur recommended the pending matters against Baffert be dismissed, according to the states legal analysis. [33], In February 2022, Baffert was suspended 90 days and fined $7,500 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. FILE - In this Monday July 12, 2021 file photo, horse trainer Bob Baffert leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. 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. A 4/C violation meant minor punishment that wouldnt typically involve disqualifying the horse or redistributing winnings. LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. High Connection won the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby by 1 3/4 lengths Saturday, giving trainer Bob Baffert his second victory on the card in his return to competition after serving a 90-day suspension. 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 . [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. But hes Bob, he has to speak his mind.. Bob Baffert wakes up most every day with one thing in mind, winning another Kentucky Derby. 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. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. At least 74 horses have died in Bafferts care in his home state of California since 2000, more than all but two of hundreds of trainers in the state, according to a Post analysis of data and public records. Four months after that, in May 2014, Arthur issued an advisory that the CHRB was concerned by the apparently indiscriminate use of thyroxine and that the drug must be prescribed for a specific horse for a specific condition. Arthur told The Post that the advisory was a result of the Baffert investigation. A CHRB investigator, searching for Jimson weed, had found a leafy substance at Santa Anita Park, the records show, and following the Derby, Arthur and the CHRBs lawyer agreed to have it tested. In raw numbers, most of Baffert's medication violations were for exceeding allowed amounts of authorized medications such as phenylbutazone, a pain medication commonly administered to horses. It bothers me when hes not considered the Kentucky Derby winner.. 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. Baffert is America's pre-eminent active trainer. A week after that, Baffert learned of the positive test. Hollendorfers lawyer, Drew Couto, has claimed his client is being unfairly blamed for a high-profile spike of deaths at the track. 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. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. On July 15, 2020, Deputy Attorney General Robert Petersen sent his initial case assessment to Brodnik. 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 horses positive test for a banned substance, according to confidential records obtained by The Washington Post that fully detail the saga for the first time. Medina Spirit died after a training session on 6 December 2021 and an ensuing necropsy on 11 February 2022 was inconclusive. 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. Mr. Horse-racing deaths, like much of the sport, are shrouded by a disjointed bureaucracy. "We live in a different world now. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. 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. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOCs political action committee, California records show.
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