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Having established the new record on Wednesday, Sept. 1, with five racing days remaining in the season, the 2021 summer meet ended with all-sources handle of $815,508,063, a 15.6 percent increase over the prior record of $705,343,949 set in 2019.

With paid attendance totaling 1,046,478, and excluding 2020 when fans were not permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked the sixth consecutive season of more than 1 million in paid attendance at Saratoga Race Course. Average daily attendance during the 40-day meet was 26,162.

“Thanks to the energy, enthusiasm and support of the best fans in horse racing, the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course has been a tremendous success,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “This has been a summer reunion like never before, and we're especially pleased that the return of fans has translated into strong business for downtown Saratoga Springs and the entire Capital Region community. The summer meet at Saratoga is as strong as at any point in its storied history.”

Average daily handle over the 40-day meet was $20,387,702, which is the first time that average daily handle has eclipsed $20 million.

Pari-mutuel wagering funds the majority of the NYRA purse account, which directly supports horsemen competing at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack, as well as the hundreds of businesses reliant on a thriving thoroughbred racing industry. Beyond the purse account, these funds are invested in capital projects to improve and modernize NYRA facilities while prioritizing safety and integrity.

Among the many highlights of the 2021 Saratoga meet:

• Klaravich Stables led all owners with 21 wins; Chad Brown claimed the H. Allen Jerkens training title with 41 wins; and jockey Luis Saez captured the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title with 64 wins.
• The 2021 meet played host to a significant milestone as Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen became the all-time winningest thoroughbred trainer in North America when he won the 9,446th race of his career on Whitney Day, Saturday, August 7.
• Nearly 1.1 million viewers tuned in across the country to watch Essential Quality capture the 152nd edition of the Runhappy Travers on FOX, marking the event's highest ratings since 2015 when Triple Crown champion American Pharoah made his one and only appearance at Saratoga. An audience of 1,089,000 watched this summer's Runhappy Travers, which was broadcast on FOX for the third consecutive year.
• Brad Cox became just the third trainer in history to capture the Whitney and Runhappy Travers in the same summer with two different horses (Knicks Go and Essential Quality).
• NYRA was honored to welcome New York Governor Kathy Hochul to Saratoga Race Course on Runhappy Travers Day, where she presented the Man o' War Cup to the connections of Essential Quality.
• Fans and viewers were treated to more than 220 hours of live programming during Saratoga Live which aired on the networks of FOX Sports, the show's most extensive and comprehensive coverage since its introduction in 2016.
• In addition to daily national coverage on FOX Sports, the 2021 season welcomed the addition of SNY as a regional broadcast partner for Saratoga Live.
• A charitable program under NYRA's stewardship requires every owner competing at NYRA racetracks to donate $10 per start to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), which funds the aftercare organizations that provide homes for retired racehorses. As a result of the 3,253 starts recorded during the 2021 meet, TAA will receive a $32,530 donation. In addition, New York's horsemen donate 1.5 percent of the purchase price of every horse claimed at a NYRA track to Take the Lead (TTL) and the TAA. Claiming activity during the 2021 summer meet will result in a donation of $18,690 to TAA and TTL.
• NYRA paid tribute to the work of frontline and essential workers with a day dedicated to honoring health care heroes and first responders. Additionally, the season-long NYRA Hometown Hero program, held in partnership with CDPHP, honored those who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, including registered nurses, law enforcement officers and vaccine site officials.
• A total of 416 races were run this summer, including 242 on dirt and 174 on the turf. 45 races were taken off the turf due to inclement weather as Saratoga battled historic rainfall throughout the summer. Average field size was 7.7. In 2020, 409 races were run, including 226 on dirt and 183 on the turf. A total of 32 races were taken off the turf. Average field size was 7.4.
•  NYRA continued to invest in Saratoga as a world-class sporting venue with the debut of two new hospitality areas this season: the Spa Verandas at the Top of The Stretch, which replaced the former reserved picnic area with six partially-covered sections; and the Tailgate at the Turn, offering a drive-up picnic section along the first turn. NYRA also expanded the popular Cutwater Stretch with the addition of 15 new lounge boxes to Section T of the Grandstand.

As a not-for-profit organization, NYRA's mission is to strengthen and grow the sport of thoroughbred racing in New York state, which drives an industry responsible for 19,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual economic impact, including $240 million alone in the Capital Region during the Saratoga summer meet.

