Baffert in spotlight for different reason
HALL of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is accustomed to being in the public eye for winning big races, but for the second time in less than a year, he finds himself in the spotlight for the wrong reason.
Two of Baffert’s horses tested positive for a prohibited substance in Arkansas, according to unidentified sources quoted this week in multiple news reports.
The substance was lidocaine, according to The New York Times and other news outlets. Lidocaine is a Class 2 substance, according to the Association of Racing Commissioners International, and if its presence is confirmed in a second test, Baffert could face a 15- to 60-day suspension and a fine of $500 to $1,000 for a first offense.
According to the Times, one of the horses to test positive was Charlatan, the undefeated winner of a split division of the Arkansas Derby on May 2 and a leading contender for the Belmont Stakes on June 20. The other was Gamine, a 3-year-old filly who won at Oaklawn Park the same day, it said.
If the finding is upheld, Charlatan would be disqualified and forfeit the $300,000 earned in the Arkansas Derby, possibly jeopardizing a spot in the Belmont.
Baffert, who requested that authorities conduct a second test on split samples from the horses, decried the leak of his name while the investigation is continuing.
“I am hoping for an expedited investigation and look forward to being able to speak soon about any written decision of the stewards, if and when it becomes necessary and I’m allowed to under the (Arkansas Racing) commission’s confidentiality rules,” he said.
Baffert also found himself in the headlines last year when the Times reported that 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify had tested positive for scopolamine after the Santa Anita Derby. That infraction was dismissed after racing authorities in California decided it was the result of accidental contamination of the horse’s feed.
Two things to keep in mind as the labs and racing officials sort out the new complaint :
Lidocaine is a regulated anesthetic widely used in equine medicine, so this may be an “overage” in which a residual amount of the drug in the horses’ systems exceeded the permitted threshold.
Also, given that lidocaine is easily detected in routine drug screenings, it’s not a good way to cheat if that is your intent.
As if Baffert needed any more bad news, he got it Thursday when Nadal, another undefeated 3-yearold and top contender for the Triple Crown races, suffered a condylar fracture of his left foreleg during a workout at Santa Anita Park. Surgeons put two screws into the bone and the colt will be fine, though he won’t be running in the Belmont, Preakness or Kentucky Derby.
Betting apps coming back
Good news for long-suffering Nevada horseplayers, who have been without access to online betting on horses since mid-march: The services are about to resume providing, well, service.
Boyd Gaming, South Point and Station Casinos say they will resume horse betting via their apps June 4, assuming state officials sign off on plans to reopen on that date.
#Rjhorseracing featured races
The #Rjhorseracing handicappers are dividing their attention Saturday between Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields, tackling Race 8, a $50,000 starter optional claiming race at 1 1/16th miles on the turf for 3-year-olds and up, at the former and the $75,000 Camilla Urso Stakes, a 5-furlong turf dash for fillies and mares 3 and up, at the latter.
At Gulfstream, the handicapping crew is solidly behind Venezuelan Hug, the 9-5 morning line favorite who is jumping up of his maiden score. They see Bad Beat Brian (4-1) and Lets Play Hardball (5-1) filling out the top three.
I’m not excited about Venezuelan Hug, despite the presence of Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle, and will try to beat him with City Park (20-1), who sports a nice turf pedigree for his debut on the green. I’ve got Blood Moon (9-2) and Venezuelan Hug to place and show.
In the Camilla Urso at Golden
Gate Fields, the crowd ’cappers are again riding the chalk, though at 4-1 on the morning line they’re at least getting a decent price on Storming Lady. They see Left Alone (8-1) edging Princess Vivian (9-2) to place.
I can see Storming Lady’s appeal, but I’m going with Fantasy Heat (5-1), who ships north and drops in class for trainer Mark Glatt. I’ll use Coco Bee (6-1) and Storming Lady underneath.
Mike Brunker’s horse racing column appears Fridays. He can be reached at mbrunker@ reviewjournal.com or 702-3834656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.
“For me, the hardest thing was seeing all these people talking about my loss or trying to find an excuse or whatever,” Dern said Thursday. “Hearing people say, ‘Oh, you came back too soon,’ or ‘You’re not the same fighter anymore after having a baby,’ or ‘Your body’s different,’ or ‘You’re not going to be as athletic.’ I still haven’t watched that fight. I know I did my best. Amanda was just the better fighter.”
Dern will look to bounce back against Hannah Cifers to kick off the UFC on ESPN 9 main card Saturday at the UFC’S Apex facility. No fans will be allowed.
The plan wasn’t to take so much time off after the loss, but Dern had a tougher time getting booked coming off a loss than when she was undefeated. Then came the coronavirus pandemic that shut down the sports world.
“It’s been almost the same amount of time as I was pregnant since I last fought,” she said. “It fuels a fire.”
Not that Dern, 27, has never dealt with adversity. She is one of the most decorated jiujitsu practitioners to compete in the UFC and has lost many times in the discipline.
But that’s different. She recalls often losing a match in her weight class only to avenge it later in the day.
“You can just move on so fast,” she said.
If things go her way Saturday,
Dern will be relying on those roots to carry her to victory.
Her ground game is her surest route to victory, and she’s unapologetic about her game plan.
“The ground is her (Cifers’) weakest point, and obviously that’s my strongest point,” Dern said. “So that’s going to be the strategy. No secret to that.”
The fights at the Apex will be inside a 25-foot cage. The UFC uses a 30-foot cage for most events, so Dern thinks the smaller cage gives her an advantage.
“Mostly when people fight me, the strategy is to get in and get out and stay away from me,” she said. “She’ll have less space to run around.”
The quarantine protocols mean Dern is away from her daughter for an extended period for the first time. She also has to have her hair braided for more than 24 hours because of the even stricter isolation period that will go into effect after a second round of coronavirus testing.
But Dern thinks the negatives aren’t nearly enough to outweigh her enthusiasm for fighting again.
“I wasn’t sure it was going to happen,” she said of a fight that has been rescheduled several times because of canceled cards. “I wasn’t really sure until the ticket was in my hand, but, of course, you stay training because (UFC president) Dana White is crazy and he makes things happen.”
The bout is part of an ESPN card headlined by a welterweight fight between Gilbert Burns and former champion Tyron Woodley.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @Adamhilllvrj on Twitter.