LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer who has been suspended from all racing at Churchill Downs since his Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, tested positive for a banned substance after the 2021 Derby, has been reinstated by the track, it announced Friday afternoon.
Baffert initially was suspended four a two-year period, and that ban was extended in July 2023.
The reinstatement was issued by Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen, after bitterly, at times personal, feuds in state and federal courts.
"We are satisfied that Mr. Baffert has taken responsibility for his actions, completed a substantial penalty and is committed to running in full compliance with the rules and regulations going forward," Carstanjen said in a statement Friday afternoon. "All parties agree that it is time to bring this chapter to a close and focus on the future. Mr. Baffert is welcome to return to any of CDI’s racetracks, including our flagship Churchill Downs Racetrack, and we wish him and his connections good luck in their future competitive endeavors."
Jockey John Velazquez celebrates aboard Medina Spirit after winning his fourth Kentucky Derby.
The move ends a protracted period of lawsuits and contention between the parties, though Baffert dropped his final appeal of the Medina Spirit decision and his suspension in January of this year.
A final move in the litigation came Friday when Zedan Racing Stables and Churchill Downs jointly asked Kentucky's Court of Appeals to dismiss pending litigation.
"I accept responsibility for Medina Spirit’s positive test in the 2021 Kentucky Derby," Baffert said in a statement Friday. "I am responsible for any substance found in the horses that I train, and I have paid a very steep price with a three-year suspension and the disqualification of Medina Spirit’s performance. I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission took steps to enforce the rules that they believed were necessary to protect the safety and integrity of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. My family and I want to put this behind us and get back to doing what we love to do without anymore distraction or negativity. I very much look forward to returning to Churchill Downs and getting back to the Winner’s Circle."
Trainer Bob Baffert speaks with reporters on May 9, 2021, after learning that his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had tested positive for a banned substance and faces possible disqualification.
The drama began on May 9, 2021, when Baffert dropped a bombshell on reporters outside his barn at Churchill Downs, that Medina Spirit had tested positive for betametasone, a corticosteroid permitted for use in Kentucky but not above a certain threshold on race days, a limit Medina Spirit had exceeded. It came a year after Baffert accepted punishment for a similar offense with his star filly Gamine, who tested positive after a third-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks.
After Medina Spirit's positive, Baffert voiced wild conspiracy theories and spoke to various national outlets before arriving at the conclusion that the substance was in the colt's system after being administered as a topical ointment for a rash.
The method didn't matter to Churchill Downs. After a second sample came back positive, the track announced a two-year suspension of Baffert on June 2, 2021. In December, 2021, Medina Spirit died suddenly after a routine workout at Santa Anita Park of an apparent cardiac issue.
In February of 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission upheld the disqualification of Medina Spirit, and Churchill Downs proclaimed Mandaloun the race's rightful winner.
Churchill Downs employee Todd Herl takes a look at the sign for Medina Spirit after taking it down from the traditional Kentucky Derby winner's position in the paddock at the race track. Medina Spirit was disqualified by state stewards on Monday.
The following month, Baffert and Zedan sued, setting off the series of ugly legal battles that ensued.
In the meantime, Baffert has continued to have success in other racing venues.
He won the Preakness with National Treasure in 2023. He won the Breeders Cup Juvenile with Corniche in 2021 and the Dubai World Cup with Country Grammer in 2022.
But it is the Kentucky Derby at which Baffert has excelled. Unsurpassed by any modern trainer in Derby victories, he'll have a chance to chase the record he lost once again in 2025.
Before the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the historic 150th running of the race, legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas told WDRB's Rick Bozich that Baffert's return to the race would be what is best for the sport and the race.
"Bob belongs here," Lukas said. "He's the face of horse racing in so many ways. . . . I would have definitely let him come back this year," Lukas said. "I would have welcomed him as a competitor. It wouldn't have bothered me one bit. I don't think you can be the guy who won the Triple Crown (twice) for the first time in (37) years ... and then not have him be part of the Derby. He's in the record books. He's part of it."
And if he can find the right horse, or horses, he'll be part of it again in 2025.
Related Stories:
- BOZICH | Bob Baffert belongs in the Kentucky Derby again, D. Wayne Lukas says
- Court of Appeals upholds decision to keep Baffert-trained Muth out of Kentucky Derby
- OVERTIME | Will Churchill Downs and Bob Baffert ever resolve the feud?
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