The 28-day fall meet at Belmont Park, featuring 47 stakes worth $11.15 million in purses, will open on Thursday, September 16 and continue through Sunday, October 31.

For more information, visit NYRA.com.

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“It's been a fairly spectacular run of success and this is something that has been in the making for a while,” said Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George. The influx of horses coming to the U.S. after being bought at European sales began in earnest in 2017 when Brown and his bloodstock advisor Mike Ryan started shopping at Tattersalls. Their purchases included Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), the winner of the 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the 2020 GI Just a Game S. and two other graded races. At the same sale, they found Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the winner of the 2020 GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic S., and Demarchelier (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Grade III winner now standing at stud at Claiborne.

“We've seen this success building since the first year that Mike Ryan came over with Peter Brant and Chad Brown and was buying for Mr. Brant and Seth Klarman,” George said. “Their first visit was in 2017 and, to the best of my recollection, they bought 12 yearlings. They got two Grade I winners out of that. They got off to a dream start with their first visit to Tattersalls and, more specifically, the October yearling sale.” Brown has been represented at every Tattersalls sale since and has continued to find stakes- quality horses. The list includes Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a winner of two Grade I races this year and the leading contender for the male turf championship.

Finding that buying proven race horses in Europe had gotten to be too expensive, Brown reasoned that a better way to stock his stable with European grass horses was to buy them as yearlings. “There are a number of factors at play,” George said. “It stands to reason that if you are focused on buying turf horses, which these buyers are because they want success on the grass, then the Tattersalls October sale is a perfect place to go looking. Book 1 of that sale is established as basically the premier sale in the world for turf horses.” Brown, Klarman and Brant have been able to buy horses at Tattersalls without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Technical Analysis and Newspaperofrecord both cost 200,000 guineas; Domestic Spending went for 300,000 guineas; Digital Age cost 325,000 guineas.

Jimmy George | Tattersalls

“Interestingly, these guys have very shrewdly focused on a market where they can find unbelievable value for the money they have been spending,” George said. “The average price paid at the sale is between 200,000 and 250,000 guineas and their success is coming in that area, anything from about the high one hundreds up to 350,000 guineas. They have focused on a particular section of the market. They've identified a sector that really works for them.” George also believes that, when it comes to European sales being able to offer quality horses, this is an unprecedented time. “Producing the best turf horses in the world, that's what we are good at,” he said. “Between Ireland, France and Britain, we have a depth of quality when it comes to stallions that is unmatched over the last 40-50 years. Galileo, Dubawi, Frankel, Sea the Stars, Kingman, Lope de Vega, Dark Angel, Siyouni. These are stallions that would be at the very top in any normal year and they've all come around at the same time. These are phenomenal stallions.”

Newspaperofrecord | Horsephotos

It didn't take long for others to follow Brown's lead. In 2019, Ben McElroy, representing Stonestreet Stables, paid 190,000 guineas for Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Campanelle is based in the U.S. with Wesley Ward, but has done most of her running in Europe, where she has won the 2020 G1 Commonwealth Cup and the 2021 G1 Darley Prix Morny. That same year, Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was bought at Tattersalls for 280,000 guineas, with BSW Euro Venture/Liz Crow listed as the agents. Trained by Brad Cox, Aunt Pearl went on to win the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Along with Newspaperofrecord, two of the last three running of the Juvenile Fillies Turf have been won by U.S. based horses purchased at Tattersalls.

The 2019 sale also saw Todd Pletcher's first foray into the market. He returned home from Tattersalls with two yearlings. George said it's too early to tell how many Americans will come over this year to buy, but he was optimistic that the list will continue to grow. He noted that there are 43 Kingman yearlings in Book 1, which should appeal to the Brown team, which has purchased nine Kingmans since first coming over. “In the wake of the success enjoyed by Seth Klarman, Peter Brant and Chad Brown, we've seen greater focus from U.S. buyers,” George said. “You had Ben McElroy buying Campanelle for Barbara Banke and Liz Crow and her team buying Aunt Pearl. That demonstrates that what these horses have accomplished has not gone unnoticed. It's not just deeds. It's words. Success breeds more success.”

