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Churchill Bans Baffert for Two Years

Churchill Downs Incorporated has suspended Bob Baffert for two years effective immediately through the conclusion of the Churchill 2023 spring meet. The suspension prohibits Baffert, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by Bob Baffert Racing Stables, from entering horses in races or applying for stall occupancy at all CDI-owned racetracks. This decision follows the confirmation by attorneys represening Bob Baffert of the presence of betamethasone, a prohibited race-day substance, in Medina Spirit's (Protonico) bloodstream on the day of the 147th running of the GI Kentucky Derby in violation of the Commonwealth of Kentucky's equine medication protocols and CDI's terms and conditions for racing.

“CDI has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. “Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated. Mr. Baffert's record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.”

CDI reserves the right to extend Baffert's suspension if there are additional violations in any racing jurisdiction.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has the sole authority to disqualify Medina Spirt as the winner of Kentucky Derby 147.

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French Trainer Banned Until 2025, Faces Criminal Charges For Horse Doping

Italian-born, Group 1-winning Thoroughbred trainer Andrea Marcialis has been banned by France Galop until April of 2025 for three counts of horse doping and two counts of running a shadow training operation, reports the Racing Post. The trainer also faces criminal charges on counts of doping horses, organized crime, and forgery, with his actions spanning at least 31 races.

An incident at Saint-Cloud on Aug. 31, 2020 initiated the police investigation. Marcialis was reported to racecourse officials after being seen carrying a syringe from the car park. His two runners that day were tested before and after their races. One, Bosioh, returned a positive in the pre-race urine sample, but was negative post-race. France Galop still issued a ban for the incident, noting that “the facts being sufficient to establish and constitute an act of deliberate doping on a racecourse.”

The other two doping counts for which Marcialis received bans involved six horses who received injections without prior consultation from a vet and without prescription, and the administration of corticosteroids to four more horses within three days of them racing.

Marcialis' suspensions for shadow training operations included two separate instances. The first was for his role in running horses under the name of an 80-year-old trainer, Jean-Claude Napoli, with the help of his sister, Elisabetta, and the second was for shadow training under the name of Chantilly-based Russian licence holder, Igor Endaltsev.

‘I Wasn’t Sure If I Wanted To Ride Again’: Oisin Murphy Reveals Mental Struggles After Drug Positive

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy tested positive for metabolites of cocaine in July of 2020, later revealed that a sex partner was likely responsible for the positive test and was absolved of taking the drug himself, and eventually wound up with a three-month suspension from France-Galop which will end in March of 2021.

He retained his championship title in 2020, but this week Murphy candidly revealed to the Racing Post's My Sporting Mind podcast the struggles he endured mentally during the latter half of the season.

“I felt like the world had turned against me, over something I didn't really mean to happen,” Murphy said. “When I went to America [for the Breeders' Cup] I was hoping I'd done enough to win the jockeys' championship and by the time I rode in my last race, I wasn't sure if I wanted to ride again.”

Help came from fellow top jockey Frankie Dettori in the form of supportive messages, as well as the rest of his family and friends.

“I remember feeling the season was going to be defined one of two ways – I could fight on or let my season, my year, crumble to nothing,” Murphy summarized. “I knew I was going to get the ban, but I also knew that if I didn't win the jockeys' championship it would have been a season when I allowed everything that was going on around me to defeat me.”

Assistant Starter Handed Six-Month Ban By Zia Park Stewards

Assistant starter Ramon Alvarez has been ruled off for six months at Zia Park, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News, for open-handed slaps to the head of a filly in the starting gate.

The incident occurred during race four on Oct. 20, when Alvarez was responsible for Javys Brown Sugar. The Quarter Horse filly dropped her head several times in the gate, and Alvarez responded by hitting her face four times with his open hand.

“The bottom line is, this type of behavior against our horses will not be tolerated,” said Izzy Trejo, the executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, in an email to the TDN. “It's people like this in our industry that just pound that nail deeper into the coffin as others work diligently in trying to keep the industry afloat.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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