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In The Wake Of Controversial Drug Positives, Baffert Issues Pledge To ‘Raise The Bar’

The following statement from trainer Bob Baffert was released through his attorney on Wednesday morning:

2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. It has been no exception for my family, my barn, and me. I am very aware of the several incidents this year concerning my horses and the impact it has had on my family, horse racing, and me.

I want to have a positive influence on the sport of horse racing. Horses have been my life and I owe everything to them and the tremendous sport in which I have been so fortunate to be involved.

We can always do better and that is my goal. Given what has transpired this year, I intend to do everything possible to ensure I receive no further medication complaints. As such, I want to announce that, beginning immediately, I plan to implement the following procedures in an effort to make my barn one of the leaders in best practices and rule compliance:

I am retaining Dr. Michael Hore of the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute to add an additional layer of protection to ensure the well-being of horses in my care and rule compliance.
I am increasing the training and awareness of all my employees when it comes to proper protocols.
I am personally increasing my oversight and commitment to running a tight ship and being careful that protective measures are in place.

I want to raise the bar and set the standard for equine safety and rule compliance going forward. For those of you that have been upset over the incidents of this past year, I share in your disappointment. I humbly vow to do everything within my power to do better. I want my legacy to be one of making every effort to do right by the horse and the sport.

Baffert has been the subject of public criticism following a series of positive post-race tests for therapeutic drugs in his barn this year. The most recent came when the California Horse Racing Board reported a finding for dextrorphan in a Baffert trainee post race. Previously, news broke that initial testing after the G1 Kentucky Oaks found a positive for betamethasone in Gamine after her third-place finish. Stewards have not yet ruled on the dextroprhan overage in California, and a split sample test has not yet been completed for the betamethasone. Earlier this year, Gamine and Charlatan tested positive post-race for lidocaine in Arkansas, for which Baffert was suspended for 15 days. He is appealing that suspension. Last week, CHRB stewards held a hearing to determine whether Justify should be disqualified from his 2018 Santa Anita Derby win due to the presence of scopolamine in a post-race test.

Hore is a surgeon at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, which is based in Lexington, Ky. According to Hagyard's website, he specializes in digital radiographs, sales work, lameness, and angular limb deformities and practices in Kentucky, Florida, Maryland, New York, and Europe. Hore is credited with being part of the team that shortlisted Charlatan, Authentic, and Justify for SF Bloodstock. He was also among the veterinarians who signed a settlement agreement with the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners last year after self-reporting for misdating radiographs ahead of public auction.

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Woodbine, Ontario Racing Express Concerns About Legalization Of Sports Wagering In Canada

Racetracks of Canada, Ontario Racing and Woodbine Entertainment are raising significant concerns with Private Member's Bill C-218. The bill is currently being debated by Members of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons.

PMB C-218 seeks to legalize Single-Event Sports Betting in Canada, but damage to the horseracing industry may end up being an unintended consequence of the legislation. It creates an opening for international companies and others to offer wagering on horseraces in Canada at the expense of the local industry.

Canada's horseracing industry is sustainable because of the carefully constructed agreements between betting establishments, horsepeople groups and others in the industry, to ensure that a fair portion of the revenue generated by wagering is circulated back into the horse racing ecosystem. C-218 legalizes wagering on horseracing outside of this framework, jeopardizing the industry support model that serves as the basis of more than 50,000 jobs and $5.7 billion in economic activity across Canada, in both rural areas and in cities.

“We recognize there is an opportunity for the Canadian economy to benefit from the legalization of sports wagering,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “However, we want to ensure it does not come at the cost of the horse racing industry which has been an important part of the economy for decades. We would be supportive of the legalization of sports betting in Canada if our concerns were addressed through a legislative process.”

The horseracing industry is calling for the Trudeau Government to take over the sports betting initiative and proceed with a legislative package in the upcoming Fall Economic Statement or the 2021 Budget that legalizes Single-Event Sports Betting with measures that ensure the local horseracing industry is not an unintended casualty.

This can be done by ensuring only horse racing establishments can offer wagering on horse races. A new revenue source, Historical Horse Racing, should also be provided to the industry to offset any revenue loss to the new competitive product of single-event betting on other sports.

These measures will ensure horse racing can remain sustainable in Canada along with the more than 50,000 jobs it supports across the country.

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MGSW and Classic Placed Shaman to Yeomanstown Stud

MGSW and Classic-placed Shaman (Ire) (Shamardal-Only Green {Ire} by Green Desert) will stand at Yeomanstown Stud in 2021. The Wertheimer et Frere homebred’s fee will be announced at a later date.

“He is a great looking son of the mighty Shamardal from one of the best pedigree’s around, add to that his impressive race record Shaman is a huge addition to us and should prove popular to breeders from both Ireland and abroad,” said Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan. “We are delighted to have Wertheimer Et Frère retain a share in Shaman and look forward to their support.”

Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, the debut winner was third in the G3 Prix des Chenes as a juvenile, before winning the Listed Prix Omnium II in his first start at three. Successful in the G3 Prix la Force, the chestnut ran second in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains. Later that term he was also second in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and ended his sophomore year with a third in the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein. At four the son of French MSW & GSP Only Green added the G2 Prix d’Harcourt to his win column and was also third in the G1 Prix Ganay. His record stands at 16-5-3-3 and $687,788 in earnings.

Shaman is a half-brother to French SW Green Sweet (Smart Strike), as well as the dam of Group 3 placed My Kurkum (GB) (Dariyan {Fr}). His dam is a half-sister to European highweight and MG1SW Occupandiste (Ire) (Kaldoun {Fr}), herself responsible for MGISW Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), GSW & MG1SP Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill) and the latter’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club-winning son and young sire Intello (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}). This is the extended family of Irish highweight and Classic winner Mehthaaf (Nureyev), as well as European highweights and Group 1 winners Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and G1 July Cup hero Elnadim (Danzig). Shaman’s fourth dam is the high class blue hen Fall Aspen (Pretense).

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Breeders’ Cup Donates $50,000 To Nourish Lexington, Nourish The Backstretch At Keeneland

The Breeders' Cup announced Wednesday a $50,000 charitable donation to Nourish Lexington, a community support fund co-founded by Keeneland that prepares and distributes fresh and nutritious meals to those needing immediate access to food. Since April, Nourish has provided over 165,000 meals to individuals suffering from food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This donation will also support Nourish the Backstretch, a program which provides meals to the backstretch community at Keeneland and the Thoroughbred Training Center on Paris Pike.

“The importance of community has never been more apparent than it has during this difficult year,” said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “Both Nourish Lexington and Nourish the Backstretch are providing essential help to many in the Lexington community, including backstretch workers, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to support their work and are forever grateful to our home town of Lexington for its support and to the dedicated backstretch workers at the heart of our industry.”

Founded in April 2020 in immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, FoodChain, VisitLEX, Keeneland and the Murry Foundation created Nourish Lexington. The Nourish model utilizes the talents of displaced hospitality employees, along with local restaurants and catering partners to provide scratch-made meals for the food insecure. Since its inception, Nourish has provided over $70,000 in wages and stipends to hospitality workers and $435,500 to local food growers, suppliers, restaurants and caterers impacted by the pandemic.

Born out of Nourish Lexington, Nourish the Backstretch is an initiative that specifically targets the backstretch community, providing meals to these vital members of the Thoroughbred industry. Over the course of Breeders' Cup week and throughout the month of November, Nourish the Backstretch will use the Breeders' Cup donation to provide meals to backstretch workers at both Keeneland and the Thoroughbred Training Center on Paris Pike including a grab-and-go Thanksgiving Dinner from Keeneland's Track Kitchen on November 23. Nourish will engage local restaurants and catering partners to provide support for the backstretch effort. Locations and timing for Nourish the Backstretch will be communicated through Keeneland's Chaplaincy program and the Comó App.

“It's impossible to overstate the impact of this donation,” said Becca Self, Executive Director of FoodChain. “As we've been working to get meals out to vulnerable kids, adults and seniors since mid-March, we've only seen the need rise as more people find themselves without jobs or childcare. Many of the families we see report that the meals they receive through Nourish Lexington are the highest quality they've had in years, with kids even trying and enjoying new flavors and local ingredients. We know these dishes are providing more than just dietary necessities in these troubled times, and by capitalizing on our local food expertise in preparing them, we truly are able to nourish our community members.”

These latest donations, made in honor of the upcoming 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships, mirror efforts Breeders' Cup has made throughout the pandemic to support the communities hit the hardest. Previous donations include those made to the following organizations:

Race Track Chaplaincy of America – an organization whose purpose is to minister to the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, & educational needs of the workers within the horse racing industry.
USBG National Charity Foundation's COVID-19 Relief Campaign, which bolsters the USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance Program to support qualified bartenders, bar backs, and bar servers who need financial assistance as a result of a catastrophic event or an emergency hardship.
Restaurant Workers Relief Program – a joint project from Maker's Mark and the Lee Initiative, a charitable organization formed by Chef Edward Lee in Louisville. It's a multicity effort to support hourly employees (and out-of-work owners) struggling to make ends meet. Participating cities: Louisville, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Seattle, Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Lexington, Boston, San Francisco, and New Orleans.
For more information about Breeders' Cup's ongoing efforts to support the horse racing community and the local Lexington community in these trying times, please visit BreedersCup.com/donate.

The 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships will take place November 6-7 and air live on NBC and NBC Sports Network. As spectators will not be on site due to the pandemic, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation using the hashtag #MyBreedersCup.

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