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Still No Hearing Date Set For Hall Of Famer Baffert Over Gamine’s Oaks Positive

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to take action against Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert on the positive test of Eclipse finalist Gamine, reports the Courier-Journal, even though the positive was confirmed via split sample months ago.

In the Kentucky Oaks on Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs, the Into Mischief filly finished third but later tested positive for betamethasone.

No hearing date has been set for Baffert with the KHRC, the trainer's attorney Craig Robertson confirmed. A public records request by the Courier-Journal shows that the Oaks day split sample result was returned on Nov. 5, and Robertson was notified the same day.

Robertson said he has yet to schedule a hearing date with the KHRC.

In total, Baffert had four runners return positive tests in 2020. Gamine ran on Arkansas Derby day (May 2) at Oaklawn Park, winning an allowance race, but subsequently tested positive for lidocaine and has since been disqualified. Charlatan, the Baffert-trained winner of the Arkansas Derby, was also disqualified over a lidocaine positive, and Baffert's attorney released a statement blaming the positives on a back-pain patch worn by his assistant trainer. The fourth was a cough suppressant in a runner at Santa Anita, also said to be a case of environmental contamination.

Penalties from the KHRC over betamethasone could include Baffert facing a suspension of up to 60 days and a fine up to $5,000, depending on whether the stewards decide the Oaks day positive is the trainer's first, second, or third offense in 365 days.

Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl to Fight Out Horse Of The Year

Authentic (Into Mischief), winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic; ‘TDN Rising Star’ Improbable (City Zip), a dual Grade I winner and runner-up in the Classic; and Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), who capped a four-for-four season with a second victory in the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, are the finalists for 2020 Horse of the Year as Eclipse Award finalists were announced Saturday on TVG.

Authentic is one of three individual Eclipse finalists in four separate categories for the all-conquering Into Mischief, whose daughter Gamine was nominated for both 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter in a campaign that saw her post wide-margin victories in the GI Longines Acorn S. and GI Test S. against her peers and a defeat of fellow dual-category finalist Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Into Mischief’s third finalist is Dayoutoutoftheoffice, who defeated Vequist (Nyquist) in the GI Frizette S. in October before the latter turned the tables on Breeders’ Cup Friday at Keeneland. Nyquist is the lone freshman sire of 2020 to be represented by a finalist.

Improbable, who is also a favorite for champion dirt male, was a convincing winner of the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the GI Whitney S. and GI Awesome Again S. before falling 2 1/4 lengths shy in the Classic. Monomoy Girl missed the entirety of the 2019 season with a series of setbacks, but proved the queen of the mountain in the dirt female division, completing her undefeated campaign with a smooth win in the Distaff over Valiance (Tapit). She later sold to Spendthrift Farm for $9.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars and remains in training for a 6-year-old season in 2020.

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) was also named a finalist in two divisions (dirt male and sprinter), while recent Lane’s End Farm import Daredevil is the only other stallion to have multiple finalists, with GI Preakness S. heroine Swiss Skydiver and GI Kentucky Oaks upsetter Shedaresthedevil each in the running for champion 3-year-old filly.

The other Eclipse Award finalists, which include no fewer than six ‘TDN Rising Stars’ are as follows:

2YO Male

Essential Quality (Tapit), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Fire At Will (Declaration of War)

Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music)

2YO Female

Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief)

Vequist (Nyquist)

3YO Male

Authentic (Into Mischief)

Nadal (Blame), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Tiz The Law (Constitution)

3YO Female

Gamine (Into Mischief), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil)

Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil)

Older Dirt Male

Improbable (City Zip), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Maximum Security (New Year’s Day)

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg})

Dirt Female

Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute)

Monomoy Girl (Tapizar)

Serengeti Empress (Alternation)

Male Sprinter

Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg})

Volatile (Violence)

Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect)

Female Sprinter

Gamine (Into Mischief), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead)

Serengeti Empress (Alternation)

Turf Male

Channel Maker (English Channel)

Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB})

Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire})

Turf Female

Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB})

Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), ‘TDN Rising Star‘

Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal)

Steeplechase

Moscato (GB) (Hernando {Fr})

Rashaan (Ire) (Manduro {Ger})

Snap Decision (Hard Spun)

Horse of the Year

Authentic (Into Mischief)

Improbable (City Zip)

Monomoy Girl (Tapizar)

Owner

Godolphin

Klaravich Stables

Spendthrift/MyRacehorse/Madaket/Starlight

Breeder

Peter Blum Thoroughbreds

Calumet Farm

WinStar Farm LLC

Jockey

Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Joel Rosario

John Velazquez

Apprentice

Luis Cardenas

Yarmarie Correa

Alexander Crispin

Trainer

Steve Asmussen

Bob Baffert

Brad Cox

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Charlatan Likely to Saudi Cup Next

After Charlatan (Speightstown) worked a half-mile Saturday in :49.80 at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert reported that his Grade I winner will likely make his next start in the Feb. 20 Saudi Cup. Charlatan is coming off a dominant win against a quality field in the Dec. 26 GI Runhappy Malibu S., his first after being sidelined following the GI Arkansas Derby May 2.

