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.
Bob Baffert Family, Net Worth, Parents, Wife, Sons, Education And Baffert is the biggest name in horse racing, even bigger than the animals he conditions. In 2010, Misremembered, a horse he bred, owned by his wife Jill and their friend George Jacobs, won the Santa Anita Handicap, marking Baffert's first Grade I win as a breeder instead of a trainer. The bill was introduced by California Assemblyman Adam Gray, a former aide to Cardoza who had been in office for less than three months.
'It was cancel culture': Kentucky Derby winner's trainer defends failed 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. 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.
EXPLAINER: Why is Bob Baffert not in the Kentucky Derby? - Spectrum News 1 This pattern has bred frustration among some horsemen. Trainer Bob Baffert stands outside his barn at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2016, in Louisville, Ky. Medina . Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. Wizards show plenty of heart early but cant find an edge late in Chicago. This time, he aided the CHRBs search for Jimson weed. A recent conversation about the tragedy of horse deaths wended its way back to the defense of his reputation. The 77-year-old billionaire made headlines last year when he made a $10,000 contribution to opponents of Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance. 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. In each instance, the death is investigated. [42] He had been paid $200,000 to allow the Burger King to stand behind him in the grandstand during the televised broadcast of the Belmont, after having turned down $150,000 to allow the mascot to appear with him at the Preakness. 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]. [10][12] However, his violations for use of prohibited medications has sparked controversy. In fact, Bafferts horses, at 8.3 deaths per 1,000 starts, have died at a significantly higher rate than Hollendorfers, at 6.25. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. Carson Valley was killed in a freak accident in 2019 at Del Mar when a loose horse crashed into the Baffert trainee. In fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said.
Bob Baffert says Derby horse Medina Spirit was 'cancelled.' Here's what 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. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. If the complaint was ruled on quickly enough, it would have made Justify ineligible for the Kentucky Derby. His most serious infraction was also his first. He still has a responsibility as the face of the game but I dont think hell overcome [this] because his personality wont allow him to do it.. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. [21][22] Sports Illustrated suggested that the positive drug test was a sign that Baffert's "leaking credibility" had reached "the saturation point. (The trainer and jockey usually get 10 percent each.) The deadliest period came between 2000 and 2005, when 34 of Bafferts horses in California died. All they show is contamination, and they have really put the trainers heads on the chopping blocks. He rejoined The Times in 2009 and left his post as deputy sports editor late in 2017. Yakteen rose to Bafferts defense and it ended with a scuffle that slightly injured a security guard.
Celebrities Who Are Republicans/Conservatives - HubPages 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. But in 2019, he was banned from Santa Anita Park and affiliated tracks after four of his horses died there in six months. Drop dead while galloping, read a California Horse Racing Board vets account of the first horses death in November 2011. That investigation led to the indictments that Baffert said spurred him to embrace more oversight, so the cheaters would be quickly caught and punished.. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. He has won the Kentucky Oaks three times: first in 1999 with Silverbulletday, who was later selected for the Hall of Fame, then with Plum Pretty in 2011 and with Abel Tasman in 2017. [33], In February 2022, Baffert was suspended 90 days and fined $7,500 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. Robert A. Baffert is an American Racehorse Trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. Arthur also presented exercise histories for the horses that showed they worked harder than average. The 69-year-old Hall of Fame trainer is suing Churchill Downs Inc. in federal court to end his suspension.
One of the biggest assholes and cheats of all time, horse-racing [8] His first suspension was in 1977 for misuse of morphene, but thereafter he had no violations for the next eight years. Bob is trying to put 2020 behind him and move forward in a positive manner, Robertson wrote in an e-mail to Borden. Instead of promptly filing a public complaint against Baffert, the CHRB kept the positive result secret while Arthur conducted a lengthy investigation. Several members of the Breeders Cup board have used Baffert as their trainer. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. The board followed their recommendation. But hes Bob, he has to speak his mind.. 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 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. Arthur, the equine medical director, took issue with Petersens legal finding that the CHRBs handling of the case could be declared arbitrary or capricious.
