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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. FILE - In this Monday July 12, 2021 file photo, horse trainer Bob Baffert leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The board followed their recommendation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Churchill Downs goes after suspended trainer Bob Baffert with new policy. The week after Justify won the Preakness, bringing him to the cusp of the Triple Crown, test results came back showing the plant they had tested was milkweed. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. 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. . Hell do anything to win, and hes got all his bases covered politically, Barry Irwin, owner of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, said of Baffert. It was an easy suspension to serve as Baffert was in school and not doing much training. Baffert said in his autobiography it was a combination of ignorance and desperation. 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. 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. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. I felt that we wouldve been dumping this in their lap, that we wouldve been putting them in an unfair position, and that we needed to go ahead and do the difficult thing, quite frankly, which is take responsibility for the decision, Baedeker said. Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. 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. [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. 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. 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. 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.). Mick Ruis, who trained against Baffert for a couple years but now just manages his own racing business, once admired Baffert and his success, but no longer. 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. Earlier data was unreliable, the racing publication said. But the overall record indicates that he may not be running as tight a ship as he should.. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. 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. 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. 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. Share on Facebook TWEET This To the newspaper, she. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. 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. Baffert went to federal court and had the suspension overturned, but NYRA has called a scheduling conference on the trainer for Oct. 11. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. 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. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. In that period, 36% of all cardiac related horse deaths in California were animals trained by Baffert. 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. This time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. Two Triple Crown winners and a signature shock of white hair will do that for a man. 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. It was later discovered that horses from separate barns had also tested positive. Baffert has paid out over $20,000 in fines, but compared against over $321 million in career earnings. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. Clark Brewster, a nationally known trial attorney who represented adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her defamation suit against President Trump, will be Bafferts attorney in any litigation against Churchill Downs. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? But in 2019, he was banned from Santa Anita Park and affiliated tracks after four of his horses died there in six months. [7] Baffert became a 7-time winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2021 with Medina Spirit. He won his first race on that 1970 afternoon but not as a trainer. 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. I thought wed get fourth. ), 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. [19][20] On May 11, Baffert stated Medina Spirit had dermatitis, for which an ointment containing betamethasone was used. 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. Asked whether he was surprised by the finding that Bafferts barn was the deadliest in California, Roberts laughed. 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 consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. The winner's share of the $600 purse was $330. This America's different." pic . 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. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. 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. The CHRB ruled it was caused by feed contamination, citing six other horses across four barns who also tested positive. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. Bafferts lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. 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. The groom denied it. [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. But by August, the plan had changed. 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. 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. He also can be found at the Olympics, having just finished the Tokyo and Beijing double, marking his 11th Olympics. 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. But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. 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. Instead of promptly filing a public complaint against Baffert, the CHRB kept the positive result secret while Arthur conducted a lengthy investigation. However, Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. Another person who came to Bafferts defense was his former assistant Tim Yakteen, who now runs his own stable. Garcia left California horse racing the next year, according to CHRB records; he could not be reached for comment by The Post. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. In 2012, Baffert saddled Bodemeister, named for the trainer's youngest son, Bode, to second-place finishes in the Derby and Preakness. 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. Longtime client Mike Pegram explained, "Anybody who walks with that swagger, people are going to love him or hate himhe's a wiseass and irreverent." He acknowledged there was no way to determine if that bale was part of the delivery to Baffert, according to the records, but the CHRB investigator nonetheless submitted the sample for testing. Decorated racehorse trainer who won multiple Kentucky Derbies, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. Nine died in 2000, all but one from breakdowns. The trainer was fined $2,500. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. Political Cartoons. It wasnt long before Baffert was making pocket change riding the horses in match races. Shah said the two parted over disagreements that should have been resolved, without being specific. 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. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. Last October Gamine was disqualified from third to last in the Kentucky Oaks after betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory, was discovered in the horses system. 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. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOCs political action committee, California records show. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. Nonetheless, in that case, Arkansas suspended Baffert for 15 days. A recent conversation about the tragedy of horse deaths wended its way back to the defense of his reputation. 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. Hes a very unique personality, a unique sense of humor. That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. [As for whats going on now,] I dont like it but Im dealing with it. It takes only a minute or so to walk from the racetrack at Santa Anita Park to the barns in back. As he did so, a political group with Baffert on its board was involved in legislation that would result in Arthur losing his job. The public backlash, including a letter written by a gay. Following the publication of the report, Baffert tweeted: Im gratified that CHRB completed its investigation & found there was no wrongdoing. Arthur B. Hancock III, a prominent thoroughbred owner, has for three decades been a leading proponent for eradicating drugs from the sport. Thats much higher than the Jockey Clubs widely cited national rates, which never exceed two deaths per 1,000 starts. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. California keeps track of horse deaths by trainer, but there are errors and limits to the data. Baffert has also had his share of horse fatalities, the other metric to which his critics point. A three-member hearing panel has made the decision to suspend Hall of Fame horse trainer Bob Baffert for one year, effective immediately, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.