The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied trainer Bob Baffert’s appeal of a 90-day suspension that followed Medina Spirit’s positive drug test after the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
The commission approved a recommended order from hearing officer Eden Davis Stephens after an administrative hearing in March. Daily Racing Form reported the KHRC’s final order earlier.
Baffert attorney Craig Robertson indicated in an email that an appeal is likely.
“It’s disappointing that the KHRC engaged in no analysis whatsoever of the hearing officer’s findings of fact or conclusions of law," Robertson wrote. "Neither did the KHRC’s order address any of the many objections we raised to the hearing officer’s ruling. Instead, the KHRC did what it does best – rubber stamped its own foregone conclusion. I will discuss with Mr. Baffert, but believe it is highly likely the matter is appealed so that it can finally be presented to an impartial court.”
In her report, Stephens wrote that "the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has shown that the stewards' decision was made on reliable, substantive evidence that the horse, Medina Spirit, was administered and carried the prohibited substance, betamethasone." She also wrote that the levied penalty "was appropriate” and that the penalties were well below the maximum.
