LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- One of the more bizarre chapters in horse racing is over: Bob Baffert has been reinstated to train and run horses at Churchill Downs Inc. tracks.
How we got here
Baffert, arguably the finest trainer of three year-old thoroughbreds in history, was suspended and barred from competing at Churchill Downs-owned tracks after two failed drug tests within an eight-month span. Baffert has won a record seventeen “Classic Races,” between the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont.
No one has been as successful with 3-year-old runners since the legendary Ben Jones more than a half century ago.
The first positive drug test was with a filly named Gamine, who ran third in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks. The 2020 edition of the Oaks was run in September; Gamine popped positive for betamethasone, a steroid used to decrease inflammation. Many animal medications contain betamethasone, including ointments prescribed for household pets.
In horse racing circles, there is no consensus on the effectiveness of betamethasone as a performance enhancer. Detractors say it can be used to help joints heal more quickly after workouts; others disagree with this assessment.
This situation all came to a head when the medication rules in Kentucky were updated for 2021 and betamethasone was placed on a zero-tolerance list. Medina Spirit, the horse who won the 2021 Kentucky Derby — from Baffert’s barn — was later disqualified for a positive test for the same drug.
According to Kentucky rules, Baffert was permitted to speak first. What followed was a tour of national news shows, which appeared to enrage the brass at Churchill Downs.
Vague suspension terms
What followed was a two-year ban from Churchill Downs, and all of its properties. Included in the language was “at least” two years. This came to a head this year as Churchill decided to extend the ban amidst ongoing litigation from the Baffert camp.
Churchill Downs, for better or worse, didn’t want the distraction of Baffert at the 150th running of the Derby. If one were picking nits, they would say Churchill was right and they had record wagering on both Derby day, and during the meet.
As someone who has covered seven Derbies, this was a Derby week filled with positivity and almost no talk of Baffert. It was striking and it came up on Derby day itself as surprising outcome for the week.
What to expect
The sport of horse racing is changing quickly. The sport is in a time of both contraction and reorganization.
Kentucky — once a place owners and trainers came to buy horses to run in New York, SoCal, and Miami — has become the circuit with the most money in its purses. A program put forward by the government of the state of Kentucky utilizes the proceeds for historical racing machines — slot machines based on previous races — to fund purses and other projects throughout the state.
Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, is running its annual meet and its purses are similar to those of Del Mar in San Diego. When the circuit shifts to Churchill, Keeneland and Kentucky Downs, the money is nearly triple at those tracks compared with SoCal.
We’re seeing many California trainers and owners making a concerted effort to have a presence in Kentucky.
“You have to,” Saratoga-based trainer Danny Gargan said. “There’s just too much money in the purses.”
Doug O’Neill, Peter Eurton and Phil D’Amato are among the SoCal trainers establishing legitimate barns in Kentucky.
So it should be no different for Baffert, who can run maiden races at Churchill for $120,000 rather than $55,000 at Santa Anita. With cost of living, boarding, feed, etc. in Kentucky being significantly lower, the margins in Kentucky are impossible to pass on.
Baffert will return with a decent string of horses in Louisville and Lexington, trying to maximize his horses’ chances to profit from those purses.
Final thoughts
This ends an unnecessary, ugly chapter in the sport’s history. In no good sport is the best at the job not able to compete at the sport’s most high-profile venue.
Had Baffert admitted guilt immediately, he likely would have had one year’s suspension. Churchill is built for two days a year, and you can’t mess with the Derby.
A third year felt vindictive, and personal. The news releases around Baffert’s extended suspension were immature and crude.
Given Baffert’s ability to condition and have horses ready for the Kentucky Derby, we’re all better for Fridays' news. When the center of any sport is inaccessible to its best and brightest, we all lose.