Study on Standarbreds shows use of thyroid supplements may result in cardiac arrhythmias.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/evj.13480
Hmmm… kinda late as I think those results were shown in a Baffert-led study on TBS in California years ago. 7 dead horses.
Yup. Anything beyond that is BS.
Otherwise, let all the trainers of 20 horses in the KY Derby next year pull positives…then they can argue for the next 5 years in what order the horses came in, while multiple lawsuits ensue. . .
I listened to the latest episode of TDN Writers Room and it sounds as if the racing press feels the same way we do.
I would love to know what other trainers think.
From what I have heard from the racing press, trainers are tired of Baffert getting away with overages. It makes the sport look bad and they have to defend their profession even more than usual, every time Baffert makes the news.
According to the TDN “Writers Room” the people that are really upset are the people who have PR jobs in racing and those that are charged with promoting the sport. They wish Baffert would admit he broke the rules, say he thinks it’s unfair (if he must), take his punishment and shut the hell up.
I was at CD this morning and there was some grumbling and commentary happening, none of it favorable to BB.
This whole thing is like getting pulled over because you have a taillight out, but when the officer comes to the window he smells alcohol and you take a breathalyzer that blows just a bit over the legal limit. Your driving didn’t seem to be obviously impaired, but you were driving with a blood alcohol limit over what the law allowed.
If you are implying that Medina Spirit wasn’t obviously impaired, how would we know that? We didn’t get to see him race without the Betamethasone.
(Speaking as someone who thinks the whole “but he had a rash!” theory is a dumb cover up hatched by desperate minds.)
Well, we kinda did when he lost the Preakness. 
I don’t believe the skin condition excuse either.
The taillight out is probable cause for the stop. When LE leans in close to talk to the driver, they are also looking for signs of alcohol consumption (smell, eyes, etc) as well as a visual (plain sight) inspection of the interior of the vehicle looking for open containers. Once LE has signs of impairment, the breathalyzer comes into play.
Always obey all traffic laws when driving… turn indicators used, all vehicle lights functional, vehicle tag up to date, not driving too fast or too slow, turn into the lane closest to the driver… don’t give LE a reason to pull you over 
I’m almost willing to bet Bob walks away from this unscathed. I really hope he doesn’t and I hope the racing community uses this to set a precedent just as they did with Hollendorfer. I’m willing to bet he walks with a slap on the wrist just how he has for the past year on the worlds’ biggest stages.
Bob’s scenario is a bit different because he got caught in the biggest race on the biggest stage and it made global headlines. I am watching with one eyebrow raised. The question is; has Bob reached a level where he is basically untouchable. I think his previous drug violations has proved that he is. 5 in the past 12 months plus at least 7 dead from thyroid drug usage among others in previous years?
He is SoCal’s Golden Child. The seemingly untouchable wonder-trainer at Santa Anita; holding together the small field sizes with seemingly endless amounts of ridiculous talent. Stronach’s are unwilling to take a stand until KHRB reaches a verdict. If one thinks Stronach’s are going to barre Bob from their tracks even if he receives a maximum penalty; they need to reevaluate: it will never happen. Monmouth has stated that regardless of the outcome; they support Bob and welcome him with open arms (despite banning whips on the grounds of animal welfare)
The most concerning thing about all of this is not that Bob won’t get what is coming for him. It’s the lack of stance within the industry to denounce someone who continues to do this to horses, get caught, and get let off the hook. Trainers at tracks around the country are not happy and rightly so. Why can’t the organizations above these trainers support them and take the right stance? A precedent needs to be set industry-wide and it needs to occur now: illegal substances and positive tests will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
the only saving grace here may be that Churchill is a large corporation and has the lawyers behind them to bring out the big guns if they need to. KHRB wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if they needed the big dogs to defend themselves if they found themselves trying to inflict consequences of Mr Baffert and got met with lawsuits being peddled by Mr B’s wealthy clientele. I am willing to assume that Churchill is ready to back the decisions if need be. Their reputation is on the line here
Certainly hope that KHRB is ready to provide a deicsion here within the coming weeks. the long their let this issue rest; the less of an impact I fear the decision will have.
A friend, who owns group-winning horses and is also a highly respected international show judge, looked at her young American-bred when we were visiting her Trainer’s yard and said “I won’t be buying another from the US. You just don’t know what you are getting.” Form based on chemicals is worthless in the breeding sheds.
Well, I guess he likes paying his lawyer…
He could win, depending on the law in NY. I wonder if the individual tracks will ban him in NY like Churchill did in Kentucky. Not much he could do about that.
He may wind up schooling the different tracks on why they should have better, more consistent rules and laws, and why this should be national. His attorney seems more than competent.
Hopefully the HIPA will bring some standardization.
Oh gosh no, not implying that at all…sorry I wasn’t more clear. My point was that Baffert claiming it shouldn’t matter because it was an ointment for a rash has no bearing on the test results. Just like the alcohol…you either have it in your system (against the rules) or you don’t. The horse did, and Baffert is trying to pull excuses out of a hat. Impaired or not, the betamethasone was present. Period. No excuses.
Guys like him always have good lawyers.
The judge in the other case is Not Amused.
This attorney has a well-informed view of the situation. Good read!
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