Bob Baffert Suspended One Year By New York Racing Association, But Hall Of Fame Status Remains Intact

Even before Bob Baffert was a two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer, the Arizona-born man with the shock of white hair had reached the pinnacle of his sport, when he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.

“I hope I can keep it together, because (horse racing) was my dad’s dream,” Baffert said in 2009 before the induction ceremonies, according to a New York Daily News report.

These days, however, Baffert is persona non grata at any New York track, including at Saratoga Race Course where he joined the other Hall of Fame greats a dozen years ago. This month, the Saratoga summer schedule at the famed horse racing destination begins, but there will be no Baffert sightings, including at the prestigious Travers Stakes on August 27.

Baffert, 69, is barred from Saratoga as well as all other New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks after a three-member panel delivered a “final determination” on Baffert June 23. That ruling concluded a year-long saga that was sparked by the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit testing positive for a banned substance after winning the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

In the stretch since that controversial outcome, Baffert has received a two-year suspension by Churchill Downs, a 90-day ban from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and NYRA’s recent discipline. In addition, KHRC officials stripped Medina Spirit of the 2021 Derby win and fined Baffert $7,500 to go along with his suspension.

“This was an impartial and deliberative process that has resulted in a lengthy suspension of the sport’s most prominent trainer,” Dave O’Rourke, the NYRA president and chief executive officer, said in a statement when Baffert’s one-year NYRA ban was announced. “However, this is not simply about Bob Baffert or any one individual but about protecting the integrity of the sport here in New York. Today’s decision advances that goal.”

Last September, NYRA leveled numerous charges against Baffert, “alleging that he had engaged in conduct detrimental to the best interests of the sport of thoroughbred racing or potentially injurious to the health or safety of horses or riders.”

Retired New York State Supreme Court Justice O. Peter Sherwood presided over a NYRA hearing earlier this year on Baffert’s case before issuing a report with recommendations for Baffert’s punishment. The panel then delivered the one-year suspension.

Baffert, who did not respond to a request for comment, can’t appeal the NYRA ruling, according to the NYRA hearing rules and procedures. But Baffert was credited with 59 days already served and is eligible to enter horses in the 2023 Belmont Stakes. The NYRA ban extends through January 25, 2023.

Clark Brewster, Baffert’s attorney, also did not respond to an email for comment. Earlier this year, Baffert filed suit against Churchill Downs in Kentucky federal court. William C. Carstanjen, the CEO of Churchill Downs, and board chair R. Alex Rankin, are also defendants in the filing.

Brewster said in an interview earlier this year that there was “no question the substance in (Medina Spirit) came from a salve,” in reference to Medina Spirit testing positive for betamethasone, a drug used to reduce inflammation and pain. Brewster said Baffert violated no rules because he treated Medina Spirit with an ointment and did not administer the drug through an injection, which is prohibited.

“That was proven, not only scientifically, but from record keeping,” Brewster said earlier this year. “The rule dealing with the use of betamethasone only as an intra-articular injectable was never violated.”

Medina Spirit died in December at Santa Anita track during a workout. Mandaloun was awarded the ‘21 Derby victory and the $1.8 million first-place purse went to Mandaloun’s connections.

Baffert, meanwhile, can rest easy about one milestone remaining intact: his Hall of Fame induction.

“Election to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is an honor that reflects the viewpoint of an independent nationwide voting panel at that particular time for an eligible candidate in good standing within the sport,” said Brien Bouyea, the Hall of Fame and communications director. “The voters deemed Bob Baffert worthy of induction in 2009 and the Hall of Fame will continue to respect that historical evaluation.”