Bob Baffert suspended 90 days, fined $7,500, Medina Spirit DQed from Kentucky Derby

[Psychotic Parakeet]

Baffert filing an appeal in 3...2...1.... I guess this was his own Karma by dragging it out so long, that the 90 day suspension across-the-board through all racing jurisdictions finally struck a nerve.

I feel terrible for Gail Rice. Can you imagine breeding a horse, win the Derby -- and to have that 10% cut of the Derby purse taken away just like that? $186,000 is not exactly pocket change for a small fish in a big pond. That is a painful loss; along with the horse itself dying under undetermined circumstances.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Psychotic Parakeet

Baffert filing an appeal in 3...2...1.... I guess this was his own Karma by dragging it out so long, that the 90 day suspension across-the-board through all racing jurisdictions finally struck a nerve.

The important thing is that an appeal isn't going to get him into the Derby, and his owners know it.

[Al Gobbi]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

The important thing is that an appeal isn't going to get him into the Derby, and his owners know it.

no chance now that the DQ has been made

[zico20]

If it was anyone other than Baffert the horse never would have been disqualified.

[mostpost]

Baffert is getting screwed. Worse than that, his owners are getting screwed. Particularly the owners of Medina Spirit. The KHRC ignored its wn rules in issuing this ruling.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, KHRC Rule 8:020-2, regulates only “betamethasone acetate” “via IA [intra-articular joint] administration” and prohibits its use only if that injection occurred within 14 days of the race.

But in this case the Betamethasone was not given as an injection. It was not given to address any joint problems. It was given as a topical to address a skin rash.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, Rule 8:010, Section 4, expressly permits trainers to administer ointments containing betamethasone under a rule captioned “Certain Permitted Substances,” which states that “ointments . . . and other products commonly used in the daily care of horses may be administered by a person, other than a licensed veterinarian if”: (1) The treatment does not include any drug, medication, or substance otherwise prohibited by this administrative regulation; (2) The treatment is not injected; and (3) The person is acting under the direction of a licensed trainer or veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Kentucky and licensed by the….

All of those conditions were followed.

It is possible to determine how the Betamethasone was administered. There is a test to make that determination. And that test determined conclusively that the Betamethasone given to Medina Spirit was administered as a topical ointment.

All of this was presented at the hearing, yet ignored by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In its decision the KHRC made a bare bones announcement, completely ignoring any discussion of the origin of the positive.


https://paulickreport.com/news/the-b...g-vows-appeal/

Also from the above link.

The unrefuted and undisputed facts established at the hearing were: (1) Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment, not an injection; (2) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not have affected the horse in any way; and (3) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not possibly have affected the outcome of the race.

And whatever happened to the rules about conflict of interest. One of the three Stewards is employed by Churchill Downs Inc. as Racing Secretary at Turfway Park. He should not be a member of this commission at all, much less involved in a case that directly involves Churchill Downs.

This ruling will be overturned.

[mostpost]

Originally Posted by Psychotic Parakeet

Baffert filing an appeal in 3...2...1.... I guess this was his own Karma by dragging it out so long, that the 90 day suspension across-the-board through all racing jurisdictions finally struck a nerve.

I feel terrible for Gail Rice. Can you imagine breeding a horse, win the Derby -- and to have that 10% cut of the Derby purse taken away just like that? $186,000 is not exactly pocket change for a small fish in a big pond. That is a painful loss; along with the horse itself dying under undetermined circumstances.

Did he drag it out? Wasn’t it the KHRC that took so long to schedule the hearing? It fact, didn’t they postpone it at least one time. There’s a vendetta at work here. After what they pulled in Illinois, I do not trust Churchill Downs one bit.

[cj]

Originally Posted by jay68802

Cost him $7500.00......Worth it for maybe getting $1,800,000.00. And the best part is that he will just transfer the horses to his assistant for 90 days and not lose any of the winnings during that time.

It cost him 7,500 + 186,000 for the DQ. Also, he can't keep the earnings while horses run in his assistants name.

[Elkchester Road]

Originally Posted by mostpost

Baffert is getting screwed. Worse than that, his owners are getting screwed. Particularly the owners of Medina Spirit. The KHRC ignored its wn rules in issuing this ruling.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, KHRC Rule 8:020-2, regulates only “betamethasone acetate” “via IA [intra-articular joint] administration” and prohibits its use only if that injection occurred within 14 days of the race.

