Churchill re-instates ban on Baffert through 2024 Kentucky Derby

[Publius]

How anyone can support Churchill Downs is something I do not understand.

[Cutter14]

Originally Posted by Publius

How anyone can support Churchill Downs is something I do not understand.

I do not like or support Churchill Downs at all but I don't understand how people can support Baffert who has given a black eye to a sport that needs all the help it can get-he has been flying under the radar for a long long time-absolutely no sympathy for him--How many times do you think he has gotten away with his antics?--WHY HAVE SO MANY HORSES DIED UNDER HIS CARE?-JUST for the record I don't work for PETA

[Tom]

Maybe CD "good old homenoys" got tired of an outsider coming in and winning so many race with a far less suspicious reputation than they have.
Somehow, I am unable to use the words integrity and VD in the sentence unless I follow it up with a

[Andy Asaro]

Originally Posted by Cutter14

I do not like or support Churchill Downs at all but I don't understand how people can support Baffert who has given a black eye to a sport that needs all the help it can get-he has been flying under the radar for a long long time-absolutely no sympathy for him--How many times do you think he has gotten away with his antics?--WHY HAVE SO MANY HORSES DIED UNDER HIS CARE?-JUST for the record I don't work for PETA

:T hmbUp:

[Publius]

I do not have an ax to grind with Mr. Baffert. Churchill Downs has been
more destructive of horse racing than any organization which has ever existed.

CDI suspended Baffert for two years. Two years have passed, enough already.

Saratoga opens in 9 days.

[Thomas Roulston]

And Churchill Downs owns quite a few "properties."

[pandy]

I've noticed that some people are saying that Churchill has a vendetta against Baffert, and stuff like that. But right now Churchill had to shut down their meet and run it at a different track because 10 horses died in a short period of time, two of which dropped dead. According to The Washington Post, Baffert is one of the top three trainers in the sport in the rather grim stat of horses that he trained that died. And he has an alarming record of horses that simply dropped dead. Baffert had a horse euthanized on Preakness Day this year. A horse dq'd from the Derby, a dead horse on Preakness Day...Is this the look you want for the sport's Triple Crown, which has a huge television audience?

Let's not forget that when Baffert had those 7 horses drop dead several years ago, he said that he was giving them a thyroid drug to "build them up". Rick Arthur, longtime vet and CHRB borad member said that didn't make any sense. And, the horses DID NOT have thyroid problems. This guy who many people think is a great horseman, gave all of his horses a drug that they didn't need. And the CHRB didn't think that was reason enough to fine him.

So, I don't know. Maybe Churchill just wants to try to protect their product and stock holders.

[Andy Asaro]

Twitter

[classhandicapper]

The thyroid medication cases were a gigantic red flag, but they were not part of this case. IMO, they should have little or no impact on how long he was suspended for in this case. If people think the investigation into the thyroid cases was rigged, that's fine. Maybe it was. Then the industry should have been up in arms and made a huge deal about it then.

IMO, what we want to do is make sure what has happened in the past doesn't happen again, but not by allowing emotions to dictate what we do today.

It was the Derby. So it was going to be a big case no matter what, but between Baffert, CD, and the media could we possibly be doing a worse job of containing the reputational damage?

[lex]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't he say in his very first statement that he didn't even know what this drug was? And yet he's had another overage for it before. He seemed to be saying it was impossible to because he wasn't even familiar with it? I think it was that morning at the barn. Then it morphed into the cream story.

[Richie]

Originally Posted by pandy

I've noticed that some people are saying that Churchill has a vendetta against Baffert, and stuff like that. But right now Churchill had to shut down their meet and run it at a different track because 10 horses died in a short period of time, two of which dropped dead. According to The Washington Post, Baffert is one of the top three trainers in the sport in the rather grim stat of horses that he trained that died. And he has an alarming record of horses that simply dropped dead. Baffert had a horse euthanized on Preakness Day this year. A horse dq'd from the Derby, a dead horse on Preakness Day...Is this the look you want for the sport's Triple Crown, which has a huge television audience?

Let's not forget that when Baffert had those 7 horses drop dead several years ago, he said that he was giving them a thyroid drug to "build them up". Rick Arthur, longtime vet and CHRB borad member said that didn't make any sense. And, the horses DID NOT have thyroid problems. This guy who many people think is a great horseman, gave all of his horses a drug that they didn't need. And the CHRB didn't think that was reason enough to fine him.

So, I don't know. Maybe Churchill just wants to try to protect their product and stock holders.

and who believes baffert won those 4 stakes on belmont stakes day in 2017 on the up and up, that never smelled right to me

all shipped in and all won

[affirmedny]

Originally Posted by Tom

Maybe CD "good old homenoys" got tired of an outsider coming in and winning so many race with a far less suspicious reputation than they have.
Somehow, I am unable to use the words integrity and VD in the sentence unless I follow it up with a

We have a winner

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by Publius

How anyone can support Churchill Downs is something I do not understand.

On Monday's Going In Circles podcast, Chuck Simon likened it to who would you have been rooting for if Germany suddenly turned on Japan in the Second World War? They both stink.

[IamNewt]

This is why I'm really becoming a fan of international racing and slipping away from the US product.

[biggestal99]

CD sucks.

Baffert sucks.

its really easy to figure out.

Allan