Baffert to again miss Derby; judge upholds ban

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal choose denied Bob Baffert’s request to elevate his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., ruling Friday that the Corridor of Fame coach didn’t show its self-discipline harm his enterprise and fame.

Baffert will miss his second consecutive Kentucky Derby, and per a Churchill Downs rule, he has till Feb. 28 to switch his Derby-eligible horses to different trainers to ensure that them to presumably run within the Could 6 race.

Baffert final 12 months transferred Taiba and Messier to former assistant Tim Yakteen for the Derby. Taiba completed twelfth and Messier was fifteenth amongst 20 horses.

Baffert had sued Churchill Downs following his banishment in June 2021 after a failed postrace drug take a look at by now-deceased colt Medina Spirit, who crossed the end line first within the 147th Derby. The Kentucky Horse Racing Fee finally disqualified the colt in February 2022 and suspended Baffert for 90 days for a collection of failed assessments by his horses.

Baffert argued that Churchill Downs didn’t give him discover or clarify the suspension. His lawyer, Clark Brewster, contended earlier this month that the historic monitor was topic to state pointers for due course of. U.S. District Choose Rebecca Grady Jennings finally rejected that argument and mentioned that, as a privately owned firm, Churchill Downs can set its personal disciplinary insurance policies.

Whereas Baffert is banned from the primary of the Triple Crown races, he is eligible to run horses in Maryland on the Preakness and in New York on the Belmont Stakes. His one-year suspension by the New York Racing Affiliation expired in January.

Churchill Downs had needed the case dismissed, citing 9 failed assessments by Baffert-trained horses as justification for disciplining horse racing’s most seen determine. The listing of violators contains 2020 Kentucky Oaks third-place finisher Gamine, who was finally disqualified.

Medina Spirit failed his take a look at for having in his system the regulated treatment corticosteroid betamethasone, which Baffert and Brewster have argued got here from an ointment reasonably than an injection.

Monitor president Mike Anderson mentioned the choice by Churchill Downs CEO Invoice Carstanjen stemmed from Baffert’s “refusal to take accountability for repeat violations.”