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“I didn't really allow myself to even start thinking about it,” said Brion. “A lot of people were saying it to me, but to be honest I just hoped one of them could get it done. I knew the pressure was on – on paper, mine were the ones to beat. It wasn't until the eighth pole I started yelling for French Light, 'Get up there!' to be third.”

The accomplishment was fitting, since Brion served as assistant trainer to Sheppard for 11 years and was part of his team for several of his 15 victories in the race, formerly known as the New York Turf Writers Cup.

For Brion, the past eight months since going out on her own have been a whirlwind. Brion had taken a string of Sheppard's horses over to Ireland in November 2020 and was still there when she got word in January that Sheppard was retiring. Brion had long hoped to open her own racing stable and had developed good relationships with many of Sheppard's owners, so she had expected at some point she may take the mantle from him but said it happened rather suddenly.

“I always planned to go out on my own, but maybe not in this way,” she said. “But everything happens for a reason, and everything's going pretty good now.”

Now, she is the leading trainer in the National Steeplechase Association standings by earnings and is tied with recent Hall of Fame inductee Jack Fisher for NSA wins. She got her first Grade 1 win in late July when Baltimore Bucko took the G1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial. Her jaunt to Ireland also helped her make history, as she became the first American trainer to win a hurdle race in the country (courtesy of The Mean Queen) and the first to win a National Hunt race in Ireland with Scorpion's Revenge. Brion said the level of competition in Ireland and England for steeplechase horses is considerably higher than in the United States, where there are comparatively few steeplechase horses.

The months spent in Ireland exposed Brion to new training styles to build better fitness and stamina, but also gave her the chance to develop an angle she hopes will bring new owners into the steeplechase scene in the States. Prize money has become a major problem in English and Irish racing, and Brion has found that a mid-level runner there can be tremendously successful in America, where steeplechase purses are much better.

“Obviously, over there jump racing is more prestigious, so they've got that going for them but the guys who are putting a lot of money into the sport don't even break even,” she said. “You can at least break even, maybe make some money here when you do it the right way. I have quite a few people intrigued by it.”

American jump racing is a great outlet for a runner who prefers firm ground, which they don't reliably get in Ireland.

Brion leads The Mean Queen back to the barn after a workout with Tom Garner up

Although steeplechase is most popular in East Coast areas known for all types of equestrian sport, like fox hunting and eventing, Brion said she wish more people understood that it really has more in common with flat racing than cross country.

“I wish the sport did a better job of advocating and teaching people about it because there are quite a few misconceptions about the sport, but it's only because you would have no way to know,” she said. “I think people look at us as a different entity. Flat racing, you look at them as athletes doing a sport. Steeplechase racing, I think people look at it like we're almost show horses which we're not. We're just as competitive as the flat, and there's money to be made in it. It could be supported just as well.”

Brion first came to horses not as a reformed show rider, but as a Thoroughbred fan from the age of 10. She started off working at Sylmar Farm in Christiana, Penn., and learned to gallop at the age of 13. Although she's known for her steeplechase success, Brion said she hopes to build a name for herself in the realm of flat racing also, the way Sheppard did with top runners Informed Decision and Forever Together.

Perhaps contrary to popular belief among flat racing fans, Brion said the training process for a steeplechaser really isn't much different from a flat horse. Hurdlers also don't actually travel much slower than flat horses and need just as strong a closing kick, they just settle over a greater distance first.

Brion also sees potential in a certain type of flat horse to make a transition over hurdles, and is hopeful she can help more owners see the potential in that type of second career.

“You look for horses – whether they're turf or dirt – that are running long, they're coming late, and just missing,” she said. “Horses that look like they want more ground. I don't mind dirt or turf, either way. You want to see horses that are finishing third or fourth and are galloping out strongly. Every horse jumps, it's just a matter of how good. You can teach them to jump. Even a $10,000 claimer who just runs out of room or is just very one-paced and has a high cruising speed, those are the horses that do well [steeplechasing]. And it's always good to remind owners, horses get their maiden conditions back over jumps.”

Brion aboard Grade 1 winner All The Way Jose

The summer season has been a busy one for Brion, who bases out of Fair Hill. The Fair Hill base is perfect for her program, which allows horses regular turnout and the chance to gallop over rolling hills, but it still means a lot of time on the road. Brion is sending horses to Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania at regular intervals, so her days are long ones. Brion spent some time as a jockey (she was champion apprentice jump jockey in 2017), and still gallops as many of her own string of 30 as she can. This fall will bring more commuting, as there are steeplechase meets every weekend through mid-November. Race days like the G1 Jonathan Sheppard make the long days worth it.