But in this case the Betamethasone was not given as an injection. It was not given to address any joint problems. It was given as a topical to address a skin rash.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, Rule 8:010, Section 4, expressly permits trainers to administer ointments containing betamethasone under a rule captioned “Certain Permitted Substances,” which states that “ointments . . . and other products commonly used in the daily care of horses may be administered by a person, other than a licensed veterinarian if”: (1) The treatment does not include any drug, medication, or substance otherwise prohibited by this administrative regulation; (2) The treatment is not injected; and (3) The person is acting under the direction of a licensed trainer or veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Kentucky and licensed by the….

All of those conditions were followed.

It is possible to determine how the Betamethasone was administered. There is a test to make that determination. And that test determined conclusively that the Betamethasone given to Medina Spirit was administered as a topical ointment.

All of this was presented at the hearing, yet ignored by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In its decision the KHRC made a bare bones announcement, completely ignoring any discussion of the origin of the positive.


https://paulickreport.com/news/the-b...g-vows-appeal/

Also from the above link.

The unrefuted and undisputed facts established at the hearing were: (1) Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment, not an injection; (2) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not have affected the horse in any way; and (3) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not possibly have affected the outcome of the race.

And whatever happened to the rules about conflict of interest. One of the three Stewards is employed by Churchill Downs Inc. as Racing Secretary at Turfway Park. He should not be a member of this commission at all, much less involved in a case that directly involves Churchill Downs.

This ruling will be overturned.

Betamethasone CANNOT be in the Horse's system...in ANY amount...on Race Day...regardless of how it is administered. There is absolutely no chance of this ruling being overturned. In my opinion...it won't be appealed.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by mostpost

Baffert is getting screwed. Worse than that, his owners are getting screwed. Particularly the owners of Medina Spirit. The KHRC ignored its wn rules in issuing this ruling.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, KHRC Rule 8:020-2, regulates only “betamethasone acetate” “via IA [intra-articular joint] administration” and prohibits its use only if that injection occurred within 14 days of the race.

But in this case the Betamethasone was not given as an injection. It was not given to address any joint problems. It was given as a topical to address a skin rash.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, Rule 8:010, Section 4, expressly permits trainers to administer ointments containing betamethasone under a rule captioned “Certain Permitted Substances,” which states that “ointments . . . and other products commonly used in the daily care of horses may be administered by a person, other than a licensed veterinarian if”: (1) The treatment does not include any drug, medication, or substance otherwise prohibited by this administrative regulation; (2) The treatment is not injected; and (3) The person is acting under the direction of a licensed trainer or veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Kentucky and licensed by the….

All of those conditions were followed.

It is possible to determine how the Betamethasone was administered. There is a test to make that determination. And that test determined conclusively that the Betamethasone given to Medina Spirit was administered as a topical ointment.

All of this was presented at the hearing, yet ignored by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In its decision the KHRC made a bare bones announcement, completely ignoring any discussion of the origin of the positive.


https://paulickreport.com/news/the-b...g-vows-appeal/

Also from the above link.

The unrefuted and undisputed facts established at the hearing were: (1) Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment, not an injection; (2) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not have affected the horse in any way; and (3) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not possibly have affected the outcome of the race.

And whatever happened to the rules about conflict of interest. One of the three Stewards is employed by Churchill Downs Inc. as Racing Secretary at Turfway Park. He should not be a member of this commission at all, much less involved in a case that directly involves Churchill Downs.

This ruling will be overturned.

I won't bother refuting this because there was already a billion-post thread on the topic, but whatever the severity of this crime, how do you ramble for 50 paragraphs about how Teflon Bob, of all people, is a victim? He had the racing industry look away from 25 years of highly questionable tactics, drug violations and horse deaths because he looked sharp and gave a good interview...but eventually you might have to get punished for SOMETHING...don't you?

