What goods? if it's drug use then you wouldn't have horse racing. I'm pretty sure every trainer has had a horse test positive for a banned substance. You either throw them all out or you don't. Picking and choosing is discriminatory.

You are being naive. Has every corrupt politician around faced a Federal investigation? All the G has to do is decide they want him. Good publicity.

It’s that. The twenty something prior transgressions got a blank stare. Hell, in Cali they conspired to cover a major one up for months. And you got Rubes calling it hate for pointing the truth out. But you mess with the derby, oaks or some of these preps and the daggers will come out. I said this when it all broke , stepped over the line on this one and it ain’t going away. People are digging in this time. He is just too arrogant to wake up and smell the coffee. Like I said before he is not the king he thinks he is……. The real power is turning the dogs loose because he didn’t shut up and take it.

I'm not naive. You made my point. They are trying to make an example of him because he's high profile. They all cheat. Just like the steroid era in baseball. Bonds and Clemens get crucified whereas guys like Piazza, Bagwell, Biggio and Pudge Rodriguez are welcomed into the Hall of Fame. It's a joke. D Wayne Lukas's horses were all drugged to the max when he was on top and the sport nor government did anything . His record has gone downhill since he hasn't had a drug positive. My point is it's discrimination to go after one guy like this with excessive bans. If they want stiffer penalties then do it to everybody, not a slap on the wrist. give them all 2 year suspensions.

I think some of you guys are getting silly. He is accused of, and admitted to, a several picogram overage of a legal therapeutic drug that trainers all over the country use legally. As far as we can tell from public disclosure all they can show is that he “probably” gambled and administered it later than the suggested window that ensures it would be out of the horse’s system by race time. If it wasn’t Baffert and the Derby he probably would have gotten another slap on the wrist.

You have an incorrect definition of discrimination.

If you run red lights all the time, and a number of other people run them with some frequency, it isn't discrimination that the cops pull you over. At worst you can say it is bad luck.

And if you, unlike the others, get caught running a red light at the most important intersection in town and the others didn't, it's really not discrimination.

You are demanding either perfect enforcement or no enforcement. NO legal system could live up to your standard.

I guess this would be the first time the G ever made an example of someone. Whatever Baffert gets he richly deserves. He made himself a target.

It was the Derby though.

And by the way, I don't believe Baffert. I think trainers lie about these things. When's the last time ANY trainer just flat admitted he doped a horse.

One reason we have testing and suspensions is because trainers are never going to be honest about this sort of thing. So instead of crediting explanations, we should be saying "we don't care, you figure out how to not test positive".

He agreed the horse was positive based on subsequent tests.

He disagrees on how the positive came about.

This is a very disingenuous statement. The overage is per milliliter of blood, which means there were at least 1,050,000 picograms in the horse's system. Since this drug masks pain, it is dangerous to both horse and rider when racing with betamethasone.

The rule is the rule. He broke it. So he should be suspended and the horse DQ’d, but this was a very low level of the drug. In the past it was probably too low to even generate a positive. I didn’t see a quote by a single vet saying this level of positive was in any way performance enhancing.

Let's pretend he actually doped the horse. Would he admit it or would he say the same thing he is saying?

His statement is therefore worthless as proof.

You're right. Because this drug doesn't make horses run faster, it's not considered performance-enhancing. What it does do, though, is allow a horse to run through pain, which is dangerous. It allows a sore horse to pass a vet inspection, also not good.

Baffert isn't cheating with what he got caught for. Read the Navarro/Servis transcripts about testing.

Maybe it was an honest mistake. There are different formulations of that drug, administered to different parts of horses with varying weights and achieving varying results.

Baffert's history is not helpful.

Unfortunately for Bob, he can not give PEDs or analgesics to his lawyers.

No you have the wrong definition. Many trainers have had drug positives, yet they are not banned from the Derby, BC or Nyra tracks. That's the definition of discrimination. I'm not defending Baffert per se. I want consistency. Just like baseball. You either keep them all out of the Hall of Fame or you don't. You either ban trainers the same amount of time or you don't. This was a small infraction compared to others. It's a witch hunt, nothing more.

