The guest seat is empty this week on the Friday Show, but not for lack of trying.
Given the controversy surrounding the decision by Churchill Downs Inc. to extend the company's private property ban on Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – which began shortly after Medina Spirit failed a drug test following his first-place finish in the 2021 Kentucky Derby – we thought this would be a good opportunity to give Baffert a chance to tell his side of the story and for us to ask some questions that have lingered over the past few years.
We reached out to Baffert and his attorney, Clark Brewster, inviting the trainer to join us on the Friday Show – to no avail.
So we are saddled with an empty chair and a notebook full of questions for this week's Friday Show, in which Ray Paulick and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth discuss the Baffert case, one that's had more turns than a marathon on a bull ring and involves two outsized egos: Baffert and Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen. Baffert wants to protect his reputation and Carstanjen wants to protect his brand, the Kentucky Derby, which will be celebrating its 150th running in 2024, apparently with Baffert on the outside looking in.
Watch this week's episode of The Friday Show below:
The post The Friday Show Presented By The Jockey Club: Questions On The Baffert Ban appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.