“I have quite a few nice 2-year-olds in my barn, so I'm hoping they will fire and I can get my name out there,” she said. “I've got a bunch of new owners from overseas and I'm looking forward to getting new horses in. My success in Saratoga has really helped me, and I have some exciting new clients.”

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Keithan, 32, oversees a fledgling operation of seven 2-year-olds. She awakens before dawn and toils until dark as she grooms and feeds them herself due to financial constraints. She does all of this with her left ankle in a walking boot, the result of a fracture in a riding accident last September that never healed properly.

She is driven by a me-against-the-world attitude.

“It's ridiculously harder because everyone assumes just because I'm a female, I'm just going to quit and go away,” Keithan  said. “They're just waiting to see how long it is going to take. I'm not going to.

“Things are so negative here all the time, but I'm not negative. I'm positive. I know where I'm at, and where I'm going.”

Keithan looks to the example of Margie Stone, her stepmother. Stone asserted herself in other male-dominated spheres. She drove a tractor-trailer for many years before she joined the Coast Guard.

“We are a family of norm-breakers,” Stone said.

Keithan grew up in Maryland and began riding when she was five. She learned the basics by working as a hotwalker and groom at old Bowie Race Track in Maryland before she began to gallop horses. She received early lessons from John Salzman, a Maryland trainer who excels at developing juveniles, before becoming a traveling assistant to highly-regarded Christophe Clement. She gained a deeper understanding of the claiming game while she worked for Danny Gargan for the last two years before striking out on her own.

Keithan saddles a horse at Saratoga, boot and all

She owns two victories through 11 starts this year with one runner-up finish and a third-place effort for earnings of $51,380. Two horses account for her limited success. Survey (IRE), a 6-year-old gelding, finally broke through in a Jan. 27 maiden race at Tampa Bay Downs for $16,000 claimers and brought home $7,250 of a $13,350 purse. He built on his new-found confidence by taking a March 12 race for non-winners of two races lifetime to bank $8,845 of a $16,100 purse. Trainers customarily receive 10 percent of purse money in addition to their day rate.

Landslid is the most precocious of her 2-year-olds and has shown she belongs on a major circuit. After a fifth-place debut at Keeneland, she placed second and then third in maiden special weight dirt races at Belmont Park to boost her earnings to $30,600. Landslid is ready to run at Saratoga, but it has been difficult finding a suitable spot.

Through the first three weeks of the Saratoga meet, R Doc, a 2-year-old ridgling by turf star Gio Ponti, had provided her only two starts. Those were not good. In a maiden special weight race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf on July 17, he was bumped at the start and lagged seventh of nine. When he was brought back two weeks later at the same level and distance, things went from bad to worse. He was fractious at the gate and then Jalon Samuel, chasing his first win, attempted a six-wide move at the quarter pole. R Doc ran last of eight.

Keithan knew it was a reach when she left behind a basement apartment in Brooklyn to move her stable to Saratoga and rent a room outside of town.

“I didn't expect to have a superstar meet because I don't have any superstars in my barn yet. But I do know what I've got can hit the board and what I aim to accomplish,” she said. “Next year will be a different story because I will have a variety of stock.”

Despite that, she decided she had to do whatever she could to assert herself at such a demanding meet. “People assume that when you go to a lesser track, you are a lesser trainer,” she said. “I can train with all of the big boys.”

Keithan at Saratoga

She yearns for owners who will give her a shot by claiming horses for them.

“My strong suit is with the claimers and I don't have any claimers in my barn,” she said, adding, “I have relationships with people. But when you first go out on your own, everybody is a little reluctant. They want to see what you can do.”

Despite lack of financial support, she continues to scrutinize the claiming ranks, confident her opportunity will come.

“You've got to understand the breeding. You've got to understand how every barn works,” she said. “There are certain barns I won't touch because of practices they use. I pay attention to everything.”

When Keithan reaches the point of exhaustion and needs emotional encouragement, she turns to a stepmother who has known her since she was 15. Stone could not be more confident that Keithan will ultimately overcome her initial struggles and  establish herself.

