bob baffert political affiliation

On July 15, 2020, Deputy Attorney General Robert Petersen sent his initial case assessment to Brodnik. Cherwa also contributes general interest stories from Florida. It went exactly according to the lawyers plan. Even then, he would not talk about the specifics of the cases against him. 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. The 74 total deaths since 2000 put Baffert third among trainers. Medina Spirit departed Churchill Downs in a van before dawn on Monday, bound for Baltimore (a horse van, not Jeff Spicoli's VW bus ). Two months later, the PAC contributed $2,000 to Grays successful election committee. 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. . [27][28] On July 14 the suspension was reversed by U. S. Federal District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon sitting in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Baffert is the biggest name in horse racing, even bigger than the animals he conditions. But in this case, Arthur urged a lighter penalty based on his suggestion the CHRB downgrade the drug. Baffert has saddled 34 horses in the Derby third-most in history since his first appearance in 1996. But after learning that Justify and another Baffert horse had tested positive for the same drug, Arthur announced in an e-mail to CHRB officials: The scopolamine cases will be handled differently than usual. Arthur said in a recent interview that he was referring to the logistics of what was clearly going to be a high-profile case that needed to be handled carefully.. In his teens, he worked as a jockey for $100 a day in informal Quarter Horse races on the outskirts of Nogales. But the sports new governing authority will not take over until mid-2022. 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. Baffert trained Lookin At Lucky, co-owned by Mike Pegram, to win the Preakness Stakes in 2010. Robertson blamed the frequency of Bafferts drug-related violations on how often his horses are tested after winning races and said, Horse racings regulations need to catch up with the sensitivity of modern day testing., Jockey Club President James L. Gagliano dismissed that frequent complaint from Baffert. In fact, at some point Id like to get back together with Bob, Shah said. Robert A. Baffert is an American Racehorse Trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. The attorney generals office referred all questions to the CHRB. I told him I thought there was a good indication that these were feed contamination.. The dark side of Bob Baffert's reign. [9] Point Given was nominated in 2009, but elected and inducted in 2010. [citation needed], According to his supporters, Baffert's style and personality, combined with his success, have made him a target for controversy. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. The quest to find Jimson weed continued. To me, whats in the best interest of the sport is not seeing anyone being dogpiled on.. [24], On May 17, 2021, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) banned Baffert from entering Medina Spirit or any of his other horses in the 2021 Belmont Stakes or any other race at Belmont Park. But by August, the plan had changed. In 2015, Baffert trained the 2014 champion two-year-old colt American Pharoah to win the Triple Crown, the first to do so in 37 years. Baffert won the Derby a third time in 2002 with War Emblem. Hollendorfers lawyer, Drew Couto, has claimed his client is being unfairly blamed for a high-profile spike of deaths at the track. Baffert grew up on a cattle and chicken farm in Nogales, Ariz., near the Mexico border. He appeared in an episode of the TV show Take Home Chef. And promote he does, chatting with people he met one minute ago as if they were long-lost friends. 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. The positive test only emerged when the New York Times reported it more than a year later. Several members of the Breeders Cup board have used Baffert as their trainer. "We live in a different world now. Carson Valley was killed in a freak accident in 2019 at Del Mar when a loose horse crashed into the Baffert trainee. 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. A New York federal judge on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 nullified the suspension of horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky . [33], In February 2022, Baffert was suspended 90 days and fined $7,500 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The New York Racing Assn. 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. View . Bob Baffert wakes up most every day with one thing in mind, winning another Kentucky Derby. The public backlash, including a letter written by a gay. You wouldnt know it now.. Baffert has also had his share of horse fatalities, the other metric to which his critics point. But he said it wasnt clear from the records why the CHRB reversed course on filing a complaint against Baffert. Kaleem Shah, an owner who split with Baffert in 2016, defended the trainer over the horse deaths. As the Kentucky Derby approached, officials began discussing the possibility of contamination that the positive test had been triggered by something Justify ingested. PUBLISHED 9:20 AM ET Jul. 