The German-born trainer previously worked with Baffert across stints in the 1980s and 1990s and remains a staunch supporter of his former boss.įrom the Los Angeles Times’ John Cherwa in March 2022: Last year, Baffert transferred four of his top 3-year-old horses to new trainers, including Tim Yakteen, to give them a shot at competing in the 2022 Derby.
Although the racing commissions in Maryland and New York recognized his suspension in 2022, it has since expired in those states, per USA TODAY Sports, allowing him to prepare for Preakness.īaffert might not be in Kentucky this year, but the sport can’t completely avoid him. Baffert sat out the entire 2022 Triple Crown season. Baffert’s lawyers have made explicit that he will accept fines but not a suspension, and state regulators have continually obliged him. 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. The Post found Baffert had been cited for drug-related violations on 29 occasions but escaped with relatively lax punishment, according to Rich and Garcia-Roberts: But when factoring in the number of races run, Baffert’s horses have died at the highest rate of the 10 trainers who have had the most horse deaths. Per The Washington Post‘s Steven Rich and Gus Garcia-Roberts:Īt least 74 horses have died in Baffert’s care in his home state of California since 2000, more than all but two of hundreds of trainers in the state, according to a Post analysis of data and public records. Medina Spirit was disqualified from the 2021 Kentucky Derby, meaning Baffert’s record seven Kentucky Derby victories is now back down to six.įor as celebrated as Baffert is, and for as much as his celebrity has grown inside and outside of the sport, claims of cheating and mistreatment of his horses have followed him for years. In fact, Medina Spirit’s positive test was Baffert’s fifth medical violation in 13 months. Medina Spirit died on the track following a workout at Santa Anita Park in California in December 2021. As USA TODAY Sports noted, a federal judge in February sided with Churchill Downs’ ban. Taking his suspension to the courts didn’t work out for Baffert, however. The trainer was also hit with a 90-day suspension, which precluded him from entering any of the Triple Crown races in 2022.
While Baffert initially denied ever administering the drug, a subsequent investigation revealed the substance was found in an ointment applied to the horse.įollowing the confirmation of a positive drug test in June 2021, Baffert was banned from all Churchill Downs properties for two years- a punishment that will expire following the 2023 Spring Meet.
Shortly after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Medina Spirit tested positive for the banned steroid betamethasone. The 70-year-old horse trainer has won the Kentucky Derby six times, claimed two Triple Crowns (2015, 2018) and was the handler behind American Pharoah, Justify, Authentic and Medina Spirit.Īnd it’s that last name that helps explain why Baffert wasn’t allowed at the 2022 Kentucky Derby and why he’s still banned in 2023. The majority of them could probably pick the silver-haired trainer out of a lineup. Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2022 and has been updated.Įven the most casual horse racing observers have probably heard the name Bob Baffert.
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