“When Rachel puts her mind to doing something, she will do what it takes to get there,” Stone said. “She is an exceptionally hard worker. She gives her all when she is doing this.”

For now, she has seven horses in her barn that she describes as projects, lack of financial support and a bum ankle. She also has a dream she insists will not be denied.

“I know how bad I want this,” she said. “It's something I'm willing to fight for.”

Tom Pedulla wrote for USA Today from 1995-2012 and has been a contributor to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Blood-Horse, America's Best Racing and other publications.

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John Velazquez piloted the 3-year-old colt, tucking in sixth mid-pack behind a blistering early quarter led by Cellist. As the field bunched up going into the final turn, State of Rest was caught up and shuffled down to the rail, where he was boxed in well into the final stretch. Velazquez saw space to swing out into the three path and once the colt got running room, he confidently powered past his rivals to win by a length.

Soldier Rising was second, followed by Du Jour. The final time for the 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon turf course was 1:53.35, with fractions of 1:35.92, 1:11.88, :47.54 and :21.96. See the full chart here.

State of Rest went off at odds of 21-1 and paid $44.20 to win on a $2 bet.

State of Rest comes to this race off a third-place finish in the Dubai Duty Free at The Curragh in June, and was also third in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last fall. He is owned by Teme Valley and was bred in Ireland by Tinnakill Bloodstock. State of Rest is the son of Starspangledbanner (AUS) and Quiet American mare Repose. He was a $80,543 purchase at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Whatton Manor Stud and purchased by Joseph and Aidan O'Brien. Previously, he was a $60,423 purchase at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, where he was consigned by his breeder and bought by Diamond Bloodstock.

G1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Quotes, courtesy NYRA Press Office

Joseph O'Brien, winning trainer of State of Rest (No. 9, $44.20): “I thought Johnny [Velazquez] gave him a fantastic ride. The pace was pretty strong and he got him comfortable and came home strong. We knew he would like the firm turf and getting more distance today.

“He was unlucky not to win his last race. He ran really well and we knew that getting more distance today would suit him well. We'll get him home and talk to the owners and see how he is and see where we go next.

“He ran well the last time and we were figuring out where we could go with him. We figured this was a lovely spot and that the conditions would suit him well. We weren't sure how he would handle this level and he had never been around these turns before, but he handled everything really well.”

John Velazquez, winning jockey aboard State of Rest (No. 9): “The horse is actually a very, very nice horse and he was not really paying attention out in the post parade so I was a little bit worried that his mind wasn't on the business and that's what he did. He didn't break very well. I didn't panic. I just saved all the ground, looking for somewhere to go down the stretch and when I got him out, he responded really good.”

Christophe Clement, trainer of runner-up Soldier Rising (No. 1): “He ran very well, I am very happy. We finished second last year with Gufo and second this year. We'll have to find another one for next year.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., jockey aboard runner-up Soldier Rising (No. 1): “He missed the break a little, but it was his first time running in this country so I didn't panic. I just let him settle and be where he was happy. I tried to have a good trip after that and that's what I got, a really good trip. When I asked him, he was there for me.

“Christophe always told me that he thought he was more of a mile-and-a-half horse but the race was there and the horse was ready to run so I guess they have to run him. He's a nice horse. Really nice. I had a lot of power under me. He was running home but the winner was the best horse.”

Joel Rosario, jockey aboard third-place Du Jour (No. 2): “It was a very nice run. He responded very well. Turning for home he was a little tired and hesitated for a little bit. He ran really well today.”

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A remarkable stretch of nine wins from 25 starters last week pushed Maker to the top of the table with 14 wins in the first 14 days of the 40-day season. He had at least one winner in each of the five racing days of the week and his stable hit the board at a 72% rate. That run of success enabled Maker to finish the week on Sunday with a six-victory lead over Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmussen and he was seven ahead of Chad Brown and Brad Cox. His win streak ended during Wednesday's program he had a third and a fourth with his starters.

Maker, 52, acknowledged that he was optimistic about how his stable might fare in the opening weeks of the Saratoga season.

“The condition book fit us well,” he said. “We had a lot of horses doing well, a lot of babies getting ready to run. It's hard to predict 14 wins, but we have had a good start.”

