bob baffert political affiliation bob baffert political affiliation

Once again, the Hall of Fame. His last day as medical equine director is Wednesday. Baffert failed in multiple attempts in Kentucky to overturn the track's ban or the start of his suspension, which began April 4. CHRB brass agreed to follow Arthurs suggestion. Baffert has had more than 30 drug violations in his 44-year career, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Baffert trained Lookin At Lucky, co-owned by Mike Pegram, to win the Preakness Stakes in 2010. Theres 10,000 other trainers who understand the absolute insurer rule and dont seem to run afoul of it, Gagliano said, referring to the edict that any substances in the horse are the trainers responsibility. Shortly after Petersen sent the analysis of the states chances, the CHRB agreed to settle Ruiss lawsuit. Either way, the state-appointed official probing Bafferts role in the deaths at Hollywood Park did so as his job was being threatened by the efforts of a Baffert-affiliated coalition. I went under the radar. Bob had the personality and he was honest. According to data provided by the California Horse Racing Board and supplemented by The Times research, the trainer has had 75 horses die since 2000 either racing, training, or by illness or non-exercise accidents. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended from the home of the Kentucky Derby for two years after Medina Spirit's positive post-race drug was confirmed, the company that runs the. (At least one death of a Baffert horse identified by The Post was not included in the agencys data.) California keeps track of horse deaths by trainer, but there are errors and limits to the data. Petersen noted that in a previous case the board had exonerated the trainers of three horses who had tested positive for scopolamine, finding the flunked tests were a result of Jimson weed. In September, Baffert learned via a text message from Barbara Borden, chief steward for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, that his horse Gamine had tested positive for the anti-inflammatory betamethasone at the Kentucky Oaks. His attorney, let me just say, worked very, very hard, recalled former California Deputy Attorney General Jerald L. Mosley, who represented the state in attempting to uphold the suspension. View . Does the drug that could strip Medina Spirit of a Kentucky Derby win enhance performance? [10] Though number of racing starts are used to calculate rates of death for all horses in the care of race trainers, not all horse deaths were animals in race training nor were they necessarily race-related fatalities. It hurts racing., In the same speech, Baffert agitated for the continued use of Lasix, which is popular with trainers but increasingly criticized as a potential performance-enhancer and masking agent for other drugs. Hes always wanted to be a rock star and some people dont think racing should have one.. This America's different." pic . This article was published more than1 year ago. "Bobby" Adair. As the trainer battles to protect his legacy, the records offer a new window into how those charged with running horse racings disjointed regulatory system have appeared to treat the powerful trainer with deference. Following the 2015 Belmont win, Baffert outlined several charities that he and his wife Jill supported. On June 2, with the Belmont Stakes a week away, the owner of a feed operation showed up at the CHRB office carrying plant samples he said he found more than a month earlier, the records show. [citation needed], According to his supporters, Baffert's style and personality, combined with his success, have made him a target for controversy. Four months later, during a confidential executive session, Arthur and CHRB Director Rick Baedeker recommended that the commissioners not move forward with the disqualification of Justify, arguing that the scopolamine positive was probably the result of contamination from jimson weed. The consolation is knowing the truth will come out as the process plays out. Nine died in 2000, all but one from breakdowns. His white hair, tinted glasses and accessibility make him a natural to promote the sport. Arthur suggested the board retroactively apply it to the Justify case. Robertson blamed the frequency of Bafferts drug-related violations on how often his horses are tested after winning races and said, Horse racings regulations need to catch up with the sensitivity of modern day testing., Jockey Club President James L. Gagliano dismissed that frequent complaint from Baffert. [2] His first winner was Flipper Star at Rillito Park on January 28, 1979. But in 2019, he was banned from Santa Anita Park and affiliated tracks after four of his horses died there in six months. Baffert has had two fatalities in the last three years, a low number for a barn of his size. Some would argue, though, that if it makes a horse less uncomfortable, it improves their performance. Doug ONeill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, was one of the few trainers who would talk about Bafferts recent troubles. No sanctions were issued against Baffert.