In its now personal feud with Bob Baffert, Churchill Downs steps over the line

If Bob Baffert would just say he’s sorry.

That’s what Churchill Downs wants. Some contrition. Some acceptance of responsibility. Some degree of admittance from the six-time Kentucky Derby-winning horse racing trainer that he was in the wrong when Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance after finishing first in the 2021 Run for the Roses.

That has to be the real reason Churchill Downs Inc. announced Monday it was adding an additional 18 months to Baffert’s original two-year suspension, banning the trainer from its properties through calendar year 2024.

“Mr. Baffert continues to peddle a false narrative concerning the failed drug test of Medina Spirit at the 147th Kentucky Derby from which his horse was disqualified by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in accordance with Kentucky law and regulations,” Churchill’s statement read. “Prior to that race, Mr. Baffert signed an agreement with Churchill Downs which stated that he was responsible for understanding the rules of racing in Kentucky and that he would abide by them.

“The results of the tests clearly show that he did not comply, and his ongoing conduct reveals his continued disregard for the rules and regulations that ensure horse and jockey safety, as well as the integrity and fairness of the races conducted at our facilities.

“A trainer who is unwilling to accept responsibility for multiple drug test failures in our highest-profile races cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct. Mr. Baffert will remain suspended from entering horses at all racetracks owned by CDI through 2024. After such time, we will re-evaluate his status.”

This time, it’s personal.

CDI didn’t like Baffert’s “ongoing conduct” of continually dragging the Louisville company through the courts — attorney’s fees after attorney’s fees — claiming his innocence while trying to overturn the suspension.

And Baffert was at it again Monday in his Twitter reaction to the additional year, arguing again that the salve used to treat Medina Spirit’s skin rash was legally applied, even though it contained the betamethasone that caused the positive test.

“In the interests of the sport we all love, I have made no public comments on this unfortunate episode for an extended period of time,” Baffert added in his tweet, “so the suggestion that I ‘continue to peddle a false narrative’ is patently false.”

Did Baffert’s extended legal maneuverings help the sport? Of course not. The legal fight kept the story in the headlines long past the time the general public should have moved on to other things. And it’s not a story racing wants in the headlines. Drug violations. Suspensions. Not a good look.

Still, Baffert was within his rights to fight. He had every right to make his legal challenges, even if they were in a losing cause. Over and over again. And Baffert had a first amendment right to voice his innocence, no matter how specious the claim.

Whatever you might think of Baffert, he served his time. The original suspension wasn’t an indefinite suspension. Baffert wasn’t suspended for life. The term was two years. Churchill Downs set the term. No one else.

So are other factors involved? Could it be that next year is Kentucky Derby 150 and Churchill has poured time and money into making the anniversary a extravaganza. Perhaps it doesn’t want Baffert’s return elbowing in on the spotlight?

Is it that Churchill wants to make Baffert an example? Mess with CDI’s money-maker at your own peril? The courts have all ruled that, as a corporation, Churchill Downs can do what it wants with regards who can and cannot race there. Follow the rules or else.

Or is CDI trying to convince the public it is serious about horse safety, this after 12 equine fatalities early in its Spring Meet caused the company to move operations to Ellis Park?

Baffert isn’t blameless. Bottom line: His horse tested positive. The horse was disqualified. The trainer has a previous rap sheet of violations at Churchill. The trainer was issued a punishment. He served it. That should have been the end of the story.

Churchill Downs has made sure it’s not.

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