\nThere is no real dispute that the Medina Spirit positive came from the use of an ointment on his skin,\u201d<\/strong> Baffert said. \u201cNo trainer has ever been fined or suspended for use of a topical salve, according to the KHRC. No trainer has been denied a stay of the stewards ruling pending a good faith appeal and basic due process. I want to trust in the system but my confidence is being tested.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nIf the 90-day suspension were to start on April 4, it would prevent Baffert from entering in any of the Triple Crown races. After the May 7 Derby, the Preakness Stakes is set for May 21, and the Belmont Stakes will take place on June 11.<\/p>\n
Besides Churchill Downs implementing its own ban, the New York Racing Association, which operates Belmont Park, is also considering its own action against Baffert. Its initial suspension last year was struck down by a federal judge, who ruled that the NYRA failed to give the trainer due process. NYRA officials held a hearing in January on the matter.<\/p>\n
Major Kentucky Derby Preps Start This Weekend<\/h2>\n As part of the suspension it placed on Baffert last year after Medina Spirit\u2019s drug test, Churchill Downs banned Baffert from all of its tracks across the country. It also would not allow any of his horses to earn points in Kentucky Derby qualifiers held at other tracks.<\/p>\n
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If Baffert pulls a legal version of a daily double – getting a stay in Kentucky and an injunction in federal court \u2013 he could have several horses make the field. If you were to count the points they\u2019ve been denied, four Baffert horses would rank currently in the top 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Corniche, who won the Breeders\u2019 Cup Juvenile last year, would have 30 points. That would put him in the top 10. However, he has yet to race this year as a 3-year-old.<\/p>\n
Two other horses, Newgrange and Doppelganger, would have 20 points each, but the colt that might be Baffert\u2019s best chance is Messier, who would have 14.<\/p>\n
The Kentucky Derby prep race schedule kicks into high gear starting this weekend with the UAE Derby and the Louisiana Derby. Both races will award 100 qualifying points to the winner, 40 to the runner-up, and 20 and 10 to the third- and fourth-place finishers, respectively.<\/p>\n
Baffert cannot enter any horses in the Louisiana Derby since it is at Churchill-owned Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. However, he does have another horse, Pinehurst, a winner in three of five starts, entered in the UAE.<\/p>\n
Other 100-point races that could attract Baffert horses are Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 2, and the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park on April 9.<\/p>\n
Racing Scandals Erode Bettor Confidence<\/h2>\n The Baffert lawsuits come as racing around the world deals with doping scandals worldwide.<\/p>\n
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Earlier this week, police in France, Italy, and Spain arrested nearly two dozen horsemen as part of an investigation into banned products. Suspects may face charges of drug trafficking and fraud, The Sun<\/i> reported. In Louisiana, four-quarter horse trainers received suspensions after their horses tested positive for Zilpaterol, which racing website Paulick Report<\/i> described as a drug used commonly in cattle to build their body fat and muscle before going to slaughter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Ray Paulick, the publisher of the Paulick Report and a longtime racing industry writer, lamented on Twitter<\/a> late Tuesday night about the state of the sport. It included a screenshot of a message he received from an unnamed \u201clong time player\u201d who questioned how many times he lost a race \u2013 and won a race \u2013 because of drugs.<\/p>\n“Confidence in the game may be at an all-time low,\u201d<\/strong> Paulick tweeted.<\/p>\nSome say having Baffert sit out would help with that. PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo called for Baffert to consider a permanent retirement from the sport if he winds up serving the suspension.<\/p>\n
Animal Wellness Action Executive Director Marty Irby said in a statement after Wingate\u2019s ruling that Baffert has avoided consequential penalties for past transgressions.<\/p>\n
“The Run for the Roses will be paved with more credibility than we\u2019ve seen in many years if Baffert and his horses are not present,\u201d Irby said. \u201c\u2026Unlike the Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrongs of the world, horses have no voice or choice in what substances or drugs are impacting their performance or welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Time is running out on Bob Baffert\u2019s chances to get in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. The Hall of Fame racing trainer had his 2021 win stripped after stewards with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) disqualified Medina Spirit. The horse had excessive amounts of betamethasone in his system at the time of last year\u2019s race. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":206471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Bob Baffert Sees Time Running Out on Ky Derby, Triple Crown Chances<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n