Bob Baffert still welcome at Monmouth Park despite Churchill Downs suspension
Stephen EdelsonBob Baffert may be a pariah within the racing industry, but Monmouth Park is ready to roll out the red carpet for the embattled trainer.
After being suspended for two years by Churchill Downs Wednesday when the post-race positive drug test for Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was confirmed, Baffert's likely to be stripped of his record seventh victory in the Run for the Roses. And the incident has him suspended indefinitely in New York, where he completed the Triple Crown with both American Pharoah and Justify.
But despite Baffert's on-going troubles, his top 3-year-olds are still invited to run in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 17.
“If Bob has a Haskell horse and he wanted to come to Monmouth Park to run in the Haskell, he is welcome,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, which operates Monmouth Park.
“I’m sure there will be those that disagree with me and think we should ban him, but we’re not doing that at Monmouth Park.”
There's a good chance one or more of Baffert's stars will turn up at the Jersey Shore this summer given the increasingly limited options available for the championship contenders in his barn.
Baffert in Haskell has a record 9 wins
In addition to a seven-figure purse, the Haskell is a Grade 1 event with win-and-your-in status for November's Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, with Baffert still allowed to race in his home state of California.
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Baffert has won the Haskell a record nine times, with all 15 of his starters hitting the board, earning a combined $7.3 million.
Baffert claims the positive test for betamethasone, a corticosteroid, traces to an ointment used on Medina Spirit to treat a rash prior to the Kentucky Derby. The split sample confirmed the original positive test Wednesday. According to reports, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has agreed to a third sample, sending the original blood and urine samples to an independent laboratory for analysis in an effort to confirm Baffert’s ointment claims.
The reality is that the case will likely not be adjudicated by the time the Haskell is run in just over six weeks. But even if the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission hands down a suspension in the near future, Drazin, a former chairman of the New Jersey Racing Commission, feels Baffert’s horses will still be able to run under the care of another trainer, including long-time Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes.
Story continues below gallery.
“I think that if Kentucky or any other state suspended Bob, the other racing commissions would give the Kentucky commission reciprocity and it would be evenly enforced in every state," Drazin said. "But that doesn’t mean Jimmy Barnes can’t come to Monmouth Park with the horses. In fact, I’ve never seen the New Jersey Racing Commission make a different decision, so I would expect that Jimmy or some other designee would be permitted to come with the horse.
“There are other issues the commission can look at if they choose to do so, and I would expect them to make sure Bob is not on the grounds, not training by telephone with Jimmy, following the rules and be divorced of the training of the horse. But Jimmy is an excellent horseman, he has come with Bob’s horses before and done an excellent job.”
'People are supposed to have due process'
Baffert’s horses have now reportedly failed five drug tests in just over a year, with at least 30 positives during his career. He was suspended indefinitely in Kentucky immediately after Medina Spirit's positive test was first revealed on May 9. He was suspended indefinitely in New York on May 17, preventing him from entering horses in t Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown.
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“Baffert was suspended by Churchill Downs before the test was even confirmed,” Drazin said, “and they say he can’t enter horses and none of his employees can enter horses, and it was kind of a change in how these things have been handled in this country for a long time. And then New York does the same thing with no confirmed test, and I think people are supposed to have due process rights.”
In addition to Medina Spirit, who finished third in the Preakness on May 15, Baffert’s Concert Tour is a Grade 2 winner coming off a disappointing ninth place finish in the Preakness.
“Bob Baffert has been a big part of Monmouth Park. He has brought his top horses to the Haskell every year, including American Pharoah,” said Drazin. “I think he has done a lot for New Jersey racing and always showcased the best horses here and Bob is a valued friend of Monmouth Park who we always felt was on our side and always did right by us. I consider Bob a friend of Monmouth Park.
"I think Monmouth Park would welcome a top-notch Baffert horse because you have a top-notch race."
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Bob Baffert's Haskell horses
Year Horse Jockey Place Winnings Notes
1997 Anet Chris McCarron 2 $200,000 Touch Gold wins
1999 Forestry Jerry Bailey 3 $100,000 Menifee, Cat Thief 1-2
2000 Captain Steve Corey Nakatani 2 $200,000 Dixie Union wins
2001 Point Given Gary Stevens 1 $900,000 Horse of the Year
2002 War Emblem Victor Espinoza 1 $600,000 Derby, Preakness winner
2005 Roman Ruler Jerry Bailey 1 $600,000
2010 Lookin At Lucky Martin Garcia 1 $600,000 Preakness winner
2011 Coil Martin Garcia 1 $600,000 Beat 2 Classic winners
2012 Paynter Rafael Bejarano 1 $600,000 2nd in Belmont
2013 Power Broker Rosie Napravnik 2 $200,000 Verrazano wins
2014 Bayern Martin Garcia 1 $600,000 Won BC Classic
2015 American Pharoah Victor Espinoza 1 $1.1 mil. Triple Crown winner
2016 American Freedom Rafael Bejarano 2 $200,000 Exaggerator wins
2019 Mucho Gusto Joe Talamo 2 $200,000 Maximum Security wins
2020 Authentic Mike Smith 1 $600,000 won Kentucky Derby
* 15 starts, 9 wins, 5 seconds, 1 third, with $7.3 million purses won.