Baffert-trained horses to miss Kentucky Derby

Nation’s top trainer remains suspended by Churchill Downs.

The 150th Kentucky Derby is missing horse racing’s household name: Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer with a record-tying six Derby victories won’t be saddling a contender in Saturday’s Run for the Roses for the third consecutive year.

Last July, Baffert, 71, had another year tacked on to his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., which now runs through the end of this year. The additional punishment came despite no positive drug or medication tests involving Baffert’s horses during that time.

CDI imposed the original penalty after Baffert’s 2021 Derby winner, Medina Spirit, flunked a post-race drug test. The colt tested positive for a legal medication that isn’t allowed on race day in Kentucky. Medina Spirit was disqualified.

That led to two years of lawsuits, but Baffert failed in his attempts to be reinstated by Churchill Downs or have Medina Spirit’s victory restored. In January, Baffert said he was dropping his legal challenges against CDI. His move didn’t thaw the frosty relations between the two sides.

“A trainer who is unwilling to accept responsibility for multiple drug test failures in our highest-profile races cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct,” CDI said in extending the suspension. “Mr. Baffert will remain suspended from entering horses at all racetracks owned by CDI through 2024. After such time, we will reevaluate his status.”

The suspension prevented any Baffert horse from accumulating Derby qualifying points, which decide the 20-horse field for the race.

Did Baffert have horses in the past two Derbies? Technically, no. But the owners of Baffert’s top contenders in 2022 and ’23 transferred their horses to another trainer so they could run in the Derby. This year, in evidence of their loyalty to Baffert, none of them did so.

Owner Amr Zedan made a lastditch effort to try to get Arkansas Derby winner Muth, a Baffert horse, into the 150th Derby. He sued in early April. But the Kentucky Court of Appeals recently denied a motion for a temporary injunction that would have allowed Muth into the race despite the suspension of Baffert, who was not a party to the lawsuit.

Zedan also owned Medina Spirit, who died in California after a workout in December 2021. No definitive cause of death was found.

Has the suspension affected Baffert’s career? Not really. Despite hits to his reputation, Baffert remains highly sought by deep-pocketed owners eager to have him train their high-priced horses. But being shut out of the Derby has to sting since he has always been effusive about the race and considers it the pinnacle of the sport.

He won the Preakness last year with National Treasure, his 17th victory in a Triple Crown race.

Earlier that day, one of his horses, Havnameltdown, was injured in a race on the undercard. Havnameltdown had to be euthanized.