Maker's stable is typically strong on the turf–he started Wednesday's card with a meet-leading seven wins on the grass– had to deal with what has been an unusually rainy summer in upstate New York. A total of 21 races–10 last week alone–have been moved from the turf to the main track this season.

“It kind of hurt us the first week, but that's racing,” Maker said. “You keep plugging along.”

Maker earned his 11th Saratoga stakes victory, and seventh in the past two seasons, according to Equibase, on Saturday when Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border (English Channel) picked up a repeat victory in the GII Bowling Green S.

With 44 horses at Saratoga and another 50 at Belmont Park, Maker has a well-stocked stable to compete at Saratoga.

“We've been rotating them in and out and we've got Kentucky to draw from, too,” he said. “We're still going to try to place the horses properly and see what happens.”

Maker had his best showing at Saratoga in 2020, finishing in a tie for third place with Christophe Clement at 20 victories. Todd Pletcher led the way 32 wins, four ahead of Chad Brown.

With a smile and nod, Maker said he thinks about winning the Saratoga title.

“It's a nice thought,” he said. “Chad, Todd, Christophe are tough and we know racing can turn around in a hurry. You've got to have a lot of racing luck.”

Maker said finishing on top at Saratoga is always a goal, but one that has not yet been achieved.

“It'd be great, obviously,” he said. “Very prestigious meet. We're fortunate to be in the position we are.”

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The unnamed, unraced filly, who is trained by Jorge Abreu, was sent to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on Sunday, July 11 after developing a fever. She was subsequently tested for a number of potential ailments, and a positive test for EHV-1 was returned on Thursday afternoon. The filly began treatment immediately, and is improving under the care of Dr. Luis Castro, DVM.

Overseen by Dr. Anthony Verderosa, the director of NYRA's veterinary department, in consultation with the NYSGC, the Barn 86 quarantine is effective immediately with standard precautions and biosecurity measures now in place.

During the initial quarantine period, these horses will not be permitted to enter races or train among the general horse population. Afebrile/asymptomatic horses stabled in Barn 86 will have isolated training hours at the Oklahoma Training Track following the close of training for the general horse population at 10 a.m.

As of Thursday evening, no additional horses in the quarantined barn have exhibited symptoms.

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NYRA notified Baffert ahead of the Belmont Stakes that it was suspending his ability to enter horses in races or have stall space at its racetracks due to his recent history of medication violations, the conflicting statements he provided to media around the Media Spirit scandal, and Churchill Downs' suspension of the trainer.

Amon determined that the exclusion of Baffert from the Saratoga meet caused him significant harm, particularly as he was able to demonstrate several owners had withdrawn horses from his stable or planned to, based on the inability to start them in races there. She pointed out that the organization's suspension of Baffert had no time limit on it and was left open-ended with a final suspension length potentially coming some time after Aug. 11.

Although NYRA was asserting its private property rights in the case, Amon said the organization is closely entwined enough with the state that its suspension of Baffert constituted a state action, thereby requiring due process.

As to Baffert's history of recent drug violations in other states, Amon pointed out that NYRA has not taken similar actions against other trainers with similar records.

“…As uncontested data show, NYRA has permitted numerous trainers to race at NYRA this season who have medication violation histories comparable or more serious than Baffert's,” the ruling read. “These data belie NYRA's claim that integrity or safety demand the exclusion of someone with a violation record like Baffert's.”

Amon concluded that Baffert was entitled to notice and a pre-suspension hearing from NYRA or, in lieu of that, a prompt post-suspension hearing, although the organization did suggest it would allow the trainer to submit written arguments after informing him of the suspension.

“Numerous rules and regulations already safeguard the interests NYRA argues for here, and enjoining this suspension of Baffert will not prevent the continued enforcement of those rules,” Amon wrote. “The hardships that Baffert would suffer absent an injunction weigh heavily on the other side of the scale. The suspension is indefinite, and NYRA concedes at most that Baffert's claims might 'be decided within the year.' But the 2021 Saratoga meet is a one-time opportunity.

“…I am sensitive to NYRA's concerns about Baffert's involvement in the events surrounding Medina Spirit's Kentucky Derby performance, and the fear that history might repeat itself in New York. But for the reasons stated, the actual and substantial harm that Baffert will suffer absent an injunction outweighs the speculative harms that NYRA raises.”

Read the ruling here.

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