Justify Case Set to Again Be Heard by California Court

Mick Ruis' mission to have Justify   disqualified from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Bolt d'Oro  , whom he bred, owned, and trained, declared the winner continues as his legal case will return to Los Angeles Superior Court for disposition.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered Sept. 8 that the parties again file briefs and engage in oral arguments over whether stewards were required by regulation to disqualify Justify after testing detected scopolamine in his system following his win in the important Kentucky Derby (G1) prep race on his way to becoming the second Triple Crown champion for trainer Bob Baffert since 2015.

After establishing a briefing schedule, Beckloff set oral arguments for Dec. 1, when Ruis will again press his case the the scopolamine positive required disqualification as a matter of law.

The hearing will mark the second time the case has come before Beckloff for disposition. After the first round of briefing he declined to rule, saying the stewards' report was incapable of judicial review by failing to articulate a reason for its inaction. Beckloff ordered the stewards to try again.

DOWNEY: Judge: Stewards' Action in Justify Case Lacks Clarity

After a revised stewards' report was filed with the court, Beckloff ordered a new round of written arguments set to conclude Oct. 30. Standard practice requires attorneys to timely send copies of such filings to each other. In this case, Beckloff also ordered "courtesy copies" be lodged directly in his court on the dates of filing.