[40][41]. Scopolamine, Baedeker wrote, can be injected but very often is the result of feed or straw that has been contaminated with Jimson weed., Arthur had previously suggested he didnt consider Jimson weed contamination to be a serious threat, writing in a 2016 memo that the likelihood under our current procedures of getting a positive from environmental contamination is rather low. In an interview this week, Arthur said he meant that such incidences were infrequent but said that in California, if you have a scopolamine positive, its going to be associated with Jimson weed thats just the reality of it., On April 26, records show, Arthur emailed CHRB officials that he had talked to Bob and informed him the proceedings would not immediately interfere with Justifys Triple Crown schedule. In 2013 the group hosted a Lasix-focused event at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills at which one owner reportedly said running a race without the drug was like waterboarding your horse in their own blood.. It was later discovered that horses from separate barns had also tested positive. He paused, then added: Ive learned who my friends are.. Two months after Arthur cleared Baffert, the legislation to limit his term died. He was born on January 13, 1953, in Nogales, AZ. We might have gone to the board sooner, but obviously because of the high-profile nature of this thing we were making sure we had everything buttoned up, he said. And Madeline Auerbach, who later became a CHRB commissioner, had partnered with Baffert in thoroughbred breeding. As he did so, a political group with Baffert on its board was involved in legislation that would result in Arthur losing his job. He also won the race in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 when run as a Grade I event. They had discussions with David Tinsley, the former DEA supervisor who runs 5 Stones, the people said, but the thoroughbred owners involved scrapped the plan. Baedeker said that before they made their recommendation to the board, they consulted with the states Office of the Attorney General, for which Petersen works, and received concurrence . He's saddled. And promote he does, chatting with people he met one minute ago as if they were long-lost friends. In a written decision, the stewards stated the CHRB has already ruled on this matter in its August 2018 closed hearing and had followed the law., However, the stewards suggested they would not have made the same decision as the CHRB: It is the Stewards opinion that had this Board of Stewards heard the Justify and Hoppertunity complaints prior to August 23, 2018 both horses would have been disqualified., Ruiss lawyers have since argued in court for the settlement to be rescinded because the stewards refused to make a decision on the merits., I remain convinced that justice has not yet been served, Vienna told The Post, and that hopefully the courts will resolve the matter., The rise and fall of Jorge Navarro, the alleged doping king of horse racing. Other trainers seem to navigate just fine.. Mick Ruis, the owner and trainer of the second-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby, has sued the CHRB. Baffert told investigators he used the drug for about five years to build up his horses, which Arthur noted was unusual because it was typically used to slim them down. Bob Baffert has supporters and detractors in how he deals with jockeys By John Cherwa Special Contributor Nov. 2, 2016 4:28 PM PT Bob Baffert, still fresh and snappy after hours of morning. According to protocols, the medication is supposed to have a 14-day withdrawal period. But Baffert and his lawyers had since established a reputation for pugnaciousness when regulators attempted to discipline him. The owner was Kaleem Shah. [13] In Kentucky, any amount of betamethasone detected in post-race testing is a violation and could result in a disqualification. Biography Bob Baffert is best known as a horse rider. When asked about that plan, attorney Brewster said that in fact 5 Stones did investigate Baffert at the direction of the Jockey Club. [24], On May 17, 2021, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) banned Baffert from entering Medina Spirit or any of his other horses in the 2021 Belmont Stakes or any other race at Belmont Park. Asked whether he was surprised by the finding that Bafferts barn was the deadliest in California, Roberts laughed. [21][22] Sports Illustrated suggested that the positive drug test was a sign that Baffert's "leaking credibility" had reached "the saturation point. He finished third in the Derby that year with Congaree. [2], Baffert graduated from the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program with a Bachelor of Science degree,[3] got married, and began training quarter horses at a Prescott, Arizona farm. Every investigation over the past 20 years has reached the same conclusion: no rules or regulations have been violated nor has there been any improper activity on Bobs part., Brewster also said that the vast majority of Bafferts drug-related violations, as tracked by ARCI, shouldnt be counted because they were too old or related to overages of otherwise-allowed drugs in a horse, which he dismissed as like coming to work with too much Advil in your system., Robertson said in an e-mail that [n]o one has done more for horse racing and is better for the sport than Bob Baffert, and he listed various awards the trainer has received, including being inducted into four separate Hall of Fames. Its just disheartening. Another day passed before it was discovered the colt was administered a topical ointment for a rash that contained betamethasone. He was fined $1,500. Bafferts record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby, said Bill Carstanjen, chief executive of Churchill Downs Inc. