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Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will miss the Kentucky Derby next year after Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI), the organizer of the horse race and owner of the famed racetrack, extended his suspension through the end of 2024.
The decision was “based on continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks,” the company announced Monday.
Baffert, who has trained six Derby winners, tweeted that he was at a loss to understand this latest action and said he has been “open, honest and forthright.”
The suspension stems from the disqualification of the Baffert-trained horse Medina Spirit in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance after initially being declared the winner of the Triple Crown race. Baffert was initially given a two-year ban by Churchill Downs in 2021.
Churchill Downs, which owns several race tracks in several states including, Louisiana, Kentucky and Virginia, released a statement Monday expressing its disappointment with what it calls Baffert’s “continued disregard for the rules and regulations that ensure horse and jockey safety.”
Baffert “continues to peddle a false narrative concerning the failed drug test of Medina Spirit,” the company’s statement reads.
