Jason FrakesLouisville Courier Journal
BALTIMORE — It’s been three years since Bob Baffert was allowed to enter a horse at Churchill Downs, and the Hall of Fame trainer is hopeful he’ll be allowed back soon.
“I miss being there,” Baffert said Friday morning at Pimlico Race Course, where he’ll saddle Imagination for Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes. “Watching on television, it’s exciting to watch. The Derby means a lot to me. I have great moments in my life there.
“It was tough sitting it out again. We’re totally committed to finding an amicable solution and hopefully to get back in the Triple Crown race. … I’d love to be there. I’d love to be there next week.”
Baffert’s six Kentucky Derby victories are tied with Ben Jones for the most by a trainer. Baffert appeared to have a record-breaking seventh Derby win with Medina Spirit in 2021 before all hell broke loose.
A postrace drug test found traces of betamethasone in Medina Spirit, and the horse ultimately was disqualified as the Kentucky Derby winner. Churchill Downs suspended Baffert two years and last summer added another year to the suspension, which will run through the 2024 calendar year.
Churchill Downs Incorporated said it added to Baffert’s suspension because of “continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks.”
Baffert initially denied giving betamethasone to Medina Spirit but ultimately discovered it was an ingredient used in a cream, Otomax, used to treat a rash on the horse’s hind end.
Three years later, Baffert says he “would have done things different.”
“I can’t go back in time and correct it,” Baffert said Friday. “I wish I could. … We treated the horse humanely. I was going by my veterinarian who treated the horse. Everything was there. I should have known.
”The testing is so impressive, to be able to pick it up in an ointment. I should have known it was in the ointment. I didn’t know it was in the ointment. Nobody knew, and so it happens.”
Baffert said he’s had “no contact” with Churchill Downs regarding a possible return to the track next year. A Churchill Downs spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At least one of Baffert’s fellow trainers — and longtime friends — believes it’s past time for Churchill Downs to end the suspension.
“He’s got great horses,” D. Wayne Lukas said. “He’s got Derby horses, but he’s going through a lot of things right now that shouldn’t be happening.”
In January, Baffert announced he was dropping all appeals related to Medina Spirit's disqualification from the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Some took it as an attempt to mend fences with Churchill Downs.
The Baffert-Churchill Downs dispute was back in the news last month when Amr Zedan — owner of Arkansas Derby winner and Baffert-trained Muth — attempted to get a temporary restraining order to allow his horse to run in the Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Court of Appeals ultimately denied the request. Baffert was not a party to the lawsuit.
“I can’t blame him,” Baffert said of Zedan’s lawsuit. “He puts a lot of money in this, and he loves the Kentucky Derby. I’d like to get a Derby for him. That’s why he’s in the business. That’s why a lot of people are in the business.”
Despite his ban from Churchill Downs, Baffert has maintained a presence in the other two Triple Crown races and won last year’s Preakness with National Treasure.
On Friday, he attempted to dismiss the noise surrounding the Churchill Downs controversy, saying he’s focused on getting Imagination prepared for Saturday’s Preakness.
But until the issue is resolved, Baffert’s Kentucky Derby status will continue to be a lingering issue over the sport.
“I just want to put all of that behind me and move forward,” Baffert said. “I’m done talking about the Derby. What happened, happened. I wish I could go back in time. In hindsight, wish I would have left that damn medicine at home. But we had to treat the horse.
“You look back, and I’ve never been thrown in that kind of situation. The Derby is such a big, big thing. I never thought that would ever happen in my life, especially in the Derby. It’s a sacred race, and things happen like that. It’s over. We took our penalty and more. I’m at their mercy basically.”
Jason Frakes: (502) 582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
2024 Preakness Stakes post position, horse, trainer, jockey, morning-line odds
Post time: 7:01 p.m. Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Purse: $2 million. Grade: 1. Distance: 1 3/16 miles. TV: NBC. Jockey weight: 126 pounds.
Post position, horse, trainer, jockey, morning-line odds
1. Mugatu, Jeff Engler, Joe Bravo, 20-1
2. Uncle Heavy, Butch Reid Jr., Irad Ortiz Jr., 20-1
3. Catching Freedom, Brad Cox, Flavien Prat, 7-2
4. Muth, Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez, SCRATCHED
5. Mystik Dan, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 8-5
6. Seize the Grey, D. Wayne Lukas, Jaime Torres, 12-1
7. Just Steel, D. Wayne Lukas, Joel Rosario, 12-1
8. Tuscan Gold, Chad Brown, Tyler Gaffalione, 9-2
9. Imagination, Bob Baffert, Frankie Dettori, 3-1
More horse racing: Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, other trainers revel in unique Preakness Stakes Barn