Charlatan has been invited to the GI Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream, but will likely pass that race. Should Charlatan pass the Pegasus, the role of favorite will go to Knicks Go (Paynter), who will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

“He breezed today and it was a very, very nice work,” Baffert said of Charlatan. “We are leaning toward the Saudi Cup. I don’t want to bring him back too quick. He came out of the Malibu really well. He always showed that he was a brilliant horse.”

Continued Baffert, “When he won the Malibu he wasn’t really super keyed up for it. He ran a lot better than I thought he would. I thought he could win and I thought he would run well.”

So far as his top 3-year-old colts go, Baffert has begun plotting a course for Life is Good (Into Mischief) and Medina Spirit (Protonico), the one-two finishers in the GIII Sham S.

“Life is Good came out of his race really well,” he said. “We are looking, maybe, at the [GII] San Felipe [S. Mar. 6] for him. That could change. He will be nominated to everything, but it will either be the San Felipe or the [GII] Rebel [S. Mar. 13] for him.”

“I don’t know what we’re going to do with Medina Spirit. He will also be nominated to everything. What I usually do this time of year with horses like him that are breezing, they are all nominated everywhere and whoever breezes the best gets on a plane.”

Gamine (Into Mischief), the leading contender for the Filly & Mare Sprinter title, recently returned to the Baffert stable after spending time at Trifecta Farm and has yet to resume serious training. She won the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint in her most recent start.

“We gave her a little break and it looks like she filled out a bit,” Baffert said. “I’ll probably aim her for the [GI] Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill during Derby week.”

In Varda (Distorted Humor), Kalypso (Brody’s Cause) and Frosteria (Frosted), Baffert has a trio of contenders on the road to the Apr. 30 GI Kentucky Oaks. He said Varda and Kalypso will likely go next in the GII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 6. He said he would find a maiden race for Frosteria before putting her back in stakes competition.

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Track Records: Was Keeneland’s Dirt Course Faster Than Average On Breeders’ Cup Weekend?

Four track records were set on Keeneland's dirt course during the Breeders' Cup this year, leading concerned fans as well as several horseplayers and turf writers to publicly question the the surface. Those questions led Jim Mulvihill to seek out answers, which he compiled in a feature for the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

The facts, Mulvihill said, are that three of the four records were set by heavy favorites, and the dominant nature of those wins led credence to the idea that the winners had run exceptionally fast. Mulvihill also explained that there is a relatively limited sample size of relevant races, since Keeneland reinstalled and reconfigured the dirt course in 2014, rendering previous dirt records non-comparable.

A few racing professionals' answers included:

Champion horseplayer Paul Matties, who makes his own figures for Keeneland races, said: “It was definitely the fastest Keeneland that I've seen in a long time. Even compared to the end of the meet, which was a little fast for them, it was still probably a second faster than those days. It was definitely different, so there was some truth to what the people speaking up were saying.”
Timeform and DRF Chief Speed Figure Maker Craig Milkowski noted that the track condition rating, a measure of final average times, was 9 on Breeders' Cup Saturday. “That was higher than average for Keeneland,” he said. “During the spring, they're usually 6-7 and for the summer meet they were more like 7-8. So it wasn't just the horses; the track was definitely fast.”

Meanwhile, the official response from the Breeders' Cup was that the track surface was no faster than normal on Breeders' Cup weekend.

“Breeders' Cup, Keeneland and third-party experts, including Dr. Mick Peterson and the University of Kentucky, worked together for many months to have a safe and consistent racing surface and there were never any discussions on producing fast race times,” a statement from Breeders' Cup read. “On event days, Dr. Mick Peterson was in constant communication with both Keeneland and Breeders' Cup racing teams to keep us apprised of all conditions. The racing surface and moisture levels were consistent throughout both race days. The fast times are reflective of the best horses in the world competing.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

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