Churchill Downs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Baffert The Center Of Two More Civil Suits In Federal Court In Medina Spirit Case

Days after a group of four horseplayers filed suit against trainer Bob Baffert and Medina Spirit owner Zedan Racing over the expected disqualification of the horse from his Kentucky Derby win, Baffert has been named in two more similar federal lawsuits.

Both follow a similar premise to the May 13 civil suit filed by horseplayers Michael Beychok, Justin Wunderler, Michael Meegan and Keith Mauer. One was filed May 24 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by bettor Jeffrey Kaufman, who accuses Baffert and Zedan Racing of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act due to the presence of a regulated substance, betamethasone, Baffert said he was informed was detected on the horse's post-race tests. The drug has yet to be confirmed in split-sample tests. Kaufman's suit alleges that Baffert's history of drug positives establishes a pattern and that his assurances to the public in late 2020 that he intended to improve barn procedures was trusted by bettors.

Kaufman's suit is also designed to be a class action on behalf of other bettors on the Kentucky Derby “who would have won their bets and winnings had Medina spirit been properly prohibiting from competing in the Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2021, or competed without the aid of an illegal drug.”

Kaufman requests, among other things, court-imposed restrictions on Baffert's “future activities in Thoroughbred racing.”

The Kaufman suit accuses Baffert and Zedan of violating the RICO Act, common law fraud, and equitable fraud, and Baffert alone of conspiring to violate California laws against racketeering. Baffert and Zedan have not yet filed responses.

Read that complaint here.

Another horseplayer, Florida-based Anthony Mattera, filed suit against Baffert and Churchill Downs in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky based on the Medina Spirit drug positive, but that case was removed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Mattera claims, based on Baffert's history of drug violations, Churchill Downs should have refused his entry of Medina Spirit into the race and also that the track could have implemented its own pre-race testing procedures. (The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission already conducts pre-race testing for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.) Mattera also claimed the track should not have calculated the payouts based on the results with Medina Spirit as the winner.

Mattera also seeks to have his lawsuit recognized as a class action. Mattera's suit alleges negligence on the part of Baffert and Churchill, and violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act and unjust enrichment by Churchill. Mattera seeks to permanently enjoin Churchill from conducting racing until it meets a number of conditions to screen horses pre-race, settle wagers that change as the result of disqualifications, and publicly disclose medical records among other things. Baffert and Churchill have not yet filed responses.

Read that complaint here.

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America’s Day At The Races Plans Weeklong Coverage Of Belmont Park, Churchill Downs

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air 25 hours of coverage Thursday through Tuesday, with stakes action from Belmont Park, Churchill Downs and Santa Anita Park.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast live racing action this week, including a special half-hour show on Tuesday, June 1 from 11-11:30 a.m. that will air the draw for the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 5.

Broadcast schedule for America's Day at the Races (all times Eastern):

Thursday, May 27
FS2: 5 – 8:30 p.m.

Friday, May 28
FS2: 12:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 29
FS2: 12:30 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, May 30
Bally Sports SoCal: 3 – 5:30 p.m.
FS2: 4 – 4:30 p.m.

Monday, May 31
FS2: 12:30- 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 1
FS2: 11-11:30 a.m. [Draw for the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets]

Thursday will feature Churchill's eight-race evening card from the Louisville, Kentucky track, offering a 5 p.m. first post. Belmont Park will not conduct racing on Thursday.

Friday will see live racing action at both Belmont and Churchill, and the two tracks will also offer compelling Saturday slates, with the Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the turf highlighting the Belmont card. Churchill's packed Saturday card will feature the Grade 3, $125,000 Matt Winn for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles; the Grade 3, $125,000 Regret for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on the turf; the $125,000 Aristides for 4-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs; the $125,000 Blame for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles; the $125,000 Shawnee for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up contested at 1 1/16 miles; the $100,000 Audubon for sophomores going 1 1/8 miles on the turf; and the $100,000 Douglas Park for 4-year-olds and up.

Sunday will see the $100,000 Paradise Creek for sophomores competing at seven furlongs on the Belmont turf.

A special Memorial Day Monday card at Belmont will feature New York Breeders' Showcase Day, offering six stakes races for New York-breds. A pair of $200,000 races – the Commentator for 3-year-olds and up going one mile and the Critical Eye for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going the same distance, highlight the card. Other stakes for state-breds will include the $125,000 Mike Lee for sophomores going seven furlongs; the $125,000 Mount Vernon for older fillies and mares at one mile on the turf; he $125,000 Kingston for 4-year-olds and up on the turf; and the $125,000 Bouwerie for sophomore fillies going seven furlongs.

Monday's telecast will also feature live coverage of a trio of graded stakes from Santa Anita Park, including the Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on the turf for 3-year-olds and up; the Grade 1, $300,000 Gamely at nine furlongs on the turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up; and the Grade 3 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4-miles for 3-year-olds and up.

