Baffert Renews Case Against Churchill Downs Inc.
Image:
Description:
Photo: Skip Dickstein
(L-R): Trainer Bob Baffert, jockey John Velazquez, and owner Amr Zedan hold the Kentucky Derby trophy after Medina Spirit crossed the wire first in the 2021 race at Churchill Downs
Almost 19 months after Churchill Downs Inc. barred Bob Baffert from running horses at their tracks for more than two years, the trainer's legal team renewed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the suspension.
On June 2, 2021, CDI banned him through mid-2023 after Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, a drug prohibited on race day in Kentucky, following his first-place finish in the 2021 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). The colt was later disqualified.
Baffert filed suit in federal court in Louisville, Ky., nine months later, seeking a preliminary injunction against the suspension. The motion was withdrawn by Baffert's attorneys April 8 after the failure of a separate set of legal proceedings to obtain a stay of a 90-day suspension issued by Kentucky stewards. Baffert went on to complete the suspension.
On Dec. 15, Baffert's motion was renewed with essentially the same arguments made in the initial filing. Churchill has the right to respond, which could include a request for a substantive ruling on a motion to dismiss it filed May 2. Baffert's legal team responded to that motion May 23, and Churchill filed a reply June 6. The case was dormant afterward until Baffert renewed his motion for a preliminary injunction.
The case differs from an appeal of the stewards' suspension of Baffert and concurrent disqualification of Medina Spirit. Their decision is under appeal and currently in the hands of a hearing officer following a six-day hearing in August.