Bob Baffert - Bio, News, Photos - Washington Times Officials worked secretly to clear Bob Bafferts Justify amid 2018 Triple Crown run, records show. [2][4], Baffert established his early reputation with less expensive horses like Silver Charm and Real Quiet, bought for $16,500 and $17,000 respectively. But Arthurs report said Hollywood Park used a different sort of poison than that found in the necropsy. 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. 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.. [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. Earlier data was unreliable, the racing publication said. He declined to answer further questions. 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.. 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 . 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. And he does know generally when to stop on a horse.. 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. Some of the earlier violations do give you pause. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. Thats much higher than the Jockey Clubs widely cited national rates, which never exceed two deaths per 1,000 starts. This America's different." pic . How carefully the dosage was followed was not determined, Arthur wrote. But even in those cases, which were handled according to established rules, the horses were disqualified and their winning purses were forfeited. In that period, 36% of all cardiac related horse deaths in California were animals trained by Baffert. A court, the states lawyer wrote, could find that the CHRB abused its discretion and acted in a manner that was arbitrary, capricious, or entirely lacking in evidentiary support.. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Testimonies have begun in the case of horse trainer Bob Baffert against Churchill Downs. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOCs political action committee, California records show. 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. Hospital food is a punchline. The longest his suspension from Kentucky would be is 30 days, which would be honored by all racing jurisdictions. 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. By then, Justify had won the Triple Crown, one of the rarest achievements in sports. Yeah, sure, hes a wiseass and irreverent. 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 responded: Zero tolerance?, Robertson, Bafferts attorney, then tried to negotiate for Baffert to avoid potential suspensions in both Arkansas and Kentucky. That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? 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. Racing lacks a central clearinghouse for data on deaths nationally, and regulators in many states do not track deaths by trainer. Bob had the personality and he was honest. 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. May 10, 2021. The. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. Bob Baffert blamed "cancel culture" after his horse, Medina Spirit, who won the Kentucky Derby, failed its post-race drug test. Jerry Hollendorfer has the most deaths with 122. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOC's political action committee, California records show. [19][20] On May 11, Baffert stated Medina Spirit had dermatitis, for which an ointment containing betamethasone was used. When asked about that plan, attorney Brewster said that in fact 5 Stones did investigate Baffert at the direction of the Jockey Club. When the CHRB also decided to run DNA tests on the horses blood samples, the records show Arthur said the request would be a big deal and asked if they could wait until after the Preakness, which was 10 days away. Some of my friends swear that I'm actually a conservative Democrat. 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. A week after that, Baffert learned of the positive test. PUBLISHED 9:20 AM ET Jul. Baffert is America's pre-eminent active trainer. When Arthur delivered his report in November 2013, the bill to remove him from office was still pending. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. If you lose 75% of the time, youre considered really, really good. Scopolamine, Baedeker wrote, can be injected but very often is the result of feed or straw that has been contaminated with Jimson weed., Arthur had previously suggested he didnt consider Jimson weed contamination to be a serious threat, writing in a 2016 memo that the likelihood under our current procedures of getting a positive from environmental contamination is rather low. In an interview this week, Arthur said he meant that such incidences were infrequent but said that in California, if you have a scopolamine positive, its going to be associated with Jimson weed thats just the reality of it., On April 26, records show, Arthur emailed CHRB officials that he had talked to Bob and informed him the proceedings would not immediately interfere with Justifys Triple Crown schedule. And Madeline Auerbach, who later became a CHRB commissioner, had partnered with Baffert in thoroughbred breeding. 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. 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. Baffert also trained the 2018 Triple Crown Winner, Justify and the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner, Authentic. On May 5, Justify won the Kentucky Derby, upping the stakes of the investigation. "We live in a different world now. He saddled Paynter in the Belmont Stakes later that year, but that colt, like his stablemate Bodemeister, finished second. 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. To the newspaper, she. 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. Every investigation over the past 20 years has reached the same conclusion: no rules or regulations have been violated nor has there been any improper activity on Bobs part., Brewster also said that the vast majority of Bafferts drug-related violations, as tracked by ARCI, shouldnt be counted because they were too old or related to overages of otherwise-allowed drugs in a horse, which he dismissed as like coming to work with too much Advil in your system., Robertson said in an e-mail that [n]o one has done more for horse racing and is better for the sport than Bob Baffert, and he listed various awards the trainer has received, including being inducted into four separate Hall of Fames. Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. Horse owner and racing reform advocate Barry Irwin has stated, "He's Mr. 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. 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. 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.
