Two days after a pair of Bob Baffert-trained horses ran in the Preakness, the New York Racing Association suspended the embattled trainer and all of his horses from the state’s tracks ahead of the June 5 Belmont Stakes.
“In order to maintain a successful Thoroughbred racing industry in New York, NYRA must protect the integrity of the sport for our fans, the betting public, and racing participants,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in a statement. “That responsibility demands the action taken today in the best interests of Thoroughbred racing.”
With its stern response, New York joined Churchill Downs, which suspended Baffert shortly after he announced Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit had tested positive for the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone. If a split-sample blood test taken after the Derby confirms the positive for betamethasone, Medina Spirit will likely become just the second horse to lose a Derby title because of a medication violation.
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Baffert and his employees will be barred from occupying stall space or entering horses at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack or Saratoga Race Course, with the length of the suspension to be determined after Kentucky officials conclude their investigation of Medina Spirit. In announcing the penalty, NYRA cited a recent string of medication violations for Baffert-trained horses in Kentucky, Arkansas and the trainer’s home base of California.
The penalty stood in contrast to Preakness organizers’ decision to allow Baffert’s horses in the second leg of the Triple Crown on the condition that they pass three prerace drug tests. They cited Baffert’s right to due process given that the split-sample test from Kentucky had yet to come back.
“We are well aware of the public outcry and calls for action that have been the natural outcome of a medication positive in one of the most iconic races in our sport and we share the disappointment and concern,” said Craig Fravel, chief executive officer of the Maryland Jockey Club’s parent company, 1/ST Racing, in explaining the decision. “We are required to acknowledge in this instance that fundamental fairness compels us to respect the individual rights of participants in our sport to due process and adherence to agreed-upon and well-established rules.”
Experience some of the sights and sounds of the running of the 146th Preakness Stakes, held at the Pimlico Race Course.
The decision drew backlash from ant-doping activists, who said it was another example of the racing industry’s lax handling of medication violations.
Both Medina Spirit and Concert Tour passed their prerace tests, and they finished third and ninth, respectively, in a Preakness won by 12-1 shot Rombauer.
It’s difficult to compare the decision that faced Preakness officials with the one New York officials made Monday.
Baffert had already stated his plans to enter Medina Spirit and Concert Tour in the Preakness when news of the post-Derby test failure broke. His attorney, W. Craig Robertson III, said he would seek a temporary restraining order if Preakness officials tried to bar either horse.
In New York, by contrast, it’s not clear Baffert had plans to run any of his 3-year-olds in the Belmont Stakes. His assistant, Jimmy Barnes, said future races for Medina Spirit and Concert Tour were undetermined as of Sunday morning. Both horses shipped from Pimlico Race Course back to Churchill Downs on Sunday.
Baffert doesn’t keep a regular barn in New York, so it’s not as if a suspension in the state will radically alter his plans for the summer. The only horse he had explicitly pointed to New York was Charlatan, who was a possibility to run on the Belmont Stakes undercard.
Would NYRA have acted so boldly if Medina Spirit had won the Preakness and headed for Belmont Park as a possible Triple Crown winner? It’s impossible to say.
Robertson previously said Churchill Downs violated Baffert’s due process by suspending him before Medina Spirit’s split sample from the Derby was tested. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.
Triple Crown series
153rd BELMONT STAKES
Elmont, N.Y.
June 5
Post time: 6:45 p.m.
Looking for a big Kentucky Derby payday? Here are five long shots you can’t ignore.
6. O BESOS (20-1)
While other trainers waffled after their horses failed to finish in the top two of their respective final preps, Greg Foley made it immediately clear that O Besos would be set for the Derby starting gate if he had enough qualifying points to make the race. Following several defections, O Besos — the third-place finisher in the Louisiana Derby — was safely in, and he’s one of the most intriguing long shots Saturday.
Deploying a closer’s style, O Besos should be running in the stretch, and pinpointing a long shot that could be passing up tiring horses at the end is one of the best ways of finding value in your exotic betting tickets. O Besos’ sire, Orb, won the Derby in 2013 using a similar style. He was 18 ¾ lengths behind the leaders at the half-mile point — the fourth largest such margin on record for a Derby champ — and still managed to win by 2 ½ lengths.
O Besos doesn’t have the credentials that his daddy did — Orb was the Derby favorite, after all — but Foley’s colt has improved his speed numbers over every one of his previous starts, managed to close well in a Louisiana Derby with relatively soft pace numbers, and his running style should be beneficial Saturday as a possible hit-the-board long shot.