Tuesday's half-hour show will air the draw for the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the third leg of the Triple Crown known as the “Test of the Champion” for its famed 1 1/2-mile distance. Among the expected entrants for the American Classic is Grade 1 Preakness-winner Rombauer, Eclipse Award-champion 2-year-old Essential Quality and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby-winner Hot Rod Charlie. The draw will take place from Belmont Park.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 70,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Derby Fifth-Place Finisher O Besos Headlines Saturday’s Matt Winn Stakes

Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry Stephens' Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) fifth-place finisher O Besos headlines a field of eight 3-year-olds that were entered in Saturday's $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) – one of seven stakes events on the 11-race Stephen Foster Preview Day card at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn shares the Saturday spotlight with the $150,000 Regret (G3), $150,000 Aristides (Listed), $150,000 Blame, $150,000 Shawnee, $150,000 Audubon and $110,000 Douglas Park Overnight Stakes. The action-packed program gets underway at 12:45 p.m. (all times Eastern) and the Matt Winn is carded as Race 9 at 4:55 p.m.

O Besos, a 3-year-old son of Orb, closed into the early Kentucky Derby pace but flattened in the final furlong to cross the wire fifth. Trained by Greg Foley, O Besos had several options on the table following the Derby but opted to stay at Churchill Downs for the Matt Winn.

“We love running at Churchill and this race gives us plenty of options going forward,” Foley said. “He worked an easy half-mile (in :49) Monday morning and is doing well from the Derby. We can lead him over for the race right from Barn 11.”

Jockey Marcelino Pedroza, who rode O Besos to a third-place finish in the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and in the Kentucky Derby, has the call in the Matt Winn from post No. 3.

Chief among O Besos' rivals in the Matt Winn is D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium. The Mark Casse trainee finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby. He'll be ridden in Saturday's race by Julien Leparoux from post 2.

Also entered in the Matt Winn field is Juddmonte's $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes winner Fulsome. Trained by Brad Cox, Fulsome broke his maiden on turf but was transitioned to dirt in April at Keeneland when a first-level allowance event changed surfaces due to inclement weather. Fulsome defeated six rivals by 3 ½ lengths that day, which catapulted him to a 1 ¼-length win in the Oaklawn Stakes on May 1.

Florent Geroux has the mount from post 5.

The complete field for the Matt Winn (from the rail out with jockey and trainer): Ready to Pounce (Brian Hernandez Jr., Neil Pessin); Helium (Leparoux, Casse); O Besos (Pedroza, Foley); Southern Passage (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans); Fulsome (Geroux, Cox); Hello Hot Rod (Francisco Arrieta, Caio Caramori); Sittin On Go (Joe Talamo, Romans); and Game Day Play (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro).

Churchill Downs' admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and tickets, starting at $5, are available on www.ChurchillDowns.com/tickets. For those outside the Louisville area, all 11 races are scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports 2 from 12:30-6 p.m. Fans can also watch the live simulcast feed and wager on www.TwinSpires.com, the official ADW of Churchill Downs Incorporated.

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Tyler Gaffalione’s 10 Victories Earn Jockey Of The Week Title

With 10 wins including a Grade 3 stakes, Tyler Gaffalione was voted Jockey of the Week for May 17 through May 23. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Riding at Churchill Downs, Gaffalione began the race week on Thursday with two victories, then two three-win days Friday and Saturday including the Grade 3 Winning Colors, culminating with two wins on Sunday. His 10 wins were for eight different trainers.

Trainer Greg Foley tapped Gaffalione to ride Sconsin for the first time in the Grade 3 Winning Colors for fillies and mares four-years-old and up going six furlongs on the main track. Sconsin broke from the rail in the field of five and comfortably tracked the leading trio of Rising Seas, Frank's Rockette and Tipsy Gal after a quarter mile. Gaffalione guided Sconsin to the outside on the turn and blew past those foes to draw off and win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:08.80.

“Everything set up like we thought it would,” Gaffalione said. “The speed went on and set quick fractions. We were able to sit back and bide our time. When I put her out at the top of the lane she finished the job.”

The Winning Colors was Gaffalione's seventh graded stakes victory of the year.

Gaffalione, the 2015 Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, currently sits atop the jockey standings at Churchill Downs with 23 wins through May 23. His weekly statistics were 26-10-3-5 for a win rate of 38.4 percent and an in-the-money percentage of 69.2. He led all jockeys in purse earnings with $577,310.

Gaffalione out-polled Alex Birzer who recorded nine wins, Jose L. Ortiz with $306,378 in purse earnings, Jose Andres Guerrero with eight wins for the week and Mike Smith who won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes.

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