Churchill Downs on Monday extended the suspension of trainer Bob Baffert from the Kentucky Derby until 2024 and will accept responsibility for failing a post-race drug test for 2021 Derby winner Medina Spirit. Buffert has proven to be “unreliable.” This is to avoid future fraud. “
The suspension also applies to other racetracks owned by Churchill Downs.
In a statement, the derby organizers CDI cited Baffert’s long record of rule violations and repeated claims that he had done nothing wrong as reasons for the extension.
The company said it will reassess Baffert’s position in 2025.
“Mr. Baffert continues to spread false stories about failed drug tests in Medina Spirit,” the statement said. Medina Spirit, who finished first in the 2021 Derby, was disqualified by the Kentucky Racing Commission after testing positive for betamethasone, a potent corticosteroid used to reduce pain and inflammation. rice field.
A statement said Baffert signed an agreement before the race to abide by Kentucky’s racing rules. “The results of the investigation clearly showed that he did not comply, and his continued conduct will ensure the safety of horses and jockeys, and the integrity and fairness of racing at our facility. It makes clear that it continues to disregard the rules and regulations to do so,” the statement said.
In a statement posted on social media Monday night, Baffert claimed he hadn’t ignored the rules and was unable to spread the false story by not commenting publicly for a “long period.” bottom.
“I cannot comprehend the recent actions of Churchill Downs to suspend me,” he said.
Baffert is controversial for being one of the greatest trainers in Thoroughbred history. His horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times and he has been named champion trainer four times. He ranks third in the lifetime income rankings and has a purse of over $344 million.
Baffert also has a long record of breaking rules. The horses he trains have passed 30 drug tests in 40 years, most notably Medina his Spirit. The stallion was only the second horse in the Derby’s 149-year history to have its victory revoked for a drug offense.
The trainer has fought Churchill Downs and Kentucky regulators in state and federal courts. Injecting betamethasone into a horse’s joints can reduce pain and swelling. Baffert said the horse had been given a topical ointment for skin lesions, so the drug was included in Medina Spirit’s system.
Other Triple Crown winners honored Baffert’s suspension from Churchill Downs in 2021 and 2022, but Baffert returned to the Triple Crown this year at Baltimore’s Preakness Stakes. His horse National Treasure won the race, but another Baffert colt, Havna Meltdown, injured his leg in the undercard race and rolled to the ground and had to be euthanized on the track.
The incident undermined the credibility of racehorses among a public already concerned about the treatment of animals and increasingly interested in other forms of gambling, due to a spate of racehorse deaths, leading to the controversial Triple Crown season. ruined even more.
Following the cancellation of horse racing at Churchill Downs last month, state and federal regulators will continue to investigate the deaths of 12 horses at the track, two of them on the day of the Kentucky Derby, over a five-week period. I was able to