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.. Once the golden boy of horse racing, Bob Baffert now the face of its disgrace. With private eyes and political muscle, horse racings elite pushed to punish dopers, Throughout the months-long process, CHRB officials had indicated they planned on filing a complaint against Baffert, which would have exposed the failed drug test. There wasnt any question in my mind, he said recently. [11], Prior to Medina Spirit's death, Baffert had last been under intense scrutiny a decade earlier when seven horses in his stables at Hollywood Park died between November 2, 2011 and March 14, 2013, all from sudden and later unexplained heart attacks. From there, he moved to racing at recognized tracks, scoring his first victory at age 17 in 1970. In 2015, Baffert trained the 2014 champion two-year-old colt American Pharoah to win the Triple Crown, the first to do so in 37 years. (Pegram and Auerbach did not respond to interview requests. Great Read: Bob Baffert has come a long way in horse racing, Santa Anita opens Friday as prelude to Breeders Cup at Del Mar, Surging Crespi receives another strong performance from sophomore Diego Velazquez, High school baseball and softball: Fridays scores, With Marcus Morris sidelined, Clippers look to stabilize lineup and rotations, With their playoff lives at stake, Darvin Ham challenges Lakers effort and urgency. Baffert is a three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, and has several top prospects for the May 5 race. It basically said something under his control is associated with these fatalities, Arthur said, but regulators couldnt act without evidence of a rules violation. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, three Belmont Stakes, and three Kentucky Oaks . Cardoza, who now works for a law firm, denied in an interview last month that the TOC was involved: Not at all. But he then said, TOCs involvement in that bill had nothing to do with Bob Baffert., Instead, Cardoza said, the drive to oust Arthur was over his opposition to Lasix. But hes a good person, no, a great person. In a recent interview, Arthur described his findings as damning for Baffert, in particular analysis in his report showing that, over a six-year period, Bafferts horses were nine times more likely to die of sudden death than the average trainers. Political Cartoons. The way this case was handled was not a favor for Bob Baffert, Arthur said. Former client Kaleem Shah said, "He will rub people the wrong way by speaking his mind, sometimes he needs to hit the mute button. Hes Mr. Teflon.. "[23] On June 2, 2021, Medina Spirit's split sample also tested positive and Churchill Downs suspended Baffert through the end of the 2023 Spring Meet. Racing officials ruled that the positive test was a result of contamination and the wins of Charlatan and Gamine were restored. Per Baffert, barn staff including grooms, were involved in administering the thyroxine in feed.. In each instance, the death is investigated. Baffert grew up on a ranch in Nogales, Arizona, where his family raised cattle and chickens. Baffert, however, wouldnt change the outcome. On June 9, Justify won the Belmont and the Triple Crown. The way this case was handled was out of respect for Justify., On the afternoon of April 18, 2018, Arthur learned that Justify and another Baffert horse, Hoppertunity, had tested positive for scopolamine. There are highs and lows and a lot of disappointment. Churchill Downs announced that any points earned in the leadup to the Kentucky Derby by horses associated with a suspended trainer would not be counted a move that seemingly targets Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Finding a new director every two to four years would cost $300,000 each time, a committee that analyzed the bill found. The colt lost the Belmont Stakes after breaking poorly from the starting gate. By Marty Irby. It will all be settled by lawyers and judges and that takes time. LOS ANGELES In 2018, as star trainer Bob Baffert led his thoroughbred Justify to the Triple Crown, California regulators embarked on a secret effort to exonerate Baffert after the horses positive test for a banned substance, according to confidential records obtained by The Washington Post that fully detail the saga for the first time. If the complaint was ruled on quickly enough, it would have made Justify ineligible for the Kentucky Derby. Thats the only time I ever had to deal with somebody who tried to go to federal court to stop a state administrative action., Finally, in 2005, after the matter had returned to state court, the CHRB dismissed the suspension after an administrative law judge concluded Baffert had nothing to gain and a great deal to lose by the use of a banned substance on this horse., Baffert further solidified his influence in the ensuing years. (Arthur and those involved with the bill said the actions were unrelated. He married his second wife, Jill, a former television reporter based in Louisville, in 2002. When he was 10, his father purchased some Quarter Horses and he practiced racing them on a dirt track. Bob Baffert Family, Parents A New