Will go to Court to force a stay
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied trainer Bob Baffert’s request for a stay of his 90-day suspension in a special meeting on Friday. The vote was 10 to deny, with three commissioners abstaining due to conflicts of interest. No one voted to stay.
The vote came after Baffert’s attorney Clark Brewster and KHRC general Council Jennifer Wolsing were given 10 minutes each to present their case. After going into closed executive session, the commissioners returned to vote.
The ruling means Baffert will return to Kentucky’s Franklin District Court to try and force a stay. Judge Thomas Wingate requested during a Wednesday hearing that implementation of the punishment be delayed until he could hear the case after the KHRC meeting.
Attorneys for Baffert and the KHRC both agreed to those terms. The sides will convene in court on March 17.
The length of the suspension, which was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday, would force Baffert to disperse his stable at Santa Anita and give up his stall space there. His lawyers have claimed it would put him out of business.
The suspension came after a ruling on Feb. 21 by Kentucky’s stewards disqualified the late Medina Spirit from his win in the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The stewards also levied a $7,500 fine to Baffert.