10. MIDNIGHT BOURBON (20-1)
It was a bit of a surprise to see Midnight Bourbon in the “20-1 and longer” crowd on the morning line Tuesday. This has been one incredibly consistent colt in 2021, which started with a win in the Lecomte Stakes, followed by a third-place finish (beaten less than 2 lengths) in the Risen Star Stakes and then a game second-place showing to Hot Rod Charlie in the Louisiana Derby.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is 0-for-21 with his Derby horses — most starts ever without a victory — but he’s had some tough luck on Derby Day, and he has finished second twice and third twice, including a runner-up showing with 33-1 shot Lookin At Lee four years ago. Midnight Bourbon has consistently high speed figures — only four Derby horses had a better Beyer last time out than his 96 in the Louisiana Derby — and the son of Tiznow should like the added distance Saturday.
Asmussen called getting the 10 spot an “ideal draw” Tuesday morning, and Midnight Bourbon will get a boost Saturday with the addition of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, a two-time Derby winner who replaces Joe Talamo in the saddle. Midnight Bourbon should be near the leaders from the opening stages of the race.
“I think the 10 draw is perfect to establish the tempo that Mike wants,” Asmussen said.
13. HIDDEN STASH (50-1)
This 3-year-old colt has been a bit of a buzz horse all year, despite going winless in all three of his starts for 2021. Still, Hidden Stash — the first Derby horse from the BBN Racing syndicate — has an intriguing case to be a long-shot play Saturday.
The son of star stallion Constitution — a top sire for longer distances — has Smart Strike as a damsire and appears to be impeccably bred for the Derby distance. His lack of victories might be more related to circumstance than overall talent. He finished third in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (beaten a little more than a length) and second in the Tampa Bay Derby (beaten less than a length), with both races run at 1 1/16 miles. In the latter, Hidden Stash ran off in the post parade and ended up going an extra quarter mile or so before the race even began. He finished fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes, a race with zero early pace to suit his closing style.
He’ll probably get plenty of pace to run at in the Derby, and his connections have been supremely confident regarding his potential as a longer-distance performer.
Once again, when trying to make a splash with a trifecta wager, looking for a long shot who might be running late and get a bit lucky is a good way to go. Hidden Stash might fit that bill.
16. KING FURY (20-1)
Another long shot who should be running late and carries the dreams of a confident trainer, King Fury came roaring through the stretch in the Lexington Stakes three weeks ago at Keeneland for a victory in his first race in more than four months. Lexington’s own Kenny McPeek declared in the winner’s circle that the colt would be headed to either the Derby (if he had enough points) or the Preakness Stakes (if he didn’t).
Somewhat surprisingly, King Fury does indeed have enough points for Saturday’s race. And he comes into the Derby off a victory that — according to the speed figures — stacks up quite well with the numbers many of the race favorites put up in their final preps. The son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin should love the added Derby distance and appears to have a pretty versatile running style. He got an excellent ride from Louisville-based jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. in the Lexington Stakes.
If King Fury can take even a small step forward off that race — and, just as importantly, if he can get a relatively clean trip from the back of the pack — he could very well factor into the Derby stretch run at a big price.
McPeek has had some good horses on Derby Day — including runner-up Tejano Run in 1995 and race favorite Harlan’s Holiday in 2002 — so it was worth noting when he said Tuesday that he’s “as confident as I’ve ever been” coming into this Derby with King Fury.
19. SOUP AND SANDWICH (30-1)
Trying to find a closing long shot who might be picking up the pieces late is one way to spice up a trifecta ticket. In case such a scenario doesn’t unfold, an alternative would be to pinpoint a front-running horse and hope he hangs around at the end. Florida Derby runner-up Soup and Sandwich is an interesting play in that regard.
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse brings the striking gray colt to Churchill Downs with few past results to go on. Soup and Sandwich didn’t make his debut until Jan. 28 and won his first two races by a combined 10 lengths before Casse entered him in the Florida Derby, where he set the early pace and eventually succumbed to Known Agenda in the stretch. Still, he held on for second in one of the biggest preps of the Derby season, and the performance came less than two months after his racing debut. That’s pretty impressive.
Soup and Sandwich also boasts an impressive pedigree. His sire is Into Mischief, the sire of Authentic, last year’s Derby winner and Horse of the Year. His damsire is the great Tapit (the father of Derby favorite Essential Quality).
A couple of the late defections from the Derby took some early speed out of the race. There will still be a battle at the front — Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World is among the top candidates to take the early lead — but if Soup and Sandwich can work his way into a relatively modest pace, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him in the mix down the stretch.
