I've noticed Belmont and Saratoga have quite a few "Invitational" races (i.e. Belmont Oaks Invitational). I know these are stakes races but what would stop or deter a track from making all of their races "invitational" races and then not invite certain high percentage trainers to run in these races?

Bring back handicap races and assign all the Baffert horses 150 pounds. LOL

Thanks for the clarification, but for him, that's pretty much the same thing. ;)

It's not, for a pretty big reason. Regulators have reciprocity rules. If KHRC, instead of Churchill, suspended him for 2 years, he'd basically be out of training for 2 years.

You are bringing up a different issue.

I said he was suspended in KY.

You clarified that he's only suspended by CD and not in KY. (thanks again)

He almost never runs in KY unless it's at CD or it's a KEE Breeder's Cup card. So basically, he's not going to be starting any horses in KY.

You've made it clear you want him out of the sport. I've made it clear I'd be happy with a harsh suspension and DQ and think 2 years by CD and NYRA will damage him severely all by itself for an infraction that usually just gets a slap because it's a therapeutic.

Yes, the vets do know the probabilites. After the Gamine Ky Oaks positive of Betamethason which the vets showed given outside the 14 day guideline, you are right that it would be a career suicide to even think about injecting remotely close to the 14 days. And the cream theory is hard to understand because there are smart horsemen in that shedrow..

Uh, in other sports, the athletes know the rules.


Comparing such things is pure insanity.



And if indeed you didn't care, then your every response on the topic wouldn't be penned with significant bias.

Uh, the horses may not "know the rules"...but their caretakers surely do.

In this sport, the athletes didn't consent to anything. That point cuts the other way.

Honestly more than I expected. Don't underestimate Bob's ability to eff it up in front of the board.

Breeders' Cup Board Begins Review of Baffert

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac..._medium=social

Zero chance Baffert is excluded. He'll be allowed to run. This review is just for show, nothing more.

If it's for show then it makes the Breeders Cup look a lot worse than having no meeting at all and let him run

I'd be seriously surprised if they ban him.

Why do I get the feeling the process in KY won’t be done before the Breeder’s Cup?

Baffert scratched Medina Spirit from the PA Derby. It seems like he's going to stay in CA and point towards the Awesome Again.

Didn't like post 9, apparently.

LOL, yeah, I'm sure that is it. :)

He also scratched his filly from the Cotillion.

If that’s the reason…….. it’s not the reason. That horse ran a hole in the wind last out. Now he’s ducking a couple horses that are really in fine form. Is this too soon to run again? Did the wheels fall off? With everything going on surrounding this horse, one really has to wonder.

As for the Breeders Cup. I would bet he’s in. Of course, I have no way of knowing. But he pulls a lot of weight out there. Why did it take a Derby incident to really come down hard? I mean, people can call me a hater all they want. There’s no denying with everything that’s gone on and the history of that barn that blind eyes were not given. That’s what gets me about fanatical defenders. They sit there and act like this is the first time that he’s been called to question. Oh, they’re railroading him. C’mon wake up and smell the coffee. Ground control to Major Tom…… cause you in outer space.

Medina Spirit "ran a hole in the wind" last time?

It was a very calm day in the San Diego area.

Wayne Potts and Vitali
 

Potts, another fine upstanding citizen involved in the game we love has been banned from most mid-atlantic tracks. Of course Monmouth bans noone, but what about NYRA,

Read it and weep,

https://www.paulickreport.com/news/t...aim-violation/

Yeah , I probably over stated that. I don’t have a clue about Del Mar. I wouldn’t bet there with your money. I really have no clue how the times play there. But from watching the replay he won clear and free. The other favorite is in the area but the rest are gasping. My point was after the Preakness you really gotta wonder about his turn around time running back. And the lack of “ointment “. Since when is number 9 a reason to scratch? Cause there’s more 5 freaking horses in the race? Is that even the official ridiculous reason?

I could see him not going to the PA Derby right from the start. It looked like the field was going to come up very strong (and it did). A very good case can be made that several of those horses have moved past Medina Spirit and a couple others are eligible to break out. So unless he was expecting a breakout performance from MS, there wasn't much upside to shipping, getting his head handed to him, and then having to deal with the "see I told you he was drugged with PEDs in the Derby" chatter. He could stay in CA, look for a softer spot, try to protect the horse's value, and find out whether the horse is developing enough to be considered for the BC without all that. What I don't understand is why he even bothered entering and using the post 9 excuse if he already knew he probably wasn't going to go. I guess he was hoping it wouldn't come up so tough or someone else would scratch.

See, that, I totally agree with most of it. Like I said there’s at least two horses in there…….. that right now, I don’t know that he can beat them. That’s why I was disappointed. But he did run ok in that race and won. I don’t know about the doping talk but my feeling was Charlie and Bourbon might kick the crap out of him giving me something to bet on. That’s all I care about. I really could care less about all the bull shit debates. That’s why I don’t post that much. I’m usually just looking for an angle to play. I like cashing tickets….. all the noise and talk, not so much

I thought the race was visually impressive, but cj informed me that the time was painfully slow. So I don't know what to make of it. Sometimes speed figures don't accurately measure a performance, but I'm disappointed we don't get a chance to see where the horse is right now in the PA Derby.

You think the Jockey Club will let me name a horse Medina's Spirit's Urine?

Or maybe Win and Urine?

The LA Times sucks up to Baffert:

https://news.yahoo.com/last-stand-bo...k=tw&tsrc=twtr

One thing that truly pisses me off in there- the Times reporter obviously believed Baffert's lawyer and wrote as a fact that he could only get 30 days from KHRC. That's not true. I read the regulations and if they wanted to, they could suspend him for years and his lawyers would lose badly in court challenging it.

Here are my posts from the other thread setting out the regulations. He can get much more than 30 days:

http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...&postcount=727

http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...&postcount=726

Cherwa wastes no time in putting the knee pads on for Baffert. Poor guy even has a "claustrophobic and cluttered office"