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. The owner was Kaleem Shah. If the complaint was ruled on quickly enough, it would have made Justify ineligible for the Kentucky Derby. Two Triple Crown winners and a signature shock of white hair will do that for a man. During a hearing, records show, Baffert argued the positive test could have been a result of his stable hands eating poppy seed bagels and muffins around the horse. Bob Baffert Family, Parents Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. In a scheme typical of the high-stakes warring behind the scenes in racing, four thoroughbred owners entered talks in 2015 with a private intelligence agency to dig up drug-related dirt on Baffert, according to multiple people with direct knowledge. Horse-racing deaths, like much of the sport, are shrouded by a disjointed bureaucracy. We might have gone to the board sooner, but obviously because of the high-profile nature of this thing we were making sure we had everything buttoned up, he said. Arthur also presented exercise histories for the horses that showed they worked harder than average. Other people may have made a different decision, but to say that there was no basis for that decision is pure bulls---, said Arthur, who announced his retirement this year. There have been so many false narratives that have come up and the hearing process isnt even done yet. It will all be settled by lawyers and judges and that takes time. [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. After the Times broke the news of the positive drug test, Ruis sued the CHRB in January 2020. 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. 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 . Another person who came to Bafferts defense was his former assistant Tim Yakteen, who now runs his own stable. Baffert, one of the most legendary trainers in American horse racing, has faced criticism and suspensions after his 2021 Kentucky Derby champion, Medina . A recent conversation about the tragedy of horse deaths wended its way back to the defense of his reputation. 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." Other trainers seem to navigate just fine.. Hospital food is a punchline. Hollywood Park closed in 2013, and the saga of the dead horses there faded quickly from the headlines. [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. Baffert said the horse was off the drug for 18 days before the race. It takes only a minute or so to walk from the racetrack at Santa Anita Park to the barns in back. They had a son in 2004 whom they named "Bode" (/bodi/ BOH-dee), after skier Bode Miller. 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. This horse was going to run at the Triple Crown, Arthur said. Despite the cautious approach of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which five months later still has not acted on the drug positive, or disqualified, Medina Spirit, Churchill Downs suspended the trainer for two years. He has never apologized to the public for trashing the game. Hes good.. 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. Great Read: Bob Baffert has come a long way in horse racing, Santa Anita opens Friday as prelude to Breeders Cup at Del Mar, Surging Crespi receives another strong performance from sophomore Diego Velazquez, High school baseball and softball: Fridays scores, With Marcus Morris sidelined, Clippers look to stabilize lineup and rotations, With their playoff lives at stake, Darvin Ham challenges Lakers effort and urgency. He views himself as an ambassador for the sport. 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. Baedeker and Arthur said in interviews that no matter how it was handled it would have been impossible to resolve the case that quickly. In his analysis, Petersen estimated the states chances of winning at trial to be 50 percent. Before his Kentucky Derby-winning colt, Medina Spirit, tested positive for betamethasone last month which could erase the victory his horses were cited for drug-related violations 29 times, according to the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). 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. 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. The previous August, Bob Baffert Racing Stables had donated $1,000 to the TOC's political action committee, California records show. The testing levels have become ridiculous, Baffert told a conference of racehorse veterinarians during his keynote speech in 2000, according to a trade publication. When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. Share on Facebook TWEET This 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 . Medina Spirit died after a training session on 6 December 2021 and an ensuing necropsy on 11 February 2022 was inconclusive. 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. We went there with expectations not very high. Petersen opined it would have been unfair to punish Baffert for what he called an oversight by CHRB staff and said there is no evidence to suggest a nefarious motive by the board. Some of the earlier violations do give you pause. 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. 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. He got his first big break in 1992 when he won his first Breeder's Cup race with Thirty Slews. Being a horse trainer is tough enough because its such an up-and-down, emotional roller coaster, Baffert said. 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.. Baffert's history in the American classic races began in 1996 when he trained a three-year-old colt named Cavonnier, who ran second in the Kentucky Derby. 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. But until now, those violations, some of which Baffert has succeeded in getting overturned or reduced, have resulted in roughly $20,000 in fines against $321 million in career earnings. Racing lacks a central clearinghouse for data on deaths nationally, and regulators in many states do not track deaths by trainer. When Arthur delivered his report in November 2013, the bill to remove him from office was still pending. This whole thing is ridiculous, Baffert texted back, according to messages obtained by The Post via public records request. Its more the friendship that I miss. A complaint is filed in every case where the split sample confirms the original laboratory finding, read an advisory on the CHRB website. FILE - In this Monday July 12, 2021 file photo, horse trainer Bob Baffert leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Medina Spirit had a legal medication in him, ONeill said. He saddled Paynter in the Belmont Stakes later that year, but that colt, like his stablemate Bodemeister, finished second. . State investigators found that his staff was mixing a potentially dangerous prescription drug into the feed of every horse in his care. ), 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. [25][26] On June 14, 2021, Baffert sued the NYRA alleging the association had no authority to suspend his license and that suspension "without prior notice" was a violation of the law. [43] At the post-Belmont press conference, Baffert announced he and his wife would be making donations of $50,000 each to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), and Old Friends Equine, all programs for retired race horses; and to the Permanently Disabled Jockey's Fund in memory of a Quarter Horse Jockey named Robert Z. 