York federal judge on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 nullified the suspension of horse trainer Bob Baffert, finding that the New York Racing Association acted unconstitutionally by failing to let him adequately respond to claims made against him after Kentucky . He won the aforementioned first race at a sanctioned track in 1970, but his mother insisted he attend college and he enrolled in the University of Arizonas Race Track Industry Program. The substance was indeed Jimson weed. What we knew about horses you could put in a thimble. This included Baffert's home track at Santa Anita, although Baffert horse Shaaz won the sixth race on April 2. He got his first big break in 1992 when he won his first Breeder's Cup race with Thirty Slews. Trainer Bob Baffert celebrates after his horse, Authentic, won the Kentucky Derby in September 2020. [39] California's equine medical director found that Baffert's horses were routinely given Thyro-L, or thyroxine, a thyroid hormone, that could cause heart problems during exercise, but concluded the medication, which Baffert said he had been using routinely for the previous five years, did not cause the heart attacks. And he pushes the envelope to the extent that they give their lives for his bank account.. But that number may drop to six if the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission disqualifies this years winner, Medina Spirit, for a medication violation, the trainers fifth since May 2020. . In an email Monday, Bafferts attorney, W. Craig Robertson III, referred to the CHRBs initial decision to dismiss the test and a hearing last year in which officials ruled they had no authority to overturn that decision. Its not often that a sport turns against its biggest star, but Churchill Downs has taken that stand. The board agreed not to disqualify Justify. That didnt feel appropriate to those of who wanted to see science prevail, Cardoza said. The Jockey Club has a database of thoroughbred breakdowns meaning deaths stemming from track injuries but said it is barred from sharing its data because of its contracts with racetracks. After the Times broke the news of the positive drug test, Ruis sued the CHRB in January 2020. "So now even our Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, is a junky," Trump's statement read. It bothers me when hes not considered the Kentucky Derby winner.. Hes the person few in the business want to talk about, but everyone wants to hear about. The ARCI rules are recommendations, the associations president, Ed Martin, said in an interview. He still has a responsibility as the face of the game but I dont think hell overcome [this] because his personality wont allow him to do it.. I guess I'm more of an "old school" Republican. [34] However, the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected Baffert's appeal on April 1. But in the most recent election in June, he finished seventh of eight, the only incumbent beaten. He made the jump to Los Alamitos, where he was running against such legends as Wayne Lukas. When Did threshold change and what were they before?, No amount of betamethasone is permitted in Kentucky races now, Borden wrote. Time after time its not his fault. "[16][17] Nonetheless, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert from entering any horses at their racetrack pending the outcome of an investigation. Robert A. Baffert is an American Racehorse Trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. The Kentucky Derby winner is staying ahead of . It subsequently said any horses running for a suspended trainer (Baffert) would not be eligible for Kentucky Derby or Oaks qualifying points. After winning the Santa Anita Derby in April of that year, Bafferts Justify tested positive for scopolamine, a banned substance, which normally would have disqualified the victory and made the horse ineligible to run in that years Kentucky Derby. He has won the Kentucky Derby five times. But hes Bob, he has to speak his mind.. There is nothing new here, he wrote. Baffert was recently suspended for 90 days by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, California Horse Racing Board, and the New York State Gaming Commission for drug violations in the 2021 Kentucky . At the time, she was 42-years-old. At one point, the regulators effort included searching for exonerating evidence in a literal haystack. Many in the racing world wondered how many times can the dog eat your homework? [2][4], Baffert established his early reputation with less expensive horses like Silver Charm and Real Quiet, bought for $16,500 and $17,000 respectively. In correspondence with the agencys lawyer, Baedeker wrote that because our staff failed to act in a timely manner, the horses, trainer, owner and others could be harmed unjustly if they didnt use the more lenient classification. One of his grooms, Clemintino Abrego Garcia, testified that Baffert called him three or four times attempting to get him to admit that he had eaten baked goods near the horse. Between 1997 and 1999, he won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer three years running and was voted the 1997 Big Sport of Turfdom Award. He told reporters that he would fight the issue "tooth and nail. Gray said at the time that the bill also would increase the institutional knowledge of Californias central horse drug-testing lab.