Triple Crown-winning trainer is suspended for 15 days in Arkansas
Two-time Triple Crown winning trainer Bob Baffert was suspended for 15 days Wednesday by Oaklawn Park stewards and two of his horses were disqualified in Arkansas after testing positive for a banned substance.
The stewards said in a ruling that the suspension will run from Aug. 1 -15. They found Baffert violated Rule 1233, which states that a trainer shall ultimately be responsible for the condition of any horse that is entered regardless of the acts of any third parties.
His horses Charlatan and Gamine each tested positive for lidocaine in two rounds of testing after winning races at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on May 2. The stewards disqualified both horses and stripped them of their purse earnings. Charlatan’s owners lost $300,000 in purse money; Gamine’s owners forfeited $36,000.
More horse racing
Belmont Stakes runnerup Dr Post and Santa Anita Derby runner-up Authentic drew the two inside post positions and were made the top choices for Saturday’s $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in Belmont, N.Y.
▪ Del Mar canceled racing for the upcoming weekend after 15 jockeys tested positive for COVID-19. All the track’s riders and personnel who work in the jockeys’ room were tested by San Diego County public health officials. Of the 15 positive tests, all were believed to be asymptomatic.
▪ A second horse has died at Los Alamitos Race Course since the track was placed on 10 days probation by the California Horse Racing Board because of a marked increase in fatalities. It was the fourth racing death this month in only five programs. There have been 10 horses which have died either racing or training since May 26 and 22 since the meeting began Dec. 27.
Colleges
Penn State said that a total of 178 athletes who have returned to campus, including several football players, had been tested for COVID19 through July 10, with zero positive tests. The school noted that 31 test results are still pending.
▪ Five-star center Moussa Cisse — a 6-foot-10 prospect from the West African nation of Guinea — announced his commitment to Memphis, picking the Tigers over fellow finalists Kentucky, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia and Louisiana State.
▪ Notre Dame isn’t selling single-game football tickets through its usual lottery this year due to the pandemic. Notre Dame officials said they were working on a seating plan that “will greatly reduce our capacity” as they try to incorporate distancing measures to keep spectators as safe as possible.
▪ The NCAA gave the University of St. Thomas permission to jump directly from Division III to Division I, the final clearance for a bold move born out of the Minnesota private school’s ejection from its conference for competitive reasons.
Elsewhere
The 2021 Rose Parade has been canceled because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on planning for the New Year’s Day tradition and the risk of spreading infections among its huge audience and participants, organizers said.