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. By the April 1 ruling, Baffert had already transferred four 3-year-old colts to other trainers. His graded stakes wins include nine wins in the Santa Anita Derby, nine in the Haskell Invitational Handicap, and fourteen in the Del Mar Futurity, a race he won seven straight times from 1996 to 2002, when it was a Grade II event. Gray declined to be interviewed for this story, instead issuing a statement declaring that the personal vendettas of others, perceived or otherwise, play no roll [sic] in the legislation I carry. His spokesman added that campaign contributions do not affect Grays policy proposals. Baffert has had two fatalities in the last three years, a low number for a barn of his size. There were at least 39 trainers with more fatalities to their name than Baffert during that period. Arthur B. Hancock III, a prominent thoroughbred owner, has for three decades been a leading proponent for eradicating drugs from the sport. I went under the radar. 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. Bob Baffert has taken up more of my time than I ever should have had to deal with, Arthur said, before again coming to the defense of Bafferts treatment of his horses: He certainly puts the pedal to the metal, but he doesnt close his eyes. After finishing last season strong, CJ Abrams is ready for more. Horse racing needs to cut off the head of the snake, Ruis said. The CHRB ruled it was caused by feed contamination, citing six other horses across four barns who also tested positive. It wasn't long after the running of the 123rd Kentucky Derby, where a grey . CHRB regulations state that its foreign substances guidelines are based on ARCI recommendations as modified by the state board. Baffert sued in federal court, claiming the two months off could cost him $11 million in purses. On June 2, with the Belmont Stakes a week away, the owner of a feed operation showed up at the CHRB office carrying plant samples he said he found more than a month earlier, the records show. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. Baffert says he plans to seek legal recourse wherever necessary. Currently, his major coverage area is horse racing, where he can be found at big races at Santa Anita, the Triple Crown series and Breeders Cup. "This is emblematic of what is happening to our country. The 90 day ban against Baffert was set to be honored in all 38 racing states. This pattern has bred frustration among some horsemen. 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. Shah said the two parted over disagreements that should have been resolved, without being specific. [19][20] On May 11, Baffert stated Medina Spirit had dermatitis, for which an ointment containing betamethasone was used. 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. 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.. Yes, I'm a registered Republican, although I've voted for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. to move forward. Petersen did not respond to an interview request. With upward of $1 million in yearly revenue drawn from wagering at tracks, the TOCs stated mission included establishing fair and reasonable medication rules and integrity standards., Baffert, the groups resident celebrity, was in business with several of his colleagues. How carefully the dosage was followed was not determined, Arthur wrote. Arthur said the TOC was behind the effort to oust him because of his criticism of Lasix. By Marty Irby. Ruis horse, Bolt dOro, finished second. Darrell Vienna, Ruiss attorney, said he would not have agreed to those stipulations but was not allowed to intervene. Betamethasone is mostly injected into the joints of horses to ease inflammation and, if the inflammation is reduced, any associated pain subsides. Baffert was recently suspended for 90 days by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, California Horse Racing Board, and the New York State Gaming Commission for drug violations in the 2021 Kentucky . 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.. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. (Pegram and Auerbach did not respond to interview requests. Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. 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. And because of that, he has become arrogant as hell. 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. California counts all fatalities of horses in a trainers care, including breakdowns during training, not just racing deaths. 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. All of the drugs were legal, just not in the amounts found on race day. But Bafferts critics say his conduct after penning the article calls into question his seriousness about reform. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. In 1997 he won his first Kentucky Derby with Silver Charm. There is nothing new here, he wrote. But they dont usually die in a cluster from a single barn for no clear reason. He was 10 when his father, Bill, bought a couple of quarter horses, plowed some land for a track and Bob started riding them before school each morning. CNN Hall of Fame horse trainer Bob Baffert will miss the Kentucky Derby for a second straight year after a federal judge denied his request to have a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc.. Asked whether he was surprised by the finding that Bafferts barn was the deadliest in California, Roberts laughed. In response to public records requests in Maryland, New Jersey and Kentucky, officials told The Post that they did not maintain digital records of horse deaths by trainer, instead keeping reams of copies of reports. Once again, the Hall of Fame. The first two infractions occurred in May 2020, when the horses Charlatan and Gamine tested positive in Arkansas for lidocaine, a numbing agent. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended from the home of the Kentucky Derby for two years after Medina Spirit's positive post-race drug was confirmed, the company that runs the. Nonetheless, in that case, Arkansas suspended Baffert for 15 days. He routinely challenges most sanctions, usually agreeing to accept fines but vigorously fighting suspensions. Baffert revisited the Derby the next year, sending two top colts, Real Quiet and Indian Charlie, to Louisville. Ruis is suing the CHRB for absolving Baffert of a positive for scopolamine, a byproduct of jimsonweed, after Justify tested for the drug after winning the 2018 Santa Anita Derby. Horse trainer Bob Baffert on Monday argued that Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had been a victim of "cancel culture" after the horse failed a postrace drug test . California keeps track of horse deaths by trainer, but there are errors and limits to the data. When Did threshold change and what were they before?, No amount of betamethasone is permitted in Kentucky races now, Borden wrote. The longest his suspension from Kentucky would be is 30 days, which would be honored by all racing jurisdictions. All they show is contamination, and they have really put the trainers heads on the chopping blocks. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. The drug was again betamethasone, and Baffert again expressed shock and vowed to clear his name. Pegram persuaded Baffert to try thoroughbreds. Baffert said the horse ingested hay after a groom, who was taking cough medicine, had urinated in the horses stall. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. Jerry Hollendorfer has the most deaths with 122. Horse trainer Bob Baffert, left, leaves federal court in Brooklyn on July 12. It basically said something under his control is associated with these fatalities, Arthur said, but regulators couldnt act without evidence of a rules violation. This was fun. 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 Post separately obtained start data dating back to 2000 from the Daily Racing Form to put the deaths into context. In winning the 141st Kentucky Derby, bringing his total number of victories in the race to four; Baffert also ran the third-place finisher, the previously undefeated colt Dortmund. Without that win, Justify would not have qualified to run in the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the Triple Crown, a month later. Bafferts lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. But in 2019, he was banned from Santa Anita Park and affiliated tracks after four of his horses died there in six months. Yeah, but thats what drives him. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. Those who have known Baffert the longest, including a core group of owners, recognize his flaws but generally remain steadfast in their support of him. [31][32] Additional charges were added on January 3, 2022. Board member Michael E. Pegram had for decades hired Baffert to train his top horses, including the winner of the 1998 Kentucky Derby, Real Quiet. 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. 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. 10, 2022. In 1977, as a part-time trainer, he was suspended for a year when one of his horses tested positive for morphine. Bell told an investigator he then checked other bales and found a branch and pods he thought were Jimson weed in the parking lot. However, Medina Spirit tested positive for the steroid betamethasone. This article was published more than1 year ago. Baffert dedicated American Pharoah's win to Bobby. I think much of the GOP political party is moving too far to the right. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Churchill Downs goes after suspended trainer Bob Baffert with new policy. In February, Kentucky racing officials decided against suspending Baffert, with Borden telling the Louisville Courier-Journal a lesser punishment was all in the course of being fair. And in April, Arkansas officials reversed the 15-day suspension for lidocaine positives that the trainer blamed on an assistants pain patch. That was one of the most exciting and enjoyable Derbies, Baffert said. In 2012, Baffert saddled Bodemeister, named for the trainer's youngest son, Bode, to second-place finishes in the Derby and Preakness. Political Cartoons. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. Baedeker this week acknowledged that they handled the process more slowly than usual. On Monday, Bell confirmed he helped with the search, adding Jimson weed has plagued California for years.. Baffert was granted a stay until April 4 to gain time for an appeal. 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. Hes won seven, more than anyone else in the 147-year history of the race. Two months after Arthur cleared Baffert, the legislation to limit his term died. Nine died in 2000, all but one from breakdowns. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. But in 2018, Arthur was still on the job when another Baffert-trained horse tested regulators willingness to challenge him. April 29, 2022 9:00 AM. Grays office told the committee that removing Dr. Arthur from his position, while intentional, is not the sole purpose of the bill, records show. Baffert has been married twice and has five children: four with his first wife, Sherry: Taylor, Canyon, Forest, and Savannah.

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