Judge Denies Baffert Request to Reverse Churchill Downs Ban The 74 total deaths since 2000 put Baffert third among trainers. Mr. 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. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. 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]. Baffert was fined $10,000. Does his love of the camera sometimes bite him? asked longtime owner and friend Mike Pegram. It was an easy suspension to serve as Baffert was in school and not doing much training. was unconstitutional after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a postrace drug test. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. Both trainers were fined $500. His American Pharaoh horse won the Triple Crown in 2015. 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. "What a way to come back," said Baffert, whose punishment by the Kentucky Horse . But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. Arthur is retiring at the end of June from a job often consumed by the scandals of a single trainer. 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. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. 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..
Hearings begin for Bob Baffert's case against Churchill Downs ban In the next six months, three of his horses tested positive for banned or excessive substances four times in California, Arkansas and Kentucky. Baedeker said that before they made their recommendation to the board, they consulted with the states Office of the Attorney General, for which Petersen works, and received concurrence . No horse loving person like Bob or his entire team accepts the reality of a horse death with anything other than sadness and despair, the lawyers said in their statement. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. 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. By then, Bafferts encounters with regulators dated back decades, to 1977, when he served a yearlong suspension for racing a horse on morphine. Its not uncommon to find trainers who dont understand medications and how different medications work, Arthur said. All of the explanations for the positive drug tests are plausible, but collectively they raise questions. 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. The 5-year-old mare was the seventh seemingly healthy horse from that barn to drop dead in 16 months. [8][37] That case was eventually dismissed as the regulators concluded the facts supported an instance of feed contamination. 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. Baffert is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, and has several top prospects for the May 5 race. Baffert grew up on a ranch in Nogales, Arizona, where his family raised cattle and chickens. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. [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. Bob Baffert has supporters and detractors in how he deals with jockeys By John Cherwa Special Contributor Nov. 2, 2016 4:28 PM PT Bob Baffert, still fresh and snappy after hours of morning. Teflon."[11]. "[10], However, over 30 horses Baffert trained have failed drug tests. 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. Another day passed before it was discovered the colt was administered a topical ointment for a rash that contained betamethasone. Has his success made people hate him more? The colt went on to win the Preakness Stakes, giving the trainer his third shot at winning the Triple Crown. Horse trainer Bob Baffert before the 2020 Breeders Cup at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Trainer Bob Baffert pets an outriders horse while watching workouts at Churchill Downs in April. In the past three years, there were 188 deaths involving either racing or training in California.
April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. The trainer was Baffert. 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. But the scuttled test result remained secret until the New York Times reported it in 2019. 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 married his second wife, Jill, a former television reporter based in Louisville, in 2002. [15], At a news conference on May 9, Baffert initially said that Medina Spirit was never administered betamethasone. American Pharoah next won the 140th Preakness Stakes, making six victories in that race for Baffert, who also finished fourth with Dortmund. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. Baffert dedicated American Pharoah's win to Bobby. He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. 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. Pegram persuaded Baffert to try thoroughbreds. Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Gray's . 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. Gagliano, the Jockey Club president, denied that the group had any knowledge of whom 5 Stones investigated, outside of the eventual indictments.
[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 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. There were at least 39 trainers with more fatalities to their name than Baffert during that period. Kaleem Shah, an owner who split with Baffert in 2016, defended the trainer over the horse deaths. He has won the Kentucky Derby five times. A CHRB spokesman said the agency could not comment or make any employees available for an interview, citing the pending litigation.