A quartet of 3-year-olds previously trained by embattled Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will be transferred to the barn of trainer Tim Yakteen for bids in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, reports the Daily Racing Form. Reincarnate was entered in Oaklawn's G2 Rebel under Yakteen's name on Monday, while the other three-Arabian Lion, Hejazi, and Carmel Road-appear in the nominations for the G3 Gotham Stakes with Yakteen listed as trainer.
Also on the Gotham nominations list, former Baffert trainee Fort Warren is now listed as being trained by Brittany Russell.
The news follows Friday's ruling that Baffert failed in his motion for injunctive relief against Churchill Downs Inc., which banned the trainer from all of its racetracks for two years following a positive drug test for betamethasone in Medina Spirit, the first-place finisher in the 2021 Kentucky Derby who was subsequently disqualified.
In 2022, prior to the final round of qualifying races, Baffert transferred two horses to his former assistant Yakteen that then would earn points and run in the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs altered its nomination form language for the 2023 Derby, stating that horses must be transferred by banned trainers before March 1 in order to earn points and run in the Derby.
Other promising 3-year-olds in Baffert's barn have not officially been transferred, including Arabian Knight, an early favorite for the 2023 Run for the Roses after a dominant win in the G3 Southwest Stakes.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
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