Bob Baffert’s shock of white hair has been a signature a part of Triple Crown horse racing for many years. However to people who comply with the game carefully, his many years of dishonest, doping, denying, and litigating are his actual calling card.
In March of 2020, Baffert wrote this op-ed within the Washington Publish calling for federal regulation and the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Security Act. Within the 13 months following publication, Bob Baffert Racing Stables horses examined optimistic for banned substances 5 occasions in three states, together with Medina Spirit on the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Regardless of crossing the end line first, Medina Spirit was disqualified for doping and formally didn’t win the Run for the Roses. The horse then died on the monitor throughout a exercise at Santa Anita seven months later. It added to Baffert’s document variety of lifeless horses per race participated in by means of the years. Essentially the most profitable coach in historical past has been cited for doping-related offenses at the very least 29 occasions.
With Medina Spirit, Baffert blamed cancel tradition, then probably a groom at certainly one of his tracks that urinated within the barn after ingesting cough syrup. It wasn’t first time his grooms have been leveraged for his or her potential consumption.
In 2000, Nautical Look examined optimistic for morphine, and a member of secure employees was then repeatedly requested by Baffert to testify he was consuming poppy seed bagels and muffins across the horse to elucidate the optimistic check. The groom left the secure as an alternative. In 2020, he stated an assistant within the barn had a patch for his again ache that triggered two further optimistic checks. So, sure, we’re happening virtually a quarter-century of everybody being at fault besides the coach, whose excuses go far past strained credulity.
In a sport of rogues, what Baffert has completed is mix probably the most prized thoroughbred horses on the earth with a veterinary program giving him as a lot believable deniability as doable, and a authorized arm that ensures his billable hours are as spectacular as his wins.
He doesn’t simply compete on the monitor, however in preliminary injunction hearings, regulatory hearings, courtrooms, and anyplace else he can deflect and deny what has been apparent for a era; that he’ll push the bounds and break guidelines in ways in which endanger championship-level horses, laws and guidelines be damned, a lot much less the well being of the animal.
Now after a three-year suspension from all tracks owned by Churchill Downs Included, Baffert is again in his regular barn in Louisville for the First Saturday in Could. He first returned final November, after dropping litigation towards CDI in January 2024. He’ll have Citizen Bull working within the first place. Rodriguez was going to expire of the fourth place, however was a late scratch on Thursday.
Baffert has 17 Triple Crown wins, together with six on the Kentucky Derby, and by the numbers he’s by far probably the most profitable coach of his period with over $320 million in prize cash received. He’s captured the Triple Crown twice, with American Pharoah in 2015 breaking a 37-year drought by profitable the three greatest races for three-year-olds in six weeks.
He did it once more in 2018 with Justify, who was caught doping weeks earlier than the Kentucky Derby in his qualifying race at Santa Anita, however Baffert and his crew bought these hearings moved behind closed doorways. Justify by no means ought to have been allowed to compete within the first place. And if the New York Occasions didn’t dig, we’d by no means understand how the California Horse Racing Board modified the principles on the fly to maintain the unhealthy PR away from a Triple Crown profitable marketing campaign.
On one cloudy Baltimore day in 2023, he had a horse stuffed with medicine that by no means ought to have been racing put down on the monitor, after which received the Preakness Stakes a pair hours later. It was simply one other day on the monitor for Baffert.
These are all issues to recollect when NBC interviews Baffert throughout their Saturday protection of all of the Derby Day races. And whereas there’s little question who probably the most profitable coach of his period is, the query is how a lot of his profitable has been on the extent. And what number of horses have unnecessarily suffered and died whereas in his care to gas these championships.
We’ll most likely by no means know. However with many years of repeated missteps on his resume, we are able to proceed to marvel how Baffert continues to be allowed to ply his commerce anyplace. And what number of extra horses will die or undergo due to it.
