NYRA upholds suspension of Bob Baffert in another blow for Hall of Fame trainer
Another Bob Baffert suspension has been upheld.
After an issuance of a hearing report by Judge O. Peter Sherwood in April, in accordance with the New York Racing Association, Inc. hearing rules and procedures, a three-member hearing panel delivered a suspension to Baffert Thursday totaling 365 calendar days. The suspension ends Jan. 25, 2023. The panel’s decision credited Baffert with 59 days served under the prior NYRA temporary suspension, as well as the 90-day suspension issued by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
Sherwood previously recommended a two-year suspension.
The suspension bars Baffert and company from all racing and training activities at any NYRA tracks. Baffert surrenders the right to "train horses, enter races or engage in any racing-related activity at all NYRA properties, including Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course," the press release said.
More on Baffert: Churchill Downs came down hard on Bob Baffert. Is the track treating Brad Cox differently?
Suspended: Bob Baffert's suspension at Churchill Downs begins Monday after motion denied
“This was an impartial and deliberative process that has resulted in a lengthy suspension of the sport’s most prominent trainer,” Dave O’Rourke, NYRA President and CEO, said in the release. “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.”
This suspension comes after Baffert's two-year suspension last year for “reckless practices and substance violations," by Churchill Downs, the result of the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, which had crossed the finish line first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby, tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid believed to be a performance-enhancer and is banned on race days. The KHRC also suspended Baffert 90 days, which took effect in April and barred him from the 2022 Triple Crown events.
Medina Spirit collapsed and died in December in California with no definitive cause of death.
Medina Spirit: How Medina Spirit's legacy remains undecided nearly a year after the 2021 Kentucky Derby
Medina Spirit, a timeline: From a surprise Kentucky Derby win to a disqualification
Baffert-trained Cruel Intention, Eclair, Charlatan, Gamine and Merneith also tested positive for illegal substances not allowed at that level on race day.
Baffert had been fighting those suspensions — the Churchill Downs ban bars him from racing in any 2022-23 races — and his lawyers asked for a stay of the NYRA suspension that was denied.
The panel's decision cannot be appealed through NYRA's process, which stemmed from Baffert successfully suing to get his prior suspension lifted in the state of New York.
Prior suspension: Could Bob Baffert see a 2-year NYRA suspension? This hearing officer is recommending it
A Hall of Famer and arguably the face of horse racing, Baffert won the Triple Crown twice with American Pharoah in 2015 and with Justify in 2018.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bob Baffert barred from NYRA tracks after fighting prior suspensions
