Bob Baffert’s Churchill Downs Suspension Rescinded; Trainer Was Banned in 2021

Andrew PetersJuly 19, 2024

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Bob Baffert’s suspension from Churchill Downs has been rescinded after the trainer was suspended in 2021, per the Louisville Courier Journal’s Alexis Cubit.

Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen issued the following statement regarding Baffert’s suspension:

“We are satisfied that Mr. Baffert has taken responsibility for his actions, completed a substantial penalty and is committed to running in full compliance with the rules and regulations going forward,” Carstanjen said. “All parties agree that it is time to bring this chapter to a close and focus on the future. Mr. Baffert is welcome to return to any of CDI’s racetracks, including our flagship Churchill Downs Racetrack, and we wish him and his connections good luck in their future competitive endeavors.”

Baffert was suspended in 2021 after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone, which is “an anti-inflammatory drug permitted only in sanctioned amounts,” per Chuck Culpepper of the Washington Post.

Baffert’s suspension was initially set to expire last summer, but Churchill Downs Inc. extended it through the end of 2024 due to “continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he poses to CDI-owned racetracks.”

Baffert originally denied giving Medina Spirit the banned substance. He later acknowledged the horse was treated with Otomax, an anti-fungal ointment that contains betamethasone.

After his suspension was rescinded on Friday, Baffert issued a statement on social media.

“I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission took steps to enforce the rules that they believed were necessary to protect the safety and integrity of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby,” Baffert wrote. “My family and I want to put this behind us and get back to doing what we love to do without anymore distraction or negativity. I very much look forward to returning to Churchill Downs and getting back to the Winner’s Circle.”

Bob Baffert @BobBaffertpic.twitter.com/6898q4B4dH

Baffert is a six-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, with his most recent coming in 2020. Though Medina Spirit won the 2021 Kentucky Derby, the horse was disqualified over the positive test, making Mandaloun the winner.

Baffert has also been the trainer of two Triple Crown Champions: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert’s most recent win of a Triple Crown jewel came in 2023 when National Treasure won the Preakness Stakes.

Now that he can once again compete in the Kentucky Derby, Baffert will look to take home his third Triple Crown.