[RacingFan1992]

Ain't that something the David and Goliath of the 2009 Kentucky Derby both serving 3-6 months suspensions for drug related infractions. Chip Wooley and Bob Baffert.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by mostpost

Baffert is getting screwed. Worse than that, his owners are getting screwed. Particularly the owners of Medina Spirit. The KHRC ignored its wn rules in issuing this ruling.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, KHRC Rule 8:020-2, regulates only “betamethasone acetate” “via IA [intra-articular joint] administration” and prohibits its use only if that injection occurred within 14 days of the race.

But in this case the Betamethasone was not given as an injection. It was not given to address any joint problems. It was given as a topical to address a skin rash.

The Kentucky Rules of Racing, Rule 8:010, Section 4, expressly permits trainers to administer ointments containing betamethasone under a rule captioned “Certain Permitted Substances,” which states that “ointments . . . and other products commonly used in the daily care of horses may be administered by a person, other than a licensed veterinarian if”: (1) The treatment does not include any drug, medication, or substance otherwise prohibited by this administrative regulation; (2) The treatment is not injected; and (3) The person is acting under the direction of a licensed trainer or veterinarian licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Kentucky and licensed by the….

All of those conditions were followed.

It is possible to determine how the Betamethasone was administered. There is a test to make that determination. And that test determined conclusively that the Betamethasone given to Medina Spirit was administered as a topical ointment.

All of this was presented at the hearing, yet ignored by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. In its decision the KHRC made a bare bones announcement, completely ignoring any discussion of the origin of the positive.


https://paulickreport.com/news/the-b...g-vows-appeal/

Also from the above link.

The unrefuted and undisputed facts established at the hearing were: (1) Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment, not an injection; (2) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not have affected the horse in any way; and (3) the trace amount of betamethasone detected could not possibly have affected the outcome of the race.

And whatever happened to the rules about conflict of interest. One of the three Stewards is employed by Churchill Downs Inc. as Racing Secretary at Turfway Park. He should not be a member of this commission at all, much less involved in a case that directly involves Churchill Downs.

This ruling will be overturned.

This is incorrect as an interpretation of the rules. If you go back into our master Baffert thread, I analyzed the actual rules at issue. They make no distinction as to method of application (that was always a lie made up by Baffert 's lawyers) and said any suspension up to 5 years is permissible and a DQ was mandatory.

The chances of this being overturned in court are very low. There is always the slight possibility of Baffert drawing a judge who wants to decide who wins the Derby, but legally he should have no chance at all.

[dilanesp]

Having said that, I do think there's something smart about waiting until February 21, 2022 and then making it 90 days. Because even though the KHRC had the power to revoke Baffert's license and prohibit him from reapplying for 5 years (and really should have done so), something like that might have engendered some sympathy for Baffert from a judge that the punishment was too harsh or something. But 90 days and a small fine? For a repeat offender? That plays as "light", even though it of course is going to completely screw Baffert and cause a massive exodus of his 3 year olds.

This is a punishment carefully designed to (1) really hit Baffert hard exactly where it hurts while (2) looking to a non-horse racing fan judge like a very light punishment for a guy repeatedly caught cheating.

And that makes the possibility of it being judicially overturned even tinier.

[acorn54]

what i take from this whole fiasco, is the black eye the game of racing gets. the general public just perceives the game as a venue for suckers and degenerates who can't control their gambling addiction, even when blatant cheating goes on.

[CryingForTheHorses]

Originally Posted by zico20

If it was anyone other than Baffert the horse never would have been disqualified.

Are you kidding?
If this was a small time trainer, He would be hung out to dry and maybe a bigger fine and more then 90 days.
The horse had a illegal drug in his system, Doesn't matter who the trainer is or who administered it, In the end the trainer always takes the fall!

[classhandicapper]

Baffert has probably spent more on legal fees fighting all this than the purse he lost due to the DQ. That amount is not that painful to a man as wealthy as he is. The 3 months is not that significant in the grand scheme of things either unless CA goes along with it. Otherwise he can continue racing his 2yos, older horses, and any horses not quite good enough to make the Triple Crown trail in CA just as he has been. Even if CA suspends him but allows his assistant to take over, it's not that much of a debacle. He can take a few months vacation and then pick up where he left off. The more significant suspension is CD's 2 years because it takes him out of the Derby/Oaks for two years. That takes horses and potentially owners out of his hands (potentially permanently). I'll tell you one thing, it's very unlikely he's going to be as reckless with therapeutics after this.