Churchill Downs lifts suspension of star trainer Baffert

Churchill Downs lifted the suspension of star trainer Bob Baffert on Friday, allowing Baffert to return for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

“We are pleased that Mr. Baffert has accepted responsibility for his actions, served a significant sentence and is committed to operating in full compliance with the rules and regulations going forward,” Bill Carstanjen, chairman of the board of Churchill Downs Incorporated, said in a statement.

“All parties agree that it is time to close this chapter and focus on the future. Mr. Baffert is welcome to return to any of CDI’s racetracks, including our flagship racetrack, Churchill Downs, and we wish him and his connections the best of luck in their future competitive endeavors.”

Baffert’s reinstatement at the Louisville racetrack ends a years-long saga that began with Baffert’s two-year suspension in 2021 after Medina Spirit failed a post-race doping test following his victory in the Kentucky Derby.

The horse trained by Baffert was disqualified and died later in 2021.

Baffert initially denied giving Medina Spirit the banned steroid betamethasone, but then said he discovered it was an ingredient in a cream used to treat a rash on the horse.

Baffert’s original suspension was supposed to run until 2023, but in July of that year, Churchill Downs accused him of continuing to “spread a false narrative about Medina Spirit’s failed doping test.”

That case was one of five drug violations Baffert committed in a 12-month period, and Churchill Downs announced in 2021 that the suspension would be extended due to “ongoing concerns about the threat he poses to the safety and integrity of racing.”

This meant that Baffert-trained Muth, owned by Saudi Arabian Amr Zedan, was barred from competing in the Kentucky Derby last May despite a legal dispute.

Baffert has trained six Kentucky Derby winners, including Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

Baffert issued a statement taking responsibility for Medina Spirit’s positive drug test.

“I understand and appreciate that Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission have taken steps to enforce the rules they believe are necessary to protect the safety and integrity of the sport of horse racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby,” Baffert said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).

bb/js