Agreed then moving forward every trainer with a failed drug test should be treated the same. 2 year suspension from Churchill, no BC races and banned from Nyra tracks. Correct?

When you combine all the horse deaths of the same heart related issues in 2013 and having at least 5 horses of a lifetime every year, and their truly extraordinary performances it's an easy call. And all of it was enabled by the CHRB

You are asking for exactitudes where they do not exist.

The reason a witch hunt is a witch hunt is because witchery shouldn't be illegal.

And no, you don't want "consistency". You want to excuse criminality. If OJ gets off for murder, we can't arrest anyone for murder.

I don't think you really believe your position. I don't think you would say "sure, let a criminal loose in my neighborhood because not every criminal gets caught". This is a special position that you only apply to Baffert. It's insincere, fatuous bunk.

Fine with me. You get 2 years for a first offense in track and field.

Well they should. Don't you think?

I do believe my position. I'm confused by yours. I don't want to excuse criminality. I want everyone held to the same standard, not picking and choosing who to ban. It's not a position I only hold Baffert to. I want everyone else held to the same standard they are trying to hold him to now. The next time a trainer has a horse test positive. I want him or her to also be banned from all Nyra tracks and Churchill for 2 years as well as any BC race. If they are not then they are discriminating against Baffert. I don't see how you could see it any other way. Why wasn't Drug O'neill banned? Pletcher, Mcpeek, Rudy Rodriguez have multiple drug violations, yet no bans. Could it be becaude they provide Nyra with a lot of entries? Probaby. Baffert is A California trainer. It doesn't affect their bottom line. Let's see what they do the next time Rudy or Todd comes up with a positive. My guess would be a short suspension along with a pocket change fine.

Agreed. Then they will hide the results of the tests because there would be no trainers left. It's all politics and a PR move. They want to do it for good PR nothing more.

The US has 50 different states and all have their own laws and precedents. The federal government has its own laws and precedents. Enforcement actions cannot be completely uniform. There are always aggravating and mitigating factors. What you are asking for might be possible in Utopia, but it is not possible here. If I were Baffert, I would start searching for mitigating factors. Lotsa luck with that.

Ummm...Churchill Downs is doing that for them. Be careful who you root for...you get lumped in with them.

^^^This^^^

Get lost, Troll.

FYI they race in other parts of the world where drug rules are enforced. It hasn't killed the sport.

This ain't his first rodeo. That's really the point, I believe. He's been suspended and caught a bunch of times...plus there are other suspicions that have swirled around him for years...

That plus you don't mess with the Derby.

It’s not the derby, you don’t mess with what the derby does to the breeding shed

Ok then why is Nyra getting involved in what Baffert did at Churchill? What rules did Baffert violate in New York?

I'm not rooting for anyone. I just want consistency. Let's see what Churchill does next time a trainer has a horse test positive at their track. If it's anything less then what Baffert got it's bs. I want all drug cheats out not to just pick and choose like the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Compare the number of races and tracks and how often they run their horses in any other country to the U.S and get back to me. I's not even close

The "what about this guy" and "what about that guy" is why he's still Training and it gets us nowhere. He's the biggest, he's the guy who had 7 horses die in a short period of time all of the same heart related issues, and he's the guy with a positive in the Oaks and Derby. Going after Baffert is long overdue. Most other Trainers wouldn't be in business after the horse deaths in 2013. And yes, they should get rid of a lot more of these guys.

You can’t get all drug cheats at once, and you shouldn’t ignore one because you can’t get them all at the same time

The problem is...what you want will never happen in the real world. Looking at it from your point of view...who else in the history of the Kentucky Derby has trained a Horse who subsequently had a positive test? There have been two instances. One paid the price...the other will soon. That pretty much puts